LI  E>  R.ARY 

OF   THL 

UNIVERSITY 

or    ILLINOIS 

977.  379e 


liUuli  lis^ioi  stnif 


HI8T0EY 


EFFINGHAM  COUNTY, 


IIaLINOIS. 


^EDITED    BY    WILLIAM    HENf^Y    PBRRIIsI.-:^ 
&\  __  i^ 


ILaLaUSXRATB.D. 


CHICAGO : 

O.  L.  BASKIN  &  CO.,  HISTORICAL  PUBLISHERS, 

Lakeside  Building. 
1883. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XVI.— Mason  Town8liil>— Topographical  and  De- 
scriptive—Settlement — Broom,  the  Stewarts  and  other 
Pioneers — A  Fourth  of  July  Celebration^Schools  and 
Churches— An  Incident— Villages— Growth  and  Develop- 
ment of  Mason— Its  Business  Importance- Kdgewood  — 
Laid  out  as  a  Town — Stores,  Shops,  Churches  and  Socie- 
tiei 1^8 

CHAPTEE  XVII.— Watson  Township— Surface  and  Physical 
Features- Coming  of  the  White  Settlers— Their  Loca- 
tions and  Claims— Sketches  of  Some  of  the  Noted  Ones — 
Mills  and  Olher  Pioneer  Industries- Schools  and  School- 
houses— Churches— Village  of  Watson— Its  Growth  and 
Business 200 

CHAPTER  XVIII.— Jackson  Township— Introduction  and  Gen- 
eral Description — Topography,  etc.— Settlement  of  White 
People — Pioneer  Improvements  and  Busiuess  Industries 
—Some  Early  Incidents— Births,  Deaths  and  Marriages- 
Mills,  Roads,  etc.-^Schools  and  Churches— Villages,  etc, 
etc 212 

CHAPTER  XIX.— Union  Township— Introductory  —  Bound- 
aries and  Topography  —  White  Settlement  —  Frederick 
Btockett— Other  Pioneers— Incidents  of  Early  Life— The 
First  Roada—Educalional— Schooihouses— Churches,  etc. 
Flemshurg  Village— A  Tragedy  and  its  Results 220 

CHAPTER  XX.— St. Francis  Township — Description  and  Topog- 
raphy—The  First  Settlers  and  Their  Hardships— A  Trag- 
edy-Mills, Roads  and  Other  Improvements— Early 
Religions  History — Churches  and  Preachers — Schools, 
Schooihouses,  etc.  — The  Village  of  Montrose— Its 
Growth,  Development,  etc 229 

CHAPTER  XXI.— Liberty  Township— Its  Physical  Features- 
Timber  Growth,  etc.— Early  Settlement— Pioneer  Hard- 
ships—  Industries  aud  Improvements — The  State  of  So- 
ciety— Educational  and  Religious — Beecher  City— A  Vil- 
lage of  Large  Pretensions — Its  Business,  Churches, 
Schools,  Benevolent  Societies,  etc 238 

CHAPTER  XXII.— Lucas  Township— Introductory— Topogra- 
phy and  Boundaries — Pioneer  Occupation — Where  the 
Settlers  Came  From— Their  Early  Life  Here— Growth  and 
Improvement  of  the  Counlry— Mills,  etc.— Educational 
Facilities— Churches  and  Preachers— Villages,  etc.,  etc...  242 

CHAPTER  XXIII.— TeutopoliB  Township— Its  Description  and 
Formation — Topography— The  Prairie  and  Timber  Soils 
— German  Emigrants — Village  of  Teutopolis — The  Ger- 
man Colony— Growth  of  the  Village— Schools—St.  Jo- 
seph's College— Sisters  of  Notre  Dame— The  Church- 
Village  Incorporation  and  Officers 250 

CHAPTER  XXIV.— West  Township— Introductory  aud  De- 
scriptive— Topography  and  Physical  Features — The  First 
Settlements — Pioneer  Industries  and  Internal  Improve- 
ments— An  Incident— Schools,  Churches,  etc. — Village  of 
Gilmore — War  Record  and  Experience,  etc 257 

CHAPTER  XXV— Banner  Townsbip— Topography,  Timber 
Growth,  etc. — The  Settlement— Bingeman,  Rentfrow  and 
Other  Pioneers — Wolf  Hunts — Churches  and  Church  In- 
fluences— Schools — Village  of  Shumway — Its  Growth  and 
Development — Religious  aud  Educational  Facilities 2G'I 


CHAPTER    XXVI.— Moccasin   Townsbip — Configuration    and 

Boundaries — Streams,  Timber,  etc— Pioneer  Settlement 
— Early  Life  of  the  People — An  Incident — Churches  and 
Preachers — The  First  Schooihouse — Schools  of  the  Pres- 
ent— Moccasin  Village — Platted — General  Business  of  the 
Place 27U 

CHAPTER  XXVII —Bishop  Township— Topography  and  Sur- 
face Features— Coming  of  the  Pioneers — Their  Hard 
Times  and  Vicissitudes — The  Early  Improvements  in  Liv- 
ing— Roads,  Mills,  etc. — Schools  and  Schooihouses — 
Religious  History — Churches  and  Preachers — The  Village 
of  Elliottstown,  etc.,  etc 274 


PART  II. 

BIOGRAPHICAL. 

PAGE. 

Epfinqham  City  and  Douglas  Township 3 

Mound  Township *"5 

Lucas  Township    124 

Teutopolis  Township 140 

Mason  Township 148 

Jackson  Township 1*79 

Liberty  Township 196 

West  Township 208 

Watson  Township 217 

Moccasin  Township 228 

Bishop  Township 238 

St.  Francis  Township 244 

Union  Township 261 

Banner  Township 257 

Summit  Township 261 

Addendum— Weiler  4  Meyer. 286 


PORTEAITS. 

PAGE. 

Beecher,  H.  L •  279 

Bernhard,  U 1* 

Broom,  John 1^9 

Dawson,  Robert  32 

Field,  L.  J "1 

Gillenwaters,  T.  J 27 

Groves,  John  N l^^ 

Gwin,  J.N *1 

Hoeny,  John ^^ 

Kepley,  Henry  B 1" 

Le  Crone,  John 6* 

Leitb,  David *8 

Mitchell,  Calvin 135 

Rice,  S.  S 207 

Scolt,  Owen '^ 

Stair,  Jacob ^ 

Tennery,  Thomas  D •■• 1^1 

Williamson,  D 243 

Wills,  John 226 

Woody,  John I'^l 

Wright,  C.  M 261 


PREFACE. 


AFTER  several  months  of  laborious  research  and  persistent  toil,  the  history  of  Bflins;- 
ham  County  is  complete,  and  it  is  our  hope  and  belief  that  no  subject  of  general 
importance  or  interest  has  been  overloolied  or  omitted,  and  even  minor  facts,  when  of  sufficient 
note  to  be  worthy  of  record,  have  been  faithfully  chronicled.  In  short,  where  protracted 
investigation  promised  results  commensurate  with  the  undertaking,  matters  not  only  of 
undoubted  record  but  legendary  lore,  have  been  brought  into  requisition.  We  are  well  aware  of 
the  fact  that  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  furnish  a  perfect  history  from  the  meager  resources  at 
the  command  of  the  historian  under  ordinary  circumstances,  but  claim  to  have  prepared  a  work 
fully  up  to  the  standard  of  our  engagements.  Through  the  courtesy  and  assistance  generously 
afforded,  we  iiave  been  enabled  to  trace  out  and  put  into  systematic  shape  the  greater  portions 
of  the  events  that  ii;ive  transpired  in  the  county  up  to  tlie  present  time,  and  we  feel  assured 
that  all  thouglitful  persons  interested  in  the  matter  will  recognize  and  appreciate  the  importance 
of  the  work  and  its  permanent  value.  A  dry  statement  of  facts  has  been  avoided,  so  far  as  it 
was  possible  to  do  so,  and  anecdote  and  incident  have  been  interwoven  with  plain  recital  and 
statistics,  thereby  forming  a  narrative  at  once  instructive  and  entertaining. 

We  are  indebted  to  H.  C.  Bradsby,  Esq.,  for  his  very  able  general  history  of  the  county 
comprised  in  the  first  nine  chapters  ;  to  B.  F.  Kagay,  Esq.,  for  the  chapter  on  the  "  Bench  and 
Bar  f  to  Charles  Evcrsman,  Esq.,  for  chapter  on  Tcutopolis,  and  to  G.  M.  Le  Crone,  Esq..  and 
many  other  citizens  of  the  county  for  material  aid  in  making  the  proper  compilation  of  facts 
embodied  in  the  work. 

February,  1883.  THE  PUBLISHERS. 


tLLIJMOliS. 


ff.+.f 


R.S.E 


R.G.E. 


PART  I 


STORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY, 


CHAPTER  I.* 


INTRODUCTORY— THE  FIRST  PIONEER— GRIFFIN  TIPSWORD— HIS  SUPERSTITIOUS  ECCENTRICITIES 
—THE    FIFTY-ONE    FAMILIES— TIMBER    AND    PRAIRIES— OBSTACLES    TO    SETTLEMENT- 
WILD  BEASTS  AND  INSECTS— BEN  CAMPBELL— MORALIZING  ON  PIONEER  EXPERI- 
ENCE—SOME   ANECDOTES    AND    INCIDENTS    OF    CAMPBELL— HIS    LAST 
MARRIAGE  AND    DEATH— REQUIESCAT  IN  PACE. 


"  I  stand  alone,  like  some  dim  shaft  which  throws 
Its  shadows  on  the  desert  waste,  while  they 
Who  placed  it  there  are  gone — or  like  the  tree 
Spared  by  the  ax  upon  the  mountain's  cliff, 
Whose  sap  is  dull,  while  it  still  wears  the  hue 
Of  life  upon  its  withered  limbs." 

—  The  Aged  Pioneer. 

TO  rescue  from  fast-fading  traditions  the 
simple  annals  of  the  pioneer  people  of  our 
county  is  a  pleasing  but  a  laborious  task,  not  so 
laborious  as  perplexing,  the  annoyances  arising 
from  there  being  now  no  connected  record  of 
their  official  acts  and  doings.  Many  of  the 
earliest  and  most  important  legal  papers  are 
gone  beyond  recovery;  many  of  them  were 
never  put  in  a  more  permanent  form  than  mere 
slips  or  scraps  of  unbound  sheets  of  papers, 
stuck  carelessly  away,  not  even  marked  or 
filed;  some  not  dated,  and  others  again  ad- 
dressed to  no  one.  Then,  in  the  burning  the 
court  house  in  ISHS.  many  were  consumed  or 
destro3-ed  in  being  removed. 

•The  Chaptera  following  on  the  history  of  the  county  at  large 
are  written  by  H.  C.  Bradsby,  Eaq. 


To  supply  this  loss  of  important  papers,  with 
their  invaluable  facts  and  statistics,  is  now 
largel}-  fore\'er  impossible. 

But  to  meet  and  converse  with  the  few  now 
living  of  these  earl}'  settlers — those  who  came 
here  as  children,  or  as  veiy  young  men  and 
women,  and  are  now  fast  approaching  or  have 
passed  the  allotted  threescore  and  ten, 
stooped  with  age,  venerable  patriarchs  mosth'. 
and  their  white-haired  "  blessed  mothers  in 
Israel,"  companions  and  helpmeets — has  been 
the  most  pleasing  task  of  our  life. 

To  gather  up  the  raveled  threads  of  the 
strange  but  simple  stories  of  their  lives — now 
mostly  broken  threads — to  catch  these  fleeting 
traditions  and  fireside  histories,  and  hand  them 
on  to  posterity,  might  well  be  the  ambitious 
labor  of  any  man's  life. 

The  importance  thj^t  attaches  to  the  lives, 
character  and  work  of  these  humble  laborers  in 
the  cause  of  humanity  and  civilization  will  some 
daj'  be  better  understood  and  appreciated  than 
it  is  now.     Thej-  will^some  time,  by  the  pen  of 


12 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


the  wise  historian,  talie  their  proper  place  in  the 
list  of  those  immortals  who  havq  helped  to  make 
this  world  wholesome  with  their  toil  and  their 
sweat  and  their  blood.  Of  them  all  the  pioneer 
was  the  humblest,  but  uot  the  meanest  nor  the 
most  insignificant.  They  laid  the  foundations 
on  which  rests  the  civilization  of  the  Western 
Hemisphere.«-  If  the  work  was  done  well,  then 
the  edifice  stands  upon  an  enduring  rock;  if  ill, 
then  upon  the  sands;  and  when  the  winds  and 
the  rains  beat  upon  it,  it  will  tremble  and  fall. 

If  great  and  beneficent  results — results  that 
endure  and  bless  mankind — are  the  proper  meas- 
ure of  the  good  men  do,  then  who  is  there  in 
the  world's  history  that  may  take  their  places 
above  these  hardy,  early  pioneers? 

To  point  out  the  waj',  to  make  possible  our 
present  advancing  civilization,  its  cheap  and 
happ}-  homes,  its  cheap  food,  its  arts,  sciences, 
inventions  and  discoveries,  its  education,  litera- 
ture, culture,  refinement  and  social  life  and  joj', 
is  to  be  the  trnlj-  great  bcuefactor  of  all  man- 
kind and  for  all  time.  This,  indeed,  was  the 
great  work  of  these  adventurous  pioneers. 

Grant  it,  captious  friend,  that  the}'  builded 
wiser  than  thej'  knew;  that  few,  if  any  of  them', 
ever  realized  in  the  dimmest  way  the  transcend- 
ant  possibilities  that  rested  upon  their  should- 
ers. Grant  it  that,  as  a  rule,  their  lives  were 
aimless  and  ambitionless,  with  little  more  of 
hope,  or  far-reaching  purposes,  than  the  savage 
or  the  wild  beasts  that  were  their  neighbors. 
Yet  there  stands  the  supreme  fact  that  they  fol- 
lowed their  restless  impulses,  took  their  lives 
in  their  hands,  penetrated  the  desert  wilderness, 
and  with  a  patient  energy,  resolution  and  self- 
sacrifice  that  stands  alone  and  unparalleled, 
they  worked  out  their  allotted  tasks,  and  to-day 
we  are  here  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  fruitage  of 
their  labors.  • 

Should  we  allow  their  names  and  their  fame 
to  pass  into  oblivion  and  contempt,  the  act 
would  mark  us  as  the  degenerate  sons  of  heroic 
sires,  unworthy  the  inheritance  they  gave  us. 


To  say  that  in  this  work  it  is  proposed  to 
write  the  historj',  in  the  broad  and  large  mean- 
ing of  that  word,  would  be  a  careless  use  of 
language — would  be  promising  more  than  it  is 
possible  for  us  to  do;  for  history  in  its  true 
sense  is  philosophy  in  its  highest  type,  teach- 
ing by  example.  But  to  gather  such  facts,  in- 
cidents, statistics  and  circumstances,  trifling  or 
important,  as  are  left  to  us,  and  place  tliem  in 
a  durable  form,  and  transmit  them,  ready  to 
hand,  to  the  future  and  real  historian,  is  all  that 
one  can  attempt  or  hope  to  do  in  a  manner  at 
all  satisfaetorj'.  To  tell  their  simple  annals  in 
their  chronological  order,  to  secure  something 
of  the  substance  ere  the  shadows  wholly  fade, 
IS  enough  to  attempt  now. 

In  the  year  1814  or  1815,  Griffin  Tipsword 
came  to  this  part  of  Illinois  and  took  up  his 
abode  with  the  Kickapoo  Indians.  These  In- 
dians then  occupied  what  is  now  parts  of  Fay- 
ette, Shelb}'  and  Effingham  Counties.  South  of 
the  Kickapoos  were  the  Winnebagoes  and  Del- 
awares.  At  that  time  these  Indians  were  peace- 
ably disposed,  and,  it  seems,  were  indifferent  as 
to  the  coming  of  the  lone,  straggling,  white  man. 

We  make  no  doubt  that  Tipsword  was  the 
first  white  man  that  was  ever  here.  He  was  a 
strange  compound  of  white  man  by  birth  and 
Indian  Ijy  adoption.  He  was  a  self-exile  from 
civilization  in  his  native  Virginia,  and  by  choice 
a  roving  nomad,  who  sought  the  solitudes  of 
pathless  woods,  the  dreariness  of  the  desert 
waste,  in  exchange  for  the  trammels  of  civilized 
society.  Of  the  latter,  he  could  not  endure  its 
restraints,  and  he  despised  its  comforts  and 
pleasures.  His  soul  j-earned  for  freedom — free- 
dom in  its  fullest  sense,  applied  to  all  property, 
life  and  everj'thing,  here  and  hereafter.  He 
hunted  in  the  Indian  chase,  talked  in  their  dia- 
lect, danced  their  dances,  and  to  show  how  fully 
he  was  for,  them,  with  them  and  of  thein,  he 
gave  them  his  oldest  sou,  who  remained  with 
them  whoU}'  for  years,  in  order  that  he  miglit 
be  fully  educated  in  their  ways. 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


13 


Moses  Dotj-  was  a  nephew  of  Tipsword,  and 
from  him  and  the  gnindsous  of  the  old  pioneer 
we  learn  that  he  left  Virginia  in  the  3  ear  1812 
and  came  to  Southern  Illinois,  where  he  re- 
mained for  two  or  three  years,  and  then  came, 
witli  liis  wife  and  two  children,  to  this  part  of 
the  State;  that  he  hrst  lived  in  the  northwest 
corner  of  this  county,  and  in  Shelby,  and  lived 
and  hunted  and  migrated  as  far  northwest  as 
Quincy,  and  then  would  return  to  this  place. 
The  Indians  did  much  the  same  in  following 
the  game  and  in  searching  for  new  and  better 
hunting  ground. 

For  years  after  he  came  here  he  saw  no  hu- 
man face  except  the  Indian.  His  people  in  Vir- 
ginia had  no  word  of  him  for  sixteen  years  after 
he  left  them. 

In  many  respects  he  was  a  remarkable  man. 
He  had  gone  West,  cut  loose  from  kith  and  kin, 
and  he  didn't  burn  the  bridges  behind  him,  be- 
cause there  were  none  to  burn.  He  was  a  pio- 
neer, a  doctor,  a  missionar\'  preacher,  his  own 
bishop,  as  well  as  his  own  committee  on  ways 
and  means.  He  hunted,  fished,  cut  bee-trees, 
and  talked  with  the  Indians  in  their  way  and 
fashion.  He  was  as  illiterate  as  they,  and  he 
told  them  In  Indian  the  stor)'  of  Mount  Calvary 
and  the  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone,  and  those 
who  had  no  fears  of  an  angry  God  had  a  healthy 
dread  of  his  unerring  ritte.  Beneath  God's  first 
temples  he  pointed  the  way  to  heaven  to  these 
simple  savages.  In  the  trackless  woods  he  met 
the  bad  Indian  and  slow  him.  He  was  notonlj' 
a  physician  for  the  poor  soul,  but  he  was  a 
"  medicine  man,"  who  could  exorcise  witches, 
conjure  ghosts,  remove  "spells,"  make  "silver 
tea  "  for  cattle  sick  of  the  murrain  or  otherwise 
bewitched.  He  regulated  the  storms,  stayed 
the  angry  lightning  fiashes,  and  could  appease 
the  deep-mouthed  thunders  as  they  rolled  across 
the  darkened  heavens  in  terrifying  peals.  He 
had  much  to  do  in  his  Protean  capacity  of  a 
hunter,  a  half  savage,  a  doctor,  a  preacher,  and  a 
pioneer,  with  no  visible  means  of  support  except 


his  rifle,  and  that  he  lived  out  u  long  life  (it  is 
supposed  over  a  hundred  years)  is  evidence  that 
he  was  singularly  well  adapted  to  surrounding 
circumstances. 

His  family  name  was  Souards.  He  onlj- called 
himself  Tipsword  after  he  came  here.  It  was 
only  in  the  latter  j-ears  of  his  life  that  he  told 
any  one  that  he  had  changed  his  name.  When 
asktd  why  he  had  done  so,  he  would  nod  his 
head  toward  the  south,  where  he  had  first  lived 
among  the  Indians,  and  reply  that  he  did  not 
want  to  run  his  "  head  into  the  halter."  From 
this  and  other  hints  that  he  gave  out  in  his 
last  years  the  inference  may  be  drawn  that,  in 
his  mind,  it  was  much  the  same  whether  you 
saved  a  savage  by  preaching  or  b\-  the  rifle. 
He  believed  it  was  the  Divine  economy  to  save, 
and  in  one  way  or  the  other  he  did  a  livelj' 
business. 

It  is  not  known  what  particular  church  ho 
belonged  to — perhaps  he  did  not  himself  know, 
but  the  records  leave  no  doubt  it  was  that 
broad,  liberal  Catholic  faith  and  practice  that 
gathered  up  with  as  much  alacrity  the  Indian 
with  a  bullet  hole  through  his  head  as  the 
saint  with  finger  nails  two  or  three  feet  long. 
He  was  a  well-armed  drummer  in  the  golden 
slipper  trade,  a  "rustler"  for  the  golden  stairs. 

He  could  doctor  the  bod}'  quite  as  well  as 
the  souls.  The  prevalent  diseases  of  his  daj-,  it 
seems,  were  witches,  spooks,  spells  and  charms. 
He  was  as  superstitious  as  his  neighbors  and 
quite  as  illiterate,  and  yet  he  must  have  played 
man}'  tricks  upon  his  savage  followers  to  retain 
his  power  over  them,  and  impress  and  awe 
them  with  a  dread  of  his  occult  powers.  His 
trade  was  not  destroyed  by  the  coming  of  the 
first  whites  and  the  migration  from  here  of  the 
Indians.  lie  continued  to  practice  medicine, 
preach  and  hunt.  He  kept  sacred  Jiis  witch- 
balls  to  the  day  of  his  death.  These  were 
made  of  doer's  and  cow's  hair,  were  large,  and 
held  together  by  a  long  string.  They  consti- 
tuted his  materia  medica. 


14 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUXTY. 


Most  people  then  believed  implicity  in 
witches  and  charms;  some  do  now.  All  dis- 
eases were  the  work  of  witches,  and  so  it  was 
with  their  cattle.  Ghosts  could  be  seen  an}' 
dark  night  in    passing  a  grave  or  a  graveyard. 

Hunters  would  sometimes  be  almost  be- 
deviled out  of  their  lives  b}-  witches  that  would 
appear  to  them  in  the  woods  as  a  beautiful 
deer,  which  would  career  and  gallop  around 
them  in  eas}-  range  and  j-et,  no  matter  how 
often  he  shot,  he  could  not  touch  them.  It 
came  to  be  well  known  that  a  leaden  bullet 
would  not  touch  a  witch,  but  a  silver  bullet  car- 
ried death  on  its  wings.  When  this  kind  of  a 
ball  was  fired  at  a  witch  deer,  if  the  aim  was 
fatal,  the  deer  would  run  home,  return  to  its 
human  form,  go  to  bed  and  die.  If  the  shot 
was  not  fatal,  the  witch  would  go  to  bed,  be 
sick  a  long  time,  and  no  visitor  would  be  al- 
lowed to  see  the  wound,  nor  would  the  attend- 
ants tell  them  the  particulars  of  the  ailment. 

If  cattle  were  sick,  it  was  the  witches  and 
nothing  would  do  them  au}-  good  except  "  silver 
tea."  This  tea  was  made  b}-  boiling  a  silver 
coin  in  water  for  a  long  time  and  giving  the 
water  to  the  sick  brute. 

When  people  were  bewitched,  thev  would 
send  for  Tipsword  or  take  the  patient  to  him. 
He  would  doctor  them  bj'  standing  over  them, 
moving  about  in  a  m3'sterious  way  his  witch- 
balls  and  muttering  a  strange  guttural  jargon, 
and  this  was  repeated  from  da}'  to  day  until 
the  witch  would  fly  unseen  away  in  sore  agony 
and  distress  and  the  cure  was  complete. 

The  good  old  John  Knox,  Presbyterian,  of 
Scotland,  never  had  more  trouble  with  witches, 
or  the  devil,  as  he  went  prowling  through 
the  country,  in  the  shape  of  a  snake,  a  wild 
boar  or  some  other  unknown  and  unseen  wild 
beast,  than  did  these  pioneers  and  Indians. 
Men  who  are  now  growing  old,  who  were  here 
as  children,  in  the  days  of  unbounded  super- 
stition, can  yet  tell  you  how  they  have  often  sat 
around  the  loij  fireside  and  heard  the  gathered 


neighbors  tell  over  tiieir  soul-harrowing  stories 
of  ghosts  and  witches.  Poor,  innocent,  credu- 
lous children,  listening,  open  mouthed,  to 
superstitious  fathers  and  mothers  telling  fright- 
ful stories — stories  that  would  make  these 
youngsters'  hair  stand  out  "  like  quills  upon 
the  fretted  porcupine."  If  the  story  chanced 
to  be  too  monstrous  for  even  ignorant  cre- 
dulity, then  some  crooning  old  granny,  well 
known  to  the  whole  neighborhood,  was  always 
referred  to  as  a  living  authority,  who  had  been 
there  and  had  seen  or  knew  it  all. 

These  ignorant  superstitious,  sucked  by  the 
babes  with  the  milk  from  the  mother's  beast, 
have  done  far  more  to  beat  back  the  cause  of 
civilization  among  the  common  people  than 
could  all  the  swarms  of  greenhead  flies,  the 
murderous  Indians,  the  poisonous  snakes  and 
wild  beasts,  the  deadly  malaria,  disease  and 
poverty.  Their  tendency  was  to  breed  igno- 
rance, to  raise  up  a  people  that  believed  enor- 
mously, that  never  questioned,  never  doubted, 
but  the  more  impossible  the  story  the  more 
implicitly  they  believed. 

Yet  as  widespread  as  were  these  beliefs  in 
goblins  and  spells,  there  are  to-day  men  and 
women  in  our  county  who  grew  up  among  such 
pernicious  influences  that  will  tell  you  of  the 
terrifying  beliefs  of  their  childhood  and  laugh 
at  them.  We  _note  this  fact  with  the  greatest 
satisfaction.  By  their  own  strength  of  mind 
they  have  grown  away  from  the  faith  of  their 
fathers.  A  hard  thing  for  any  one  to  do — an 
impossible  thing  for  the  weak  and  slothful- 
minded  to  do.  An  ignorant  man  of  large  be- 
liefs rears  his  child  very  difl'erently  from  a  man 
of  large  mind,  or  a  man  who  often  doubts  aud 
always  in^'estigates.  The  ignorant  man  takes 
charge  of  not  only  the  body  of  his  child  which 
he  guides  with  a  rod  of  iron,  but  he  is  equally 
watchful  for  its  mind  aud  soul  and  equally 
severe  with  his  gibbets,  chains  and  slavery 
upon  the  slighest  signs  of  deviation  from  his 
precepts.     He  believes  in  education,  provided 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


15 


the  educator  he  employs  is  as  ignorant  and 
credulous  as  himself.  He  believes  what  his 
fathers  believed,  and,  by  the  eternal,  his  chil- 
dren shall  believe  as  he  does.  When  the  world 
was,  or  if  it  shall  ever  return  to  this  condition 
of  aflairs  generally,  it  will  have  reached  ca- 
lamities that  will  surpass  all  the  afflictions  of 
the  sword.  Are,  disease,  famines  and  pesti- 
lences. 

To  some  this  may  be  regarded  as  wandering 
somewhat  from  our  text,  especially  our  sketch 
of  Griffin  Tipsward.  It  is  not.  To  write  the 
history  of  the  pioneers,  it  is  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance to  bring  prominentl}'  forward  every 
circumstance,  so  tar  as  the}'  can  be  discovered, 
that  had  any  marked  influence  upon  the  prog- 
ress of  the  people.  The  reader  will  readilj' 
perceive  that  among  all  the  calamities  that  befel 
the  very  earliest  settlers  and  their  children,  a 
widespread  belief  in  witches,  ghosts,  spells 
and  goblins  was  the  greatest  of  all.  Tipsword 
carried  with  him  to  the  day  of  his  death  many 
of  the  customs  and  characteristics  of  the  In- 
dian. He  was  always  reticent  of  speech,  and  a 
ringing,  heart}-  laugh — he  had  forgotton  all 
about  it.  In  approaching  a  neighbor's  house,  he 
would  never  be  seen  until  standing  in  the  door. 

He  lived  here  a  long  time  after  the  sparse 
settlements  of  whites  had  come  and  the  Indian 
had  gone.  When  the  Indians  first  went  awa}', 
it  was  not  fleeing  from  the  pale  faces,  but  fol- 
lowing the  game.  The}-  would,  for  some  years, 
annually  return,  and  often  Tipsward  would  go 
with  them  and  not  return  for  a  year  or  more. 

On  one  occasion,  after  the  whites  had  settled 
in  Shelby  and  Fayette  Counties,  the  Indians 
warned  them  to  leave  in  three  days,  or  they 
would  massacre  all  in  the  country  between 
Shelbyville,  by  w.ay  of  Vandalia,  to  St.  Louis. 
The  warning  came  like  a  death  knell  to  the 
poor  defenseless  whites  —  they  were  terror- 
stricken.  Three  days  was  too  short  a  time  in 
which  to  get  away,  yet  it  was  too  long  a  time 
to  await  in  dread  horror  the  cruel  torture  and 


death  that  they  well  knew  that  the  red  devils 
had  in  store  for  them.  In  the  calmness  that 
comes  of  despair,  they  talked  over  the  situa- 
tion. A  few,  but  very  few,  gathered  their  lit- 
tle families  and  fled,  but  the  majority  could 
only  make  a  feeble  attempt  to  put  themselves 
upon  the  best  defense  of  their  household  gods 
that  they  could.  They  had  hoped  at  first  that 
Tipsword  could  intercede  for  them,  but  when 
appealed  to  he  could  give  them  no  hope,  as  he, 
too,  was  in  the  list  of  warned.  On  the  after- 
noon of  the  third  and  last  day  the  Indians  held 
a  general  pow-wow  in  the  woods,  and  Tipsword 
attended  it  as  a  spectator.  He  had  friends 
among  the  chiefs  and  braves,  and  he  had  no 
doubt  talked  as  much  as  he  dared  to  them,  and 
told  them  the  certain  consequences  that  would 
follow  a  general  massacre  of  the  whites.  The 
first  speakers  urged  that  they  adjourn  the 
meeting,  paint  themselves,  and  at  early  dark 
commence  the  bloody  work,  and  allow  no  pale 
face  to  escape.  These  sentiments  met  the  ap- 
proving grunts  of  the  braves.  But  late  in  the 
evening  better  informed  Indians  talked.  They 
told  their  people  that,  while  it  was  true  they 
had  it  in  their  power  to  murder  the  whites,  but 
suppose  they  did,  would  not  the  word  go  to 
the  people  of  the  States,  and  would  not  an 
army,  numbering  as  the  leaves  of  the  forest, 
come  here  and  kill  every  Indian  in  the  Terri- 
tory. Such  representations  soon  turned  the 
attention  of  the  Indians  to  questions  of  their 
own  safety,  and  they  determined  to  postpone 
the  massacre. 

The  settlers  had  been  spared.  How  much 
they  owed  of  this  good  fortune  to  Tipsword 
will  never  be  known. 

GritHn  Tipsword  died  in  the  year  1S45,  and 
lies  buried  on  the  banks  of  Wolf  Creek.  He 
left  surviving  children  —  John,  Isaac  and 
Thomas. 

John  Tipsword  married,  and  was  the  father 
of  Jackson,  Griltin,  Jerusha,  James  and  Car- 
lin.     These  all  married  and  had  large  families. 


Ifi 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


Isaac  Tipsword  married  Nancj'  Stanberry, 
and  their  children — Isaac,  Ashby,  Sallie,  Ruth, 
Thomas,  Martha.  Marion,  John,  William,  Re- 
becca and  Mellissa  —  all  married,  and  have 
reared  large  families. 

Thomas  Tipsword  was  the  father  of  Albert, 
Jonathan,  Isaac,  Jackson,  Millie,  Lydia,  Mary 
and  Bell,  and  from  these  there  is  another  ex- 
tensive branch  of  the  family. 

From  the  above  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Tips- 
words  were  pioneers  and  the  sons  and  daugh- 
ters of  pioneers.  They  seemed  to  realize  that 
the  great  want  of  a  new  country  is  people,  and 
unflinchingly  they  responded  to  their  country's 
call. 

No  stone  marks  the  spot  where  the  old  patri- 
arch of  this  numerous  family  sleeps. 

Of  all  the  men  now  living  we  believe  that 
Dr.  John  O.  Scott  was  the  first  to  kindle  a 
camp  fire  within  the  confines  of  our  county. 
There  were  a  few  who  had  been  here  before 
him,  but  none  of  them  are  now  living. 

Fifty-seven  years  ago,  1825,  Mr,  Scott,  in 
company  with  a  man  named  Elliott,  and  his 
wife,  traveled  through  this  county  on  their  way, 
moving  from  Wayne  to  Shelby  County.  They 
camped  near  Blue  Point.  In  passing  the  tim- 
ber at  the  head  of  Brockett's  Creek,  a  smoke 
was  seen  curling,  up  from  a  camp  fire,  a  clear- 
ing, or  a  wooden  chimney.  Mr.  Elliott,  who 
had  made  the  trip  through  here  before,  told 
him  that  it  was  smoke  from  the  cabin  or  clear- 
ing of  a  man's  place  named  Fancher.  This 
was  Isaac  Fancher.  That  Fancher  was  here 
then  is  strouglj-  corroborated  by  the  oft-re- 
peated statements  of  Ben.  Campbell  to  his 
stepson,  Thomas  Andrews,  that  when  he 
(Campbell)  came  here  in  182G  he  found  the 
Fancher  family  here ;  that  he  stopped  with 
them  for  several  weeks,  and  they  put  in  their 
time  hunting  bee-trees,  of  which  they  found  a 
great  many.  Campbell  also  stated  that  he 
tliought  the  Fulfers  were  here  when  he  came, 
or  that  they  came  soon  after. 


This  brings  up  the  record  of  early  settlers  to 
1826.     It  is  brief  and  soon  told. 

Griffin  Tipsword  and  family,  1815. 

Isaac  Fancher  and  family,  1825. 

Ben  Campbell,  and  Jesse  and  Jack  Fulfer, 
182G. 

And  John  0.  Scott,  and  Elliott  and  wife 
passing  through  here  as  movers  in  1825. 

Fancher  and  Fulfer  in  1834-35  moved  away 
from  here  into  Coles  County,  where  they  died 
yeai'S  ago.  With  the  exception  of  Mr.  Scott, 
these,  the  earliest  of  the  pioneers  in  our  coun- 
ty, are  all  gone — sleeping  peacefully  in  their 
unmarked  graves. 

In  1828,  Thomas  I.  Brockett  and  family,  and 
Stephen  Austin,  Dick  Robinson,  John  McCoy, 
Bob  Moore  and  Richard  Cohea  came. 

In  1829  came  John  Broom,  Jonathan  Park- 
hurst,  Ben  Allen,  Mrs.  Charlotte  Kepley,  Jacob 
Nelson,  Andrew  Martin,  Alexander  Stewart, 
John  Ingraham,  John  Trapp,  Samuel  Bratton, 
John  Fairleigh,  Alfred  Warren,  Amos  Martin, 
and  old  Aunty  Bratton,  Andrew  Lilley,  Henry 
Tuckei-,  William  Stephens,  Allec  Stewart,  Bill 
Stewart,  and  Jacob  Nelson. 

In  1830,  Jesse  Surrells,  T.  J.  Rentfro,  James 
Turner,  John  Allen,  Micajah  Davidson,  Henry 
P.  Bailey,  George  Neavills,  Alexander  McWhor- 
ter,  Jesse  White,  Enoch  Neavills. 

In  1831,  Jacob  Slover,  Isaac  Slover,  John 
Gallant,  William  Gallant,  Seymour  Powell. 
Thomas  Loy,  William  J.  Hankins,  the  Hutchi- 
sons, and  John  Galloway,  the  fiddler. 

Here  were  the  fifty-one  families  that  were  here 
prior  to  February  15,  1831 — the  date  of  the  act 
of  the  Legislature  organizing  the  county.  Why 
did  they  come?  What  was  it  that  stopped 
here  this  meager  stream  of  emigration  and 
fixed  them  permanently  in  this  place?  What 
i  was  there  here  to  tempt  and  lure  them  to 
brave  all,  endure  all,  and  cause  them  to  fix 
here  the  nucleus  around  which  all  this  present 
people,  and  their  wealth  and  enjoyment  has 
gathered?     True,  they  could  not  see  the   toils 


HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


17 


anrl  danger  that  lurked  unseen  upon  every 
hand,  j'et  there  was  much  to  repel  them  that 
the}'  could  see,  enough,  one  would  think,  to 
have  settled  the  question,  and  forever  have  pre- 
vented them  from  tlj-ing  in  the  face  of  dangers 
that  they  knew  not  of 

We  can  imagine  nothing  more  dreary,  lone- 
some or  depressing  than  was  the  face  of  this 
boundless  waste  of  cheerless  solitude,  where 
had  sat  through  the  ages  silence  and  deso- 
lation. These  vast  prairie  seas,  with  their 
long  reaches  of  desert  waste,  their  flat  sur- 
face covered  with  tall,  dank  grass,  often  as 
high  as  a  man's  head  on  horseback.  In  the 
autumn  when  this  grass  became  sear,  it  was 
burned,  and  the  smoke  from  these  fires  filled 
the  atmosphere  for  hundreds  of  miles  with 
smoke  that  darkened  the  face  of  day  and  hung 
like  mourning  drapery  upon  the  horizon.  The 
prairies  were  wet,  flat  and  marsh}'.  Waters 
standing  a  goodly  portion  of  the  year  on,  per- 
haps, two-third's  of  the  soil's  surface.  When  the 
grass  was  freshly  burned  the  weary  eye  'could 
find  no  relief  in  tiie  vast  expanse  save  the 
crawfish  chimneys  that  thickly  dotted  the  face 
of  nature.  The  water  lay  mostly  where  it  fell, 
and  could  escape  only  by  evaporation,  and 
from  this  cause  it  is  believed  the  rainfall  then 
was  greater  than  now.  Kecalling  these  daj'S 
when  monotonous  solitude  was  all  that  was 
here,  is  to  modern  people  but  ringing  the 
changes  on  the  story  of  the  "  Lost  Mariner," 
when  the  poet  tells  us  he  was 

"  Alone,  alone,  all,  all  alone. 
Upon  the  wide,  wide  sea." 

The  forests  consisted  of  tall  trees  with  no  un- 
dergrowth of  brush  or  vines.  The  annual  fires 
that  swept  through  them  had  done  the  work  of 
the  forester  well  It  cleared  awa}'  the  debris, 
burned  most  of  the  fallen  trees,  and  trimmed 
smooth  the  sprouts  and  had  trained  the  limbs 
not  to  grow  out  near  the  ground.  You  could 
ride  anywhere  through  the  woods,  or,  for  that 
matter,  drive  a  wagon  with  nearly  the   same 


ease  that  you  could  in  an  orchard.  People 
now  express  great  surprise  that  the  pio- 
neers alwaj's  settled  in  the  timber,  or  close 
upon  the  edge  of  it  ;  and  as  a  rule  the  first 
selections  were  the  poorest  land.  There  were 
good  reasons  for  their  acts.  The  face  of  the 
country  was  imraensel}'  different  then  from 
now.  Thej-  were  compelled  to  hunt  out,  first, 
for  a  spring  where  they  could  get  water.  The}- 
could  find  these  anddr}'  land  only  in  the  woods. 
They  were,  too,  a  people  who  knew  little  or 
nothing  about  the  prairie.  It  was  not  then 
possible  for  man  to  live  upon  these  treeless 
marshes,  pools  and  bogs,  fit  only  for  the  home 
of  the  "  green  heads,"  the  poisonous  insects, 
amphibious  snakes  and  the  more  deadl}'  ma- 
laria. The  prairies  were  then  mere  lagoons 
filled  with  rotting  grass  and  death,  that  was 
carried  awaj'  by  the  unobstructed  winds  to 
poison  the  pure  air  of  heaven.  Tliere  was 
very  little  chance  for  the  water  to  drain  off  the 
land,  the  topography  of  the  country  then 
being  such  as  to  hold  it  in  its  naturally  formed 
basins.  Mr.  Joshua  Bradley  suggested  to  the 
writer  the  most  plausible  theory  as  to  how  these 
prairie  basins  were  formed.  His  idea  was  that 
when  the  tall  grass  was  burned,  the  fire  that 
ti-aveled  with  the  wind,  burned  everything  as 
it  went,  but  tiiat  which  burned  against  the 
wind  traveled  slowly  and  burned  the  grass  at 
the  roots  always  first,  and  when  a  strong  wind 
prevailed  it  would  carry  the  long  stalks  of  this 
burned  off  grass  into  the  burnt  places  and 
leave  it  there.  In  the  spring  the  heavy  rains 
would  cause  the  water  to  float  these  off  and 
they  would  lodge  at  points  until  they  were 
piled  there  in  great  quantities,  and  in  the  long 
course  of  time  they  thus  received  accretions 
until  the  waters  were  held  back,  sod  formed  on 
the  embankment  and  complete  natural  dams 
were  made  and  a  basin  formed.  It  was  the 
cows  of  the  pioneers  that  first  made  beaten 
paths  as  they  traveled  to  water  or  to  the  "  late 
burns"    to   graze   the    tender    and    nutritious 


18 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


grasses,  and  these  paths  were  the  lead-way  for 
the  water  to  follow,  and  as  the  cows  killed  the 
sod  the  water  could  cut  its  own  ditch,  so 
stream  was  added  to  stream  until  strength  was 
accumulated,  and  in  the  years  the  prairie 
swamps  became  comparatively  drj',  rich 
land. 

As  gi'eat  and  numerous  as  were  these  ob- 
stacles that  confronted  the  pioneer,  they  were 
not  all.  The  hostile  and  treacherous  savage 
was  here.  Jlilk-sick  laj-  in  wait  for  man  and 
beast  along  nearlj'  all  the  streams  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  couutj".  The  horrible  malaria 
freighted  the  air,  as  it  floated  out  from  its 
noisome  lurking  places,  with  its  deadly  poison. 
Howling  and  always  hungrj-  wolves,  both 
prairie  and  timber  wolves,  made  night  hideous 
with  their  howls,  and  the  blood-curdling  scream 
of    the   soft-footed   panther   added  a   terrible 

'^warning  to  that  of  the  wolves,  that  there  was 
little  hope  of  ever  having  any  domestic  animals 
here.  The  "green-head  flies,"  in  countless 
billions  and  as  ravenous  and  voracious  as  the 
migrating  ants  of  Africa,  held  undisputed  pos- 
session of  the  prairies  always  during  the  hot 
summer  months.  Their  business  hours  were 
between  sunrise  and  sunset.  And  in  a  very 
short  time  the}'  could  kill  a  horse  or  a  cow. 
The   "  green-head"    alone    made    the  prairies 

(wholly  uninhabitable.  Here,  too,  were  all 
manner  of  beasts  that  devastate  the  poultry 
j-ards  and  break  the  good  housewoman's  heart 
in  the  destruction  of  chickens,  geese  and 
turkeys.  Such,  indeed,  were  the  surroundings 
that  poultry,  sheep,  hogs,  calves,  and,  in  fact, 
most  of  domestic  animals  would  have  been 
secure  only  in  a  fire  and  burglar  proof  safe, 
with  a  time  lock  to  do  duty  while  the  house- 
hold slept. 

The  galinipers,  the  mosquitos,  the  wood 
ticks,  chiggers  and  lizzards,  with  "yaller 
jackets,"  bumble-bees  and  hornets  and  poison- 
ous insects  were  here  and  everjwhere  and  all 
hungry  or  angry  at  the  approaching  pioneers. 


The  bald  eagle,  flanked  by  the  hawks  and  egg 
devouring  crows,  screamed  his  defiance  at  civil- 
ization and  swooped  down  upon  the  poultry, 
the  pigs  and  the  lambs  in  the  sheep-fold.  Here, 
too,  was  the  snake — spotted  with  deadly 
beauty — but  for  snake  stories,  go  to  any  of  the 
old  settlers,  especialh-  A.  G.  Hughes.  For  our 
part  we  are  like  Washington's  hatchet,  '■  I'd 
rather  tell  ten  thousand  lies  than  cut  down  a 
cherry-tree." 

When  all  these  things  are  considered,  and 
when  it  is  further  remembered  that  these  earli- 
est pioneers  were  truly  strangers  in  a  strange 
land,  with  no  aids  of  machinery  or  mechanical 
contrivances  to  help  them,  except  their  rifle, 
and  wife  and  little  ones  ;  no  doctors,  no  medi- 
cine, no  mills,  no  stores,  no  markets,  no  any- 
thing but  appalling  difficulties,  is  it  not  indeed 
a  wonder  that  any  one  ever  came  here,  or  stayed 
after  he  did  come,  or  lived  to  perpetuate  his 
race  and  name. 

We  have  named  the  people  that  were  here 
prior  to  1831.  They  were  in  settlements,  in 
Blue  Point,  on  Fulfer  Creek,  the  Wabash  Riv- 
er, Brockett's  Creek,  and  Union  Township. 
The  earliest  and  largest  of  these  settlements 
were  the  neighbors  of  Thomas  I-  Brockett. 
While  this  was  3-et  a  part  of  Fayette  County,  a 
voting  precinct  was  formed,  the  voting  place 
generally  at  Thomas  I.  Brockett's  house,  but 
one  year  it  was  held  at  the  house  of  James 
Turner.  The  last  election  had  there  while  it 
was  Faj-ette  County,  there  were,  we  are  told, 
thirteen  votes,  solid  for  Andy  Jackson  ;  we  do 
not  doubt  it. 

In  this  effort  at  pen  pictures  of  the  early 
settlers  and  the  countj-  when  first  the}'  came, 
whenever  we  have  found  a  stronglj'  marked 
characteristic  pioneer,  we  have  told  all  we  could 
learn  of  his  leading  traits,  and  tried  to  give  the 
reader  as  perfect  a  drawing  as  we  could  as  to 
what  manner  of  man  he  was.  In  this  connec- 
tion we  deem  it  not  inappropriate  to  close  this 
chapter  with  a  short  sketch  of  Ben  Campbell, 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


19 


a  king  among  his  liintl,  a  fine  type  of  liis  class, 
witli  every  trait  abnormally  developed. 

Since  the  memorable  days  of  '49,  when  the 
discovery   of   gold    on  the    Pacific  slope  set 
all  the  world  agog,  the  pioneers,  the  men  who 
skirt  the  outer  confines  of  civilization  on  this 
continent,  have  entirely  changed  in  their  char- 
acteristics.    They  are  now  perhaps  the  most 
cosmopolitan  people  in  the  world,  and  we  in- 
cline to  the  belief  that  the  old  Californians  are 
the   best  practically  educated    people    in   the 
world,  for  they  were  suddenly  gathered  togeth- 
er in  large  numbers,  representing  every  civil- 
ized  people  of   the  globe — many  of  the  half 
civilized,  and  even  ^ome  of  the  totally  barbar- 
ous.     This  heterogeneous   gathering  of  such 
varieties  of  people  resulted  in  the  world's  won- 
der of  a  public  school.     It  rapidly  educated 
men  as  they  had  never  before  been  taught.     It 
was  not  perfect  in  its  moral  symmetry,  but  it 
was    wholly    powerful   in  its   rough  strength, 
vigor  and  swiftness.     It  taught  not  of  books, 
but  of  the  mental  and  pliysical  laws — the  only 
fountain  of  real  knowledge — of  commerce,  of 
cunning  craft — it  was  iron  to  the  nerves  and  a 
sleepless  energy  to  the  resolution.     This  was 
its  field  of  labor — its  free  university.      Here 
every  people,  every  national   prejudice,  all  the 
marked  characteristics  of  men  met  its  oppo- 
site, where  there  was   no  law  to  restrain  or 
govern  either,  except  that  public  judgment  that 
was  crystallized  into  a  resistless  force  in  this 
witches'   caldron.      This    wonderful    alembic, 
where  were  fused  normal  and  abnormal  human- 
ities,   thoughts,    false    educations,   prejudices, 
and  pagan  follies  into  a  molten  stream  that 
glowed  and  scorched  ignorance  along  its  way 
as  the  volcanic  eruption  does  the  debris  in  its 
pathway.     It  was  the   uutrammeled  school  of 
attrition  of  every  variety  of  mind  with  mind — 
the  rough  diamond  that  gleams  and  dazzles 
with   beauty  only  when  rubbed  with  diamond 
dust.     The  best  school  in  the  world  for  a  thor- 
ough, practical  education.      Universal  educa- 


tion— we  mean  real  education  and  not "  learned 
ignorance  ''  as  Locke  has  aptly  called  it — is  a 
leveler  of  the  human  mind.  It's  like  the  strug- 
gle for  life,  where  only  "the  fittest  survive" 
and  the  unfit  perish.  But  its  tendency  is  to 
lift  up  the  average,  to  better  mankind,  to 
evolve  the  truth,  and  mercilessly  gibbet  in- 
grained ignorance  and  superstitious  follies. 

Ben  Campbell's  pioneer  school  life  was  spent 
in  a  wholly  different  one  from  that  just  named. 
The  surroundings  of  the  Illinois  pioneers  dif- 
fered radically  from  that  of  the  California 
"  forty-niners."  They  did  not  come  here  in 
great  rushing  crowds,  but  alone  or  in  meager 
squads,  they  had  abandoned  home  and  the 
signs  of  civilization  and  plunged  into  the  vast 
solitudes.  They  settled  ilown  to  live  where 
language  was  almost  a  superfluity,  and  a  smile 
or  laugh  were  as  lost  arts.  These  sturdy,  lone 
mariners  of  the  desert  were  men  of  action  and 
silence.  Not  very  social  in  their  nature,  moody 
often,  almost  void  of  the  imaginative  faculty, 
with  no  longing  for  the  Infinite,  and  seldom  or 
never  looking  through  nature  up  to  nature's 
God.  They  simply  whetted  their  instincts  in 
the  struggle  for  existence,  against  the  wild 
o-ame,  the  ferocious  beasts  and  the  murderous 
savage. 

Such  was  Ben  Campbell,  and  he  was  pre- 
eminently one  of  his  kind.  A  man  of  tremen- 
dous physical  organization,  with  coarse  feat- 
ures, a  sun-burned  skin,  that  was  covered  with 
hair  and  unsightly  "  bumps  "  all  over  his  face  ; 
great  scars  upon  his  face  and  body,  especially 
a  frightful  scar  that  ran  down  the  whole  left 
side  of  his  cheek,  injuring  the  muscles  of  the 
eye  and  giving  it  a  strange  expression.  San- 
dy, coarse,  stubby  hair  and  beard,  blue  eyes, 
very  large  mouth,  with  thick  lips,  and  teeth 
double-rowed  and  so  large  that  ihey  looked 
more  like  horse's  than  human  teeth.  Generally 
dressed  in  skins  of  animals  he  had  slain,  ex- 
cept a  small,  close-fitting  red  bonnet  that  was 
always  on  his  head.     Altogether  a  figure  \\iell 


20 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


calculated  to  frighten  children  to  death,  and 
might  even  appall  timid  grown  people  when 
suddenly'  beheld  for  the  first  time. 

While  hunting  one  daj',  he  met  an  Indian 
who  had  a  splendid  fresh  deer  skin  on  his 
shoulder.  63*  a  strange  coincidence  Campbell 
had  a  bright  silver  half-dollar  in  his  pocket. 
Campbell  much  wanted  the  skin  and ^ the  other 
coveted  the  money.  Negotiations  resulted,  and 
the  hide  and  half-dollar  were  placed  together 
on  a  log,  to  be  fought  for  by  the  two  men. 

Campbell  alwaj-s  wound  up  his  story  b}- 
stating  that  for  nearly  an  hour  he  could  not, 
for  the  life  of  him,  tell  whetiier  he  was  going 
to  get  the  deer  skin  or  loose  tlie  half-dollar. 
But  he  eventually  got  it  and  walked  off  with 
his  trophy. 

At  one  time  he  went  to  Vandalia  when  the 
Legislature  was  in  session.  On  his  way  he 
killed  a  fine  fat  turke^'-gobbler.  This  lie  nego- 
tiated at  the  hotel  for  his  dinner  and  horse 
feed,  stipulating  that  he  was  to  have  his  dinner 
earlier  than  the  regular  meal  and  to  have  some 
of  the  turkej-.  When  he  sat  down  to  the  table 
he  eat  the  entire  turkey,  as  well  as  everything 
else  that  was  on  the  table.  Mother  Maddox, 
the  landlady,  declared  that  she  honored  the 
guest  that  honored  the  food  she  put  before 
them  b3'  eating  heartily,  and  so  she  extended  a 
life-time  invitation  to  Campbell  to  always 
come,  and,  without  money  and  without  turke3's, 
to  eat  at  her  table  free. 

This  story  is  made  the  more  plausible  by  an- 
other one,  that  has  been  vouched  for  b3'  at  least 
one-half  of  tiie  old  settlers.  A  part3'  was  out 
camping  and  hunting.  Campbell  had  with  him 
a  favorite  and  worthless  dog  of  the  bench-leg 
kind — very  fat,  clumsy  and  lazy.  It  was  fit  for 
nothing  in  the  chase,  so  it  stayed  at  the  camp- 
fire  with  the  cook  while  its  master  would  be 
hunting.  On  one  occasion,  Campbell  had  been 
gone  all  da3',  and  when  he  returned,  tired  and 
hungry,  he  anxiousl3'  inquired  what  luck  his 
companions  had  had  in  killing  something  to 


eat.  To  his  joy  he  saw  roasting  over  the  fire 
what  he  supposed  to  be  an  enormousl3-  large 
coon.  Now,  if  there  was  one  thing  in  the  world 
that  Campbell  liked  best  of  all,  it  was  a  coon, 
fat  and  cooked  b3'  a  camp-fire.  The  coon  was 
soon  cooked  to  a  turn,  and  Campbell's  J03', 
when  the  otiiers  announced  that  they  had  had 
supper,  was  sincere,  for  he  knew  his  capacit3', 
and  he  wanted  enough  for  himself  Without 
bread,  potatoes,  coffee*  or  anything  else  but 
coon,  he  sat  down  to  a  repast  fit  for  a  king,  par- 
ticularly in  quantity,  which  was  much  in  Camp- 
bell's eye.  He  picked  a  bone  and  called  his  dog, 
but  the  dog  did  not  respond.  He  would  pick 
another  bone  and  whistle  again  and  call  his 
dog;  the  dog  never  came,  and  this  went  on 
until  every  bone  was  picked.  The  boys  had 
killed  and  cooked  the  dog  for  a  coon. 

Like  Daniel  Boone,  he  could  boast  of  tasting 
about  ever3-thing  he  could  get  hold  of  in  the 
way  of  bird  or  beast  in  the  country.  When 
hungr3',  he  was  willing  to  tr3-,  without  prejudice, 
anything  he  could  get.  In  this  world's  wealth 
he  was  never  able  to  try  a  horse,  but  those  who 
knew  him  best  would  not  have  g.ambled  a  cent 
that  he  would  have  made  a  failure  here. 

His  capacit3'  and  love  of  eating  wei-e  only 
equaled  by  his  love  for  whisky-  and  fighting. 
The  prospect  of  a  jolly  big  fight  would  take  him 
to  any  part  of  the  world.  He  was  in  the  Nau- 
voo  war,  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  and  here 
he  got  numerous  of  the  scars  that  he  carried  to 
his  grave.  The  ugly  scar  on  his  face  was  made 
by  a  man  he  found  chopping  in  the  woods  one 
day.  The  man  was  a  pioneer,  too,  who  had 
concluded  to  stop  and  build  a  cabin.  Camp- 
bell resented  this,  and  leveled  his  gun  at  the 
stranger  and  ordered  him  not  to  trespass  on  his 
land.  The  wary  stranger  eventually  got 
Campbell  to  put  his  gun  down  and  enter  into 
negotiations.  He  deceived  the  old  hunter,  and 
when  he  got  between  him  and  his  gun,  he  sud- 
denl3'  raised  his  ax  and  struck  a  wicked  blow 
at  his  head.     Campbell  barely  saved  his  life  by 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


dodging  back,  but  he  did  not  dodge  enougli  to 
prevent  the  wound. 

Campbell  was  a  man  who  was  moved  in  ever}*- 
thing  by  his  own  promptings.  He  knew  little 
or  nothing  of  the  rules  of  societv,  and  he  cared 
less.  He  was  an  honest  man,  and  as  rough  of 
speech  as  rough  could  be.  He  was  crabbed, 
sullen  and  moody  of  temperament.  A  stranger 
seemed  to  affect  him  as  a  red  flag  does  a  mad 
bull.  Such  he  would  generally  roughly  insult 
without  cause,  and  while  he  was  slow  of  speech 
and  his  words  were  few,  he  could  make  his 
taunts  sting  terriblv.  If  the  stranger,  in  igno- 
rance of  the  man,  resented  the  insult,  a  fight  was 
improvised  at  once;  and  in  the  old  style  of 
rough-aiid-tumble-knock-down-and-drag-out,  he 
seldom  met  his  match.  Yet,  the  fight  once 
over,  he  was  ready  to  drink  friends  at  his  vic- 
tim's expense — get  roaring  drunk  and  savagel3' 
friendly. 

He  lost  his  pioneer  wife,  and  after  awhile  he 
made  up  his  mind  to  marr^  again.  He  had 
heard  of  Robert  Moore's  widow  in  the  north- 
west part  of  the  county.  He  had  never  seen 
her,  but,  nothing  daunted,  he  mounted  his  horse 
and  rode  to  her  house,  called  her  to  the  door,  and 
as  he  sat  upon  his  horse,  looking  closely  at  the 
widow,  he  finallj-  informed  her  that  he  had  come 
to  see  her  on  business — that  he  wanted  to  mar- 
ry her — but  thatsAe  loouldn't  do,  and  he  turned 
his  horse  and  rode  off.  He  proceeded  to  an- 
other house,  where  there  was  also  a  widow, 
called  her  to  the  door,  told  her  his  business, 
and  commanded  her  to  mount  behind  him  and 
go  to  the  magistrate's  and  be  married.  The 
poor  woman  remonstrated  and  begged  for  time; 
but  with  oaths  that  fairly  snapped  as  he  uttered 
them,  he  told  her  to  mount,  and  she  mounted, 
and  the  cooing  doves  rode  off  and  were  mar- 
ried. 

His  death,  on  Christmas  Bay,  185G,  was  much 
after  the  manner  of  his  life.  He  not  onl}-  died 
with  his  boots  on,  but  on  horseback.  He  had 
been  to  Freemanton  all  dav,  and  in  the  evening 


started  home  -one  of  the  Higgs  boys  riding  be- 
hind him.  When  the  horse  stopped  in  front  of 
his  cabin  door,  Campbell  made  no  motion  to- 
ward dismounting — he  was  dead. 

Bon  Campbell  has  now  l)een  dead  many  years, 
with  no  lineal  descendants  surviving  him.  The 
above  would  be  an.  extravagant  drawing  of  the 
pioneer  generally;  yet  there  is  much  in  it  that 
recalls  a  type  and  character  of  that  day.  He 
had  been  admirably  trained,  or  had  trained  him- 
self, for  his  place  in  life,  and  in  security  and  con- 
tent had  lived  out  a  long  life  and  filled  to  full- 
ness his  measure  of  ambition.  He  knew  noth- 
ing of  romance  or  sentiment,  nothing  of  a  gov- 
ernment of  rigid  laws  and  stern  police  regula- 
tions. Under  these,  he  could  neither  have 
thrived  nor  lived.  He  was  coarse,  rude,  un- 
gainlj-  and  wild,  as  were  his  worst  surround- 
ings. He  was  brave,  generous  and  strictly  hon- 
est. He  was  illiterate,  but  not  ignorant;  but 
shrewd,  active,  alert,  and  rich  in  animal  life  and 
vigor,  with  the  most  of  his  natural  faculties  cul- 
tivated almost  to  the  perfection  of  the  smell  of 
the  Siberian  bloodhound.  Here  was  marvelous 
adaptations  to  extraordinary  surroundings. 
Exactly  such  as  he  was  he  had  to  be,  in  order 
that  he  might  blaze  the  way  into  the  heart  of 
the  wilderness  for  the  coming  hosts  of  civiliza- 
tion. 

Rare  old  Ben  Campbell  !  Your  times  and 
your  kind  have  passed  away  forever.  You 
lived  out  j'our  allotted  term  in  your  own  proper 
and  best  way.  You  filled  j'our  mission  in  life, 
and  died  when  it  was  best  3'ou  should.  Rest 
fore%'er  in  peace!  For  should  you  now  "  revisit 
the  glimpses  of  the  moon,"  and  behold  your  de- 
generate successors,  with  no  hunting-grounds, 
no  moccasins,  no  leather  breeches,  no  flint-lock 
guns,  nor  roasted  coons,  your  great  heart  would 
wither  and  decay  like  a  plucked  flower.  Aye, 
would  not  your  big  heart  itself  burst  asunder 
upon  seeing  the  men  of  this  day,  in  plug  hats 
and  store  clothes,  riding  in  carriages  and  sleep- 
ing-cars, chasing  no  other  game  save  the  meta- 


HISTORY   OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


phorical   tiger,  upstaire,  behind   closed  blinds 
and  under  bright  gas-lights? 

The  graves  of  these  earlj'  pioneers  are  un- 
marked and  mostly  unknown,  and  their  fast  re- 
ceding memories  are  unhonored  and  unsung. 
They  deserve  better  than  this.  They  deserve  bet- 
ter than  this  from  us.    They  wrought  for  us  the 


richest  and  most  enduring  legacy  in  all  the  world. 
Jlay  this  poor  Uower  tlung  upon  the  unknown 
graves  arrest  the  attention  and  enlist  some 
mind  and  pen  that  can  render  justice  and  award 
a  meed  of  praise  to  those  great  lives  whose 
works  will  ripen  into  the  noblest  civilization  the 
world  has  ever  known. 


CHAPTER  II. 


TOPOGRAPHY  AND  PIIV.SICAL  FEATURES— NORTHWESTERN  ELEVATION  OR  MOUNDS— THE  LITTLE 
WABASH    BLUFFS— GEOLOGY— RELATIONS  BETWEEN    PHYSICAL    GEOGRAPHY    AND    GEO- 
LOGICAL STRUCTURE— FORMATION  OF  ROCKS-NATURAL    FORCES— THE   FLORIDA 
REEFS— PETREF.iCTIONS— HUMAN  RE.MAINS— COAL— IRON  ORE  AND  BUILD- 
ING   ROCK— MINERAL    WATERS— ORIGIN    OF    THE    PRAIRIES,  ETC. 

miles  across  at  its  base,  and  a  little  over  fifty 
feet  high,  descending  very  gradually  for  more 
than  a  mile  to  the  flat  level  prairies,  which  are 
soon  merged  into  post  oak  flats. 

"We  are  told  by  the  State  Geologist  that  the 
elevations  in  Northwestern  Illinois  known  as 
the  "  mounds,'  are  no  doubt  the  result  of  denud- 
ing forces  acting  upon  the  surface,  which  have 
swept  away  the  surrounding  strata,  leaving 
these  isolated  hills  as  the  only  remaining  indi- 
cations of  the  former  level  of  the  adjacent  region. 

From  Freeport  southward,  along  the  line  of 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  there  is  a  gradual 
descent  to  the  valley  of  tlie  Big  Muddy  River, 
in  Jackson  County,  where  the  level  of  the  rail- 
road grade  is  only  fifty-five  feet  above  the  river 
at  Cairo.  From  this  point  there  is  a  rapid  rise 
toward  the  south,  and  at  Cobden  the  railroad 
intersects  a  true  mountain  range  that  has  an 
elevation  of  500  to  600  feet.  The  geologist 
distinguishes  this  as  a  mountain  ridge,  because 
the  evidences  show  there  was  here  an  uplift  by 
forces  acting  from  beneath,  and  not  a  washing 
away  from  the  general  level  by  the  waters,  as 
in  the  case  of  the  northwestern  mounds  (no  ref- 
erence to  the  so-called   Indian    mounds   that 


EFFINGHAM  COUNTY  is  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Shelby  and  Cumberland,  on  the 
east  by  Cumberland  and  Jasper,  on  the  south  by 
Clay  and  Fayette,  and  on  the  west  by  Fayette.  It 
has  an  area  of  486  square  miles,  of  which  more 
than  one-half  is  timber. 

The  Little  Wabash  River,  passing  southward- 
ly, nearly  equally  divides  the  county.  Its  tribu- 
taries are  :  On  the  east,  Lucas,  Big  Bishop,  with 
its  forks,  Little  Bishop  and  Ramsey  Creeks, 
Big  and  Little  Salt  Creeks.  Brush  Creek,  Green 
Creek  and  Sugar  Fork;  on  the  west  are  Fulfer 
and  Limestone,  Big  and  Brockett's  Creek,  Sec- 
ond Creek,  Funkhouser,  Blue  Point  and  Shoal 
Creek  and  Green  Creek,  and  Moccasin  Creek. 
The  higher  surface  land  is  mostly  flat  prairie, 
or  flat  woodland,  with  some  beautifully  rolling 
lands  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  county. 
Above  the  flats  are  a  few  low  mounds,  not  so 
abundant  nor  so  elevated  as  in  the  counties 
west.  One  of  these  is  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  county,  another  is  Blue  Mound,  and  there 
is  a  low  ridge  near  Mason.  The  low  woodlands 
contain  many  fine  oak  flats,  that  change  to 
white  and  burr  oaks,  hickory  and  post  oaks  on 
the  breaks.     The  ridge  at  Mason  is  about  two 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


33 


cross  the  State  from  northeast  to  the  south-  j 
west). 

This  Cobden  ridge  is  the  eastern  extension 
of  an  axis  of  elevation  or  uplift,  which  brings 
the  St.  Peters  sandstone  of  the  Lower  Silurian, 
above  the  surface  at  Bailey's  Landing,  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Mississippi  River,  tilts  up  the 
Devonian  limestone  at  the  "  Bake  Oven,"  and 
"  Bald  Bluffs  "  in  Jack-son  County  at  an  angle 
of  about  25°,  and  after  elevating  the  upper  por- 
tion of  the  Lower  Carboniferous  limestone  above 
the  surface  entirely  across  the  southern  portion  of 
the  State,  finalli'  crosses  the  Ohio  in  the  vicinity 
of  Shawneetown,  and  is  lost  beneath  the  coal 
measures  of  Kentuck}-. 

If  the  strata  forming  the  elevation  lie  in  their 
original  horizontal  position,  the  mountain  owes 
its  existence  to  the  removal  of  the  surround- 
ing strata  b}-  denuding  forces,  but  if  the  strata 
are  dislocated,  and  tilted  at  a  high  angle  from 
their  original  horizontal  position,  then  the  ele- 
vation may  be  attributed  to  upheaving  forces, 
or,  as  sometimes  happens,  to  both  causes. 
These  upheavals,  when  they  have  occurred 
after  the  deposits  of  the  coal  measures,  as  at 
La  Salle,  Utica,  Carbondale,  St.  Johns,  and  at 
other  points,  lift  the  St.  Peters  sandstone  some- 
times from  hundreds  of  feet  below  to  the  sur- 
face, and  thus  bringing  the  coal  beds  also  up. 

Near  the  count}-  line,  the  Little  Wabash 
bluffs  are  sometimes  eighty  feet  high;  near  the 
railroad  bridge  they  are  thirtj'  to  forty  feet, 
near  Ewington  about  the  same,  and  fifty  to 
eighty  feet  high  near  the  north  county  line. 

The  bottoms  of  the  Wabash  are  an  eighth  to 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide. 

The  hills  near  Salt  Creek  are  often  quite 
abrupt,  sometimes  seventy-five  feet  high;  its 
bottoms  are  low  and  generally  narrow,  with 
quicksand  in  many  places  in  the  crock  bed. 
Near  Sugar  Creek,  Shoal  Creek  and  Green 
Creek,  the  hills  are  somewhat  steep,  bottoms 
very  narrow,  and  beds  of  the  streams  very 
sandy.     On  all  the  other  streams  in  the  county 


the  bottoms  are  much  wider,  and  contain  much 
excellent  agricultural  lands  that  is  now  being 
put  in  cultivation.  The  streams  also  possess 
the  great  advantage  of  much  lower  hills,  and 
that  are  of  a  more  gradual  and  easy  ascent. 

The  prairie  in  the  western  part  of  the  county 
is  not  so  flat  as  that  in  the  eastern,  yet  it  maj- 
be  all  pronounced  flat  prairie,  with  occasional 
ponds,  on  the  margin  of  which  may  be  found 
Cephalanthus  occideiitalis  and  Iris  versicolor. 
In  the  woods  are  post  oak.  pin  oak,  white  oak, 
black  oak,  hickory,  sugar,  elm,  laurel  oak,  sassa- 
fras, ash,  hazel,  sumach,  iron  wood,  buckej'c, 
sycamore,  red-bud.  linden,  hornbeam,  Spanish 
oak,  grape  vines,  plum,  clematis,  trumpet 
creeper,  red  birch,  etc.,  etc. 
■  Geological  Formations* — It  is  an  anxiom  of 
general  application  in  geological  science,  that 
there  is  an  intimate  relationship  existing  be- 
tween the  physical  geography  and  the  geolog- 
ical histor}-  of  every  portion  of  the  earth's  sur- 
face, and  in  all  cases  the  topographical  features 
of  a  country  are  molded  by,  and  therefore 
must  be,  to  some  extent  at  least,  a  reflection  of 
its  geological  structure. 

If  this  geological  axiom  could  but  find  its 
way  to  ever\'  school-room,  then  would  this 
chapter,  provided  it  is  a  lair  presentation  of 
the  geological  and  physical  geography  of  the 
county,  become  the  most  interesting  and  use- 
ful book  ever  placed  before  either  the  children 
of  the  schools  or  the  community  at  large.  To 
the  future  farmer,  and   to  all  dependent   upon 

•  Throughout  this  chapter  we  have  made  free  draftjj  upju^he 
"  Economical  Geology  of  Illinois,"  by  A.  H.  Worther,  whoae  inter- 
eating  report  of  the  geology  of  th.-*  Stiite  of  Illinois  is  just  now  from 
the  press,  and  na  its  title  page  says,  "  Puhlished  by  authority  of  the 
Legislature  of  Illinois,"  1S82,  and  the  changes  it  has  undergone  from 
the  surface  agencies  of  more  modern  times.  The  varied  conditions 
of  mountain  and  valley,  deep  goigo  and  level  plain,  ai-e  not  the  re- 
sults of  chance,  but,  ou  the  contrary,  are  just  as  much  due  to  the 
operations  of  natural  laws,  m  the  rotations  of  the  earth,  or  the 
growth  and  continued  existence  of  the  various  species  of  animals 
and  plants  whiidi  inhabit  its  surface.  Moreover,  all  the  varietl  con- 
ditions of  the  soil  and  its  productive  capacities,  which  may  be  ob- 
served in  different  portions  of  our  own  State,  are  traceable  to  the 
causes  existing  in  the  geological  history  of  that  particu.ar  region, 
and  to  the  surface  agencies  which  have  served  to  modify  the  whole, 
and  prepare  the  earth  for  the  reception  and  sustenance  of  the  exist- 
1  iiig  races  of  beings.  Hence,  we  see  the  geological  history  of  a  coun- 
'  try  determines  its  agricultural  capacities,  and  also  the  amount  of 
population  which  it  may  sustain,  and  the  general  avocation  of  ita 
1    inhabitants. 


34 


HISTORY   OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


him,  an  indispensable  beginning  of  tlieir  edu- 
cation will  commonue  with  the  investigation  of 
these  important  subjects  as  they  exist  in  their 
own  count^v,  tiieir  own  township  and  upon  their 
individual  farms. 

Tiie  whole  earth  was  once  a  globe  of  liquid 
fire.  The  radiation  of  heat  from  the  surface 
resulted  in  the  gradual  cooling  of  the  mass, 
and  thus  the  first  rocks  were  formed.  Geology 
teaches  that  the  earth  has  been  in  process  of 
creation  through  countless  ages,  and  has  ar- 
rived at  its  present  condition  by  regular  stages 
of  growth  or  development  in  some  respects 
analogous  to  those  which  characterize  the  life 
of  an  animal;  that  these  have  been  eflfeeted  by 
the  same  general  law  of  progressive  develop- 
ment which  characterizes  every  development 
of  nature,  and  apply  with  equal  force  to  the 
mineral,  the  vegetable  and  the  animal  king- 
doms, that  all,  from  the  minutest  globule,  as 
shown  by  the  microscope,  to  the  grandest  world 
that  revolves  around  its  controlling  central 
sun,  is  alike  subject  to  the  control  of  unchang- 
ing laws;  that  through  these  laws,  order  has 
been  evolved  and  the  earth  finally  fitted  and 
prepared  for  the  habitation  of  man. 

These  changes  have  been  going  on  forever; 
so  long  that  the  human  mind  utterly  fails  to 
grasp  the  immense  duration  of  the  earth's  his- 
tory, that  have  preceded  the  coming  of  the 
now  existing  races  of  beings.  You  can  no 
more  enumerate  these  j'ears,  periods  and  aeons 
than  could  you  count  the  grains  of  sand  re- 
(juired  to  form  a  solid  globe  like  this,  or  the 
drops  of  water  contained  in  all  its  waters,  or 
the  number  of  cubic  inches  in  infinite  .space. 
Geological  time  is  measured  onl}'  by  periods, 
and  each  period  is  measured  by  an  immeasur- 
able number  of  years. 

The  eternity  of  the  past  is  as  incomprehensi- 
ble as  the  eternit}-  of  the  future;  it  is  impos- 
sible to  conceive  when  the  material  that  con- 
stitutes this  earth  did  not  exist  in  some  form, 
and  equally  impossible  to  conceive  a  period  in 


the  future  when  it  will  not  exist  ;  nothing  has 
ever  been  or  ever  will  be  anihilated.  Nature's 
laws  are  eternal  and  unciiangeable,  alwa3's  pro- 
ducing like  effects  from  like  causes  ;  the  law 
of  change  is  the  vast  clock  of  God  that  ticks 
off  the  feons,  that  had  no  beginning,  no  end- 
ding.  The  organic  being  may  die  and  the  con- 
stitutional elements  of  which  it  is  composed 
be  returned  to  the  earth  and  atmosphere  from 
whence  they  came,  but  no  portion  is  lost  or 
destroyed  in  the  process. 

Natural  forces  are  manifested  by  motion,  and 
various  effects  produced,  such,  for  instance,  as 
the  attraction  between  particles  of  matter  in 
solution,  by  which  the}'  are  caused  to  assume 
a  definite  form  of  crystallization.  Perhaps  the 
thought  may  be  a  new  and  startling  one  to  the 
reader,  that  the  forces  that  give  form  to  the 
cr3"stal  are  llcing  forces,  and  that,  in  this  sense, 
life  really  pervades  all  matter.  Hence  every 
mineral  assumes  its  own  peculiar  form  of  crys- 
tallization, and  that,  too,  with  unerring  cer- 
tainty. The  formation  of  the  crystal  is  the 
unmistakable  effort  and  force  of  nature  toward 
organic  creation — the  first  results  of  a  great 
law  that  has  culminated  in  the  creation  of  all 
tlie  higher  forms  of  organized  beings. 

The  time  that  has  elapsed  since  the  present 
race  of  beings  were  first  here  is  much  greater 
than  the  popular  mind  has  been  prepared  to 
admit.  Prof  Agassiz,  in  a  work  on  the  coral 
reefs  of  Florida,  clearly  establishes  the  fact 
that  this  living  species  of  coral  have  been  at 
work  on  that  coast  for  more  than  70,000  ^ears. 
Capt.  E.  B.  Hunt,  of  the  United  States  Corps 
of  Engineers,  for  many  jears  at  Kej'  West,  in 
Florida,  published  in  Silliman's  Journal,  the 
evidences  that  the  existing  corals  that  built 
the  limestone  formations  of  the  Florida  coast 
had  been  at  work  there  for  at  least  5,400,000 
years.  Sir  Charles  Ij3'ell  admitted  in  his  last 
work  "Antiquity-  of  3Ian,"  that  there  are  clear 
evidences  that  the  human  race  have  inhabited 
this     continent     more    than     100,000     vears. 


HISTORY   OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


25 


The  earliest  formed  rocks  having  resulted  from 
the  cooling  of  mineral  matter  existing  in  a 
state  of  fusion,  are  termed'  primary  igneous 
rocks. 

When  the  surface  of  the  earth  had  become 
sufHcientl3'  cooled,  the  aqueous  vapors  of  the 
atmosphere  were  condensed  into  water,  and 
the  oceans  and  streams  were  formed.  The 
waters,  bj-  their  solvent  and  eroding  influence, 
aided  bj-  other  atmospheric  agencies,  acted 
upon  the  hardened  j'ocks,  wearing  them  away; 
and  the  disintegrated  material,  being  carried 
by  the  streams  to  the  bottom  of  the  ocean, 
were  there  deposited  to  form  the  _  stratified 
rocks.  These  two  causes — Are  and  water — 
have  given  origin  to  all  the  rocky  masses 
known.  Sometimes  the  sedimentary  or  strati- 
lied  rocks  are  subjected  to  heat  or  other  agencies 
l)y  wliich  their  original  formation  is  changed. 
The}'  then  are  called  metamorphic  rocks. 
Thus  sandstone  is  converted  into  quartz  or 
quartzite,  and  limestone  into  crystalline  mar- 
ble, etc.  These  constitute,  in  the  simplest 
form,  the  three  classes  of  rock  which  enter 
into  the  formation  of  the  earth's  crust. 

The  ancient  oceans,  like  those  of  the  present 
day,  were  filled  with  organized  beings,  and  the 
shell  of  the  mollusk,  and  the  hard,  calcareous 
habitation  secreted  by  the  coral,  become  im- 
bedded in  the  constantly  accumulating  sedi- 
ment at  the  bottom  of  the  ocean;  and  when 
this  sediment  was  hardened  into  rock,  these 
organic  remains  were  preserved  in  a  fossilized 
condition,  so  perfect  and  entire  that  the  general 
character  and  habits  of  these  ancient  animals 
may  be  studied  and  determined  in  a  most  sat- 
isfactory manner.  These  fossils,  though  be- 
longing to  a  species  now  extinct,  and  in  many 
cases,  to  a  genera  tliat  are  no  longer  rep- 
resented among  living  species,  are  nevertheless 
referable  to  the  four  great  sub-kingdoms  of 
existing  animals,  and  man^'  of  them  to  the 
same  families,  and  sometimes  the  same  genera. 

Some  of  the  stratified  rocks,  especially  the 


limestone,  are  composed  almost  entirel}'  of  the 
calcareous  habitations  and  bony  skeletons  of 
the  marine  animals  that  lived  in  the  ocean 
during  the  time  these  beds  were  in  process  of 
formation,  with  barel}'  enough  mineral  matter 
to  hold  the  organic  materials  together  in  a 
cemented  mass.  Thus  we  find  that  these  simple 
types  of  life  have  pla^-ed  an  important  part  in 
the  formation  of  the  solid  framework  of  the 
globe.  The  same  process  is  now  being  re- 
peated, and  in  this  way  nature  preserves  her 
own  records  of  succeeding  creations,  linking 
them  all  together  by  the  unerring  characteris- 
tics of  a  common  origin  and  weaving  them 
into  one  complete  chain  of  organic  existence, 
which  beginning  with  the  lowest  and  simplest 
form — Protozoa — culminates  in  the  final  ap- 
pearance of  MAN,  the  highest  and  complete  re- 
sult of  creative  energy. 

As  before  stated  by  these  records  of  the 
rocks,  it  is  established  that  upon  this  continent 
we  find  the  traces  of  man  ruinimg  back  100,090 
years.  To  us  these  would  certainly  be  "  old 
settlers,"  but  geology,  paleontology  and  zoology 
hold  suspended  their  judgment  and  patiently 
investigate,  turning  over  the  pages  of  stone  and 
prying  out  the  marvelous  secrets  that  have 
been  securely  locked  and  guarded  for  us  in  the 
protecting  bosom  of  mother  earth  for  millions, 
perchance  billions  of  years.  The  question  of 
how  these  beings  came  here  is  answered  by 
the  beautiful  and  never-changing  forces  of 
nature.  That  prepotency  of  the  natural  forces 
that  account  for  every  "  form  and  qualit}-  of 
life."  IIow  they  then  came  we  substantially 
know.  How  they  go  is  another  and  a  more  diffi- 
cult question.  That  the  earth  at  regular  re- 
curring periods  is  filled  with  vegetable  and 
animal  life  that  come  and  grow  and  flourish 
and  pass  away,  leaving  not  a  wrack  behind. 
That  the  earth,  but  now  vocal  with  life,  is  to- 
morrow a  barren  solitude  locked  in  the  noise- 
less sleep  of  death  to  commence  again  at  the 
lowest   beginnings    of  life — the    yeast     plant 


26 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


probably  in  the  vegetable,  the  rliizopods,  the 
humblest  of  the  known  in  animal  origin — and 
continue  the  upward  circle  until  the  earth  is 
again  re-habilitated,  to  be  again  desolated,  are 
fields  for  the  investigator  and  for  speculation 
that  are  enough  to  appall  the  ordinary  mind  by 
their  magnitude. 

The  astronomer  tells  us  of  the  astronomical 
day  and  night,  that  are  in  duration  about 
twenty -one  thousand  3-ears,  and  upon  this  the 
speculative  scientists  (some  of  them  only)  have 
constructed  the  plans  of  creation  to  be,  that 
these  recurring  periods  of  life  and  solitude 
upon  the  earth  correspond — the  life  with  the 
astronomical  day,  the  dead  and  barren  with 
the  astronomical  night. 

In  this  work  of  life  and  death  they  agree 
that  heat  is,  as  well  here  as  everj-where  else, 
the  motive  power  that  produces  life,  while  cold 
is  the  productive  power  of  death. 

Evidences  are  found  nearlj'  all  over  Illinois 
of  the  presence  here  of  glaciers,  those  rivers  of 
moving  ice,  that  slowly  travel  from  the  north 
and  from  one  to  five  miles  in  thicliuess,  and  it 
is  easy  to  conceive  that  in  their  track  no  life 
is  left.  In  the  rock  beds  of  Lake  Superior 
they  gathered  up  and  dropped  here  and  there 
the  bowlders  that  are  so  frequently  found  in 
our  county.  Some  of  these  are  found  on  the 
surface  and  others  are  deeply  buried  in  the 
soil,  presenting  evidences  that  these  glaciers 
came  at  different  and  repeated  times,  but  how 
long  between  them  cannot  be  known. 

One  of  these  oval  shaped  bowlders  was  found 
in  digging  a  well,  near  the  Van  Machine  Shops, 
in  this  city,  in  1870;  it  would  weigh  about 
two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  Nearl}-  one- 
third  had  been  plained  down,  by  the  moving 
ice  that  had  carried  it  from  the  Lake  Superior 
regions,  and  presented  a  smooth  and  polished 
appearance.  It  was  twenty-two  and  a  half  feet 
below  the  surface  and  the  strata  of  earth 
above  it  gave  no  evidences  of  disturbance,  but 
lav  as  they   had  lieen  deposited  in  the  long 


course  of  time;  where  it  laj'  it  probabl}-  was 
the  surface  when  it  was  left  there  by  the  gla- 
cier. 

Petref actions. — Some  very  remarkable  petre- 
factions  were  found  in  1854,  in  the  work  of 
constructing  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad, 
when  digging  the  "cut"  through  the  hills  of 
the  Little  Wabash,  where  the  road  crosses  the 
river,   and  on  this  side  of  the  river. 

In  order  to  get  dirt,  to  make  a  "  fill  "  in  the 
river  bottom,  they  dug  into  the  side  of  the  hill 
from  the  cut,  and  down  to  about  the  general 
level  of  the  road-bed.  After  drifting  back  a 
few  feet,  they  found  a  strata  of  hard  limestone 
rock  about  sixteen  inches  thick  running  horizon- 
tally into  the  hill,  and  this  was  six  to  eight 
feet  above  the  level  or  bottom  of  their  drift. 
The  ascent  of  the  hill  was  gradual  from  the 
road-bed,  and  when  they  had  removed  the  dirt 
and  stone  until  they  were  taking  it  some  fifteen 
or  twent}'  feet  below  the  hill  surface,  they 
found  these  petrefactions  at  the  level  of  their 
drift  and  beneath  the  strata  of  rock  mentioned. 
As  the  earth  was  cleared  away,  thej'  found 
many  evidences  that  they  were  following  what 
had  once  been  the  earth's  surface.  They  found 
the  stumps  and  partially  preserved  bodies  of 
trees  that  presented  the  appearance  of  having 
grown  or  fallen  where  they  were  found. 

They  found  specimens  of  petrified  wood,  that 
were  piled  out  of  the  waj-  of  the  workmen, 
making  a  pile  as  large  as  a  cord  of  wood. 
One  stump  that  had  every  appearance  of  still 
standing  where  it  had  grown,  was  perfecth" 
petrified,  except  the  bark,  and  it  was  plainly 
marked  by  the  ax  that  had  been  used  in  cutting 
the  tree.  At  the  root  of  the  stump  were  per- 
fectl}'  preserved  chips — partiallj'  petrified — 
that  told  again  unmistakably  of  the  use  of  the 
ax.  In  the  claj'  soil,  on  a  level  with  the  foot 
of  the  stump,  was  found  the  imprint  of  the 
fallen  tree  where  it  had  lain  and  decayed. 

The  rock  was  above  the  petrefactions,  fifteen 
or  twenty  feet  of  earth  above  the  rocks,  and 


^jS-     .    >^ 


/-|r 


|~.  4^'-^''"* 


S^vw:^^^  6^^^^^ 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


29 


upon  all  this  was  the  great  forest  trees  that 
had  stood  there  for  centuries. 

AVe  are  indebted  to  Joshua  Bradl}-  and 
H.  B.  Kepley  for  the  facts  just  given. 

Human  Remains. — All  over  the  country  have 
been  found  what  are  known  as  Indian  relics, 
the  most  common  being  heart  shaped  flint 
rock,  that  were  doubtlessh'  used  for  pointing 
arrows,  and  were  the  savage's  ammunition  with 
which  he  warred  and  hunted;  stone  axes  ai-e 
also  found,  but  no  authenticated  specimens  of 
pottery.  We  have  in  this  count}-  none  of  the 
works  of  the  Mound-Builders. 

In  the  extreme  southern  part  of  the  county 
along  the  Wabash  River,  but  more  especially- 
across  in  Clay  County,  in  the  heavily  timbered 
bluffs  and  brakes  of  that  stream,  are  many 
evidences  of  there  once  being  an  extensive 
burial  ground  of  some  unknown  people. 

Beneath  the  big  oak  trees  have  been  found  the 
curious  graves  of  which  some  are  still  well  pre- 
served. Thej-  were  made  by  being  dug  down 
probably  thirty  inches,  and  the  rude  sarcoph- 
agus formed  by  placing  a  stone  slab  at  each 
side  of  the  vault,  and  was  completed  by 'a 
similar  stone  covering.  In  this  stone  bos, 
which  generally  is  not  over  three  feet  square, 
was  placed  the  body  in  a  half  sitting  posture, 
the  feet  and  head  as  near  together  as  thej- 
could  place  them. 

Tlie  surface  geology  of  our  county  is  one  of 
the  greatest  importance  to  the  farmer  and  to 
all  classes  dependant  upon  him.  The  time 
will  come  when  the  3-oung  chililrcn,  and  the 
old,  too,  most  probably,  will  be  taught  these 
things  until  farming  will  be  as  much  of  a  science 
as  anything  else.  To  understand  the  beds  of 
superficial  material  that  are  spread  unconform- 
ably  upon  the  rocks,  all  over  the  State — the  ac- 
cumulations of  clay,  sand  and  gravel,  called 
drift — is  now  of  the  greatest  importance  to  the 
farmer.  By  tliese  can  he  know  the  wants  and 
proper  capabilities  of  his  land — how  to  care 
for,  protect  and  feed  it  and  supply  its  impera- 


tive wants  the  same  as  he  can  now  his  calf  or 
pig.  The  entire  agricultural  interests  in  the 
count}-,  as  well  as  the  common  intelligence  of 
all  our  people,  are  interested  here  alike,  because 
the  soil  is  predicated  upon  this  superficial 
detritus  and  owes  its  productive  qualities,  in 
part  at  least,  to  its  homogeneous  character. 

Our  soils  are  mainly  composed  of  mineral 
matter  in  a  finely  comminuted  condition,  to 
which  is  added,  from  year  to  year,  the  vege- 
table and  animal  matters  which  are  accumu- 
lated upon  the  surface.  If  the  superficial 
deposits  are  absent,  the  soil  is  formed  by  the 
decomposition  of  rocks,  upon  which  it  rests. 
If  the  rock  is  a  sandstone,  it  will  form  a  light 
sandy  soil;  if  a  clay  shale  or  other  argillaceous 
rock,  a  heavy  clay  soil  will  be  the  result;  and 
if  a  limestone  it  will  produce  a  calcareous  soil, 
so  there  will  be  a  marked  change  in  the  soil 
with  every  variation  which  occurs  in  the  char- 
acter of  the  underlying  rock  strata. 

In  the  drift  deposits  will  never  be"  found  anv 
valuable  mineral  deposits.  And  the  fragments 
of  lead,  copper,  iron  and  lumps  of  coal  that  are 
sometimes  found  in  this  drift  are  often  believed 
by  the  ignorant  to  be  proofs  of  valuable  mineral 
deposits,  where  there  are  none.  in  rare 
instances,  minute  particles  of  gold  have  been 
thus  found  and  charlatans,  professing  to  be 
geologists,  have  proclaimed  these  to  be  valuable 
gold  or  silver  mines. 

These  deposits,  while  so  far  they  have  been 
often  used  to  play  upon  ignorant  credulity,  are 
by  no  means  destitute  of  valuable  materials 
for  industrial  use.  They  furnish  the  clay,  brick, 
sand  and  tile  that  are  so  generally  in  use;  they 
are  the  great  reservoir  that  hold  so  secureh- 
the  sweet,  pure,  cold  water  tliat  supplies  our 
w-ells;  they  are  tlie  agriculturist's  bank  of  de- 
posit, where,  when  he  learns  to  properly  draw 
his  check  upon  it,  is  supplied  with  inexhausti- 
ble wealth  with  which  to  honor  all  his  drafts. 

State  Geologist  Worthen  reports  of  Effing- 
ham Count}'  as  follows: 


30 


HISTORY  or   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


West  of  the  Little  Wabash  there  is  exposed 
in  the  National  road  four  to  six  feet  of  brown 
cla}-  resting  on  blue  clay,  with  bowlders. 

On  the  bank  of  Green  Creek,  near  the  north 
county  line,  is  exposed — 

Ft. 

1  Brown  soil 1 

2  Brown  sandy  clay 6 

3  Brown  sandstone 4  inches  to  1 

4  Sand  and  pebbles 2 

In  the  railroad  cut  south  of  Watson — • 

Ft. 

,  Brown  clay  (loess) 8 

Clay  and  sand  with  pebbles 20 

On  Bishop's  Creek — 

Ft. 

Brown  and  buff  clay 13 

Blue  clay  and  bowlders 15 

On  Salt  Creek— 

Ft.        In. 
Brown  and  buff  clay  (thin) 

Sandy  conglomerate 6 

Blue  clay  and  bowlders 8 

In  Sections  17  and  30,  Township  8  north, 
Range  5  east,  there  are  regular  beds  of  ferrugi- 
nous drift  conglomerate,  two  to  three  feet  in 
thickness. 

A  citizen  of  Efflngham  (Wes.  Stephenson),  en- 
gaged in  well-digging,  reports  the  following  gen- 
eral sections  of  wells: 

Ft. 

1  Soil  and  subsoil 1 

2  White,  buff  and  blue  clay  (loess). .....  10 

3  Red  clay  and  j^cravel — hardpan..     3  to    4 

4  Hardpan,     blue-gray    cla}'     and 

gravel 12  to  24 

5  Sometimes  black  clay 3  to    6 

The  sand  and  gravel  that  furnishes  the  abun- 
dant and  excellent  water  all  over  the  county, 
and  especial!}'  here  in  the  city  of  Effingham,  in 
inexhaustible  quantities,  is  found  from  thirteen 
to  twenty-four  feet  below  the  surface. 

On  the  prairies  in  the  southeast,  water  is  ob- 
tained from  twelve  to  twenty  feet;  at  Watson, 
sixteen  feet;  in  the  southwest,  twent}';  at  Mason, 
eighteen  to  thirtj-.  The  deepest  wells  known  in 
the  county  are  G.  W.  Nelson's,  fifty  feet,  through 
clay  and  coal  measure  rocks  to  good  limestone 


water,  and  at  Jesse  Newman's  place  in  Mason, 
145  feet.  This  last  had  only  a  scant  supply  of 
water. 

Coal. — The  State  Geologist  estimates  that  a 
coal-shaft  at  the  cit}-  of  Effingham  would  have 
to  go  down  900  to  950  feet  in  order  to  reach 
Vein  No.  5.  Tliis  is  a  five-foot  coal  vein.  It 
lies  below  Coal  No.  9,  six  inches;  No.  8,  three 
feet;  No.  7,  five  to  seven  feet;  and  No.  6.  two 
feet  six  inches. 

The  onlj-  remarkable  bed  of  coal  yet  found  or 
worked  in  the  county  is  G.  W.  Nelson's,  in  Sec- 
tion 20,  Township  6  nortii.  Range  4  east.  A  pit 
was  opened  here  and  good  coal  procured.  The 
vein  was  reported  three  feet  thick,  but  six  miles 
down  the  creek,  at  Mahon's,  it  was  only  ten 
inches  thick,  and  on  Limestone  Creek,  in  Sec- 
tion 18,  Township  6  north.  Range  5  east,  it  is 
sixteen  inches  thick.  These  designated  out- 
crops indicate  a  decided  easterly  dip.  The 
same  coal  is  also  found  on  Big  Creek,  in  Section 

25,  Township  7  north.  Range  4  east.  The  State 
Geologist  catalogued  this  vein  as  No.  16,  count- 
ing from  the  lowest  upward. 

On  Salt  and  Brush  Creeks  there  is  a  six-inch 
seam  of  bituminous  coal,  which  is  catalogued 
as  No.  17.  Its  sure  guide  is  two  thin  even  la}-- 
ers  of  gra}-  limestone,  occurring  about  four  feet 
above,  and  abounding  in  Spirifer  pJano-convexus. 
This  has  been  reported  sixteen  inches  to  two 
feet  thick,  but  it  is  probably  an  overestimate. 
A  thin  seam  of  coal  was  also  found  in  Section 

26,  Township  9  north,  Range  5  east. 

Can  coal  be  found  here?  This  is  now  a  ques- 
tion of  deep  interest  to  the  people  of  the  county. 
In  the  total  absence  of  any  definite  knowledge 
upon  the  question,  commendable  but  perhaps 
foolish  struggles  have  been  made  and  monej- 
and  time  expended  to  test  the  question.  Men 
and  their  drills  have  been  brought  here,  and  a 
boring  was  made  south  of  the  depot  a  few  years 
ago,  and  all  an}-  one  learned  was  that  their 
money  went  into  a  hole,  where  it  will  never 
come  out. 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


31 


The  people  of  Vamlalia  made  a  much  more 
expensive  investigation  a  few  3ear3  ago  than 
our  people  made.  At  immense  expense,  they 
carried  a  shaft  (the  water  was  here  unusually 
strong)  to  the  depth  of  474  feet,  and  there 
stopped. 

The  shaft  at  Centralia  was  sunk  to  the  depth 
of  .")7()  feet,  at  which  depth  a  seam  of  coal  seven 
feet  in  thickness  was  found.  This  coal  is  370 
feet  l)elow  the  Carlinville  limestone  in  that  shaft, 
and  if  the  strata  retains  the  same  thickness  at 
Vandalia,  thej-  stopped  eighty  feet  above  the 
Centralia  coal  seam.  These  borings  indicate  a 
decided  increase  in  thickness  of  the  stone  strata 
toward  this  part  of  the  State,  and  therefore  the 
coal  will  be  deeper  here  than  at  Centralia  in  that 
proportion. 

Wiieu  j'ou  know  what  you  have  to  do  it  is  easy 
to  prepare  and  do  it.  We  make  no  doubt  coal 
will  be  found  here  some  day  and  worked  to  good 
profit,  even  if  wo  do  have  to  go  900  or  1,000  feet 
to  it. 

Iron  Ore. — The  drift  conglomerate  occur- 
ring in  Section  17,  Township  8  north,  llange  5 
east,  is  three  feet  thick  and  contains  a  good 
deal  of  iron  ore.  It  crops  out  on  a  point  of 
the  hillside  extending  for  thirtj-  feet  across.  A 
similar  deposit  occurs  near  the  mouth  of  Big 
Creek,  in  Section  30,  Township  8  north.  Range 
5  east.  Coal  measure  shales  on  Big  Creek 
abound  in  man}-  concretions  of  oxide  and  car- 
bonate of  iron;  there  are  also  some  in  other 
localities,  but  the  quantity  is  insufficient. 

The  sandstone  below  Effingham,  in  the  fos- 
siliferoiis  portion,  is  very  ferruginous.  Red  ox- 
ide of  iron  occurs  on  Beech  Creek  in  sandstone 
over  Coal  No.  15. 

Buihling  Rock. — On  Sugar  Fork,  near  its 
mouth,  there  is  a  good  quarrj'  of  hard  sand- 
stone, and  one  of  silicious  limestone  on  Green 
Creek  above  the  mouth  of  Sugar  Fork. 

Eversnian's  quarry  has  furnished  a  firm,  gra}- 
sandstone.  This  is  two  miles  south  of  Effing- 
ham, on  Salt    Creek  Bluff's.     On  M.  V.  Park's 


farm,  adjoining  the  city  of  Effingham,  is  a 
quarrj-  that  has  also  furnished  the  most  of  the 
rock  for  foundations  in  the  citj-.  Very  good 
sandstone,  in  thick  beds,  occurs  in  the  bluff's  of 
Shoal  Creek  near  its  mouth;  on  Fulfer  Creek, 
iu  Section  2,  Township  6  north,  Range  5  east, 
near  Ilamsej'  Creek,  half  a  mile  from  its  month, 
in  Section  27,  Township  G  nortii.  Range  G  east, 
and  on  Big  Creek,  in  Section  29,  Township  9 
north.  Range  5  east. 

There  are  good  limestone  quarries  on  Lime- 
stone Creek  and  on  Fulfer  Creek.  A  good  deal 
of  rock  used  on  the  National  road  was  ob- 
tained here  and  at  Mahon's  on  Fulfer  Creek, 
and  also  on  Big  Creek.  The  best  rock  for  the 
production  of  lime  is  found  at  Nelson's  coal 
bank. 

Mineral  Waters.  —  Few  if  an}'  counties  in 
the  State  are  better  supplied  with  medicinal 
waters  than  this.  So  far  the}'  are  wholly  un- 
developed sources  of  wealth  and  industry. 
Douglas,  Watson,  Mason  and  Jackson  Town- 
ships have  each  springs  that  possess  good  min- 
eral qualities,  some  of  them  strong,  and  tliat 
some  of  these  many  waters  when  analyzed  and 
once  understood,  will  become  widely  popular 
and  beneficial  to  mankind   we   make  no  doubt. 

In  Jackson  Township,  on  Sam  Winter's  land, 
Section  32,  Township  6,  Range  5,  are  two  fine 
springs,  and  while  they  are  not  more  than 
a  rod  apart,  are  wholly  difl'erent  iu  their 
medical  properties.  These  springs  were  once 
the  favorite  rendezvous  of  the  Indians.  Mr. 
Winters  tells  us  that  before  these  springs  were 
fenced,  cattle  woUld  come  there  for  miles  to 
drink  of  these  waters,  passing  other  drinking 
places  in  order  to  quench  their  thirst  in  these 
delicious  waters.  The  neighbors  have  for  a 
long  time  understood  the  value  of  these  springs. 

In  the  same  township,  near  James  Larimer's 
and  David  Mitchell's,  on  Section  16,  Township 
7,  Range  5,  southwest  quarter  of  .southeast 
quarter,  is  a  fine  flowing  spring,  that  has  iron 
unquestionably,  and  probably  sulpiuir. 


33 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


In  Mason  township,  in  Section  2,  Township 

6,  Range  5,  about  three  miles  north  of  the  town 
of  Mason,  are  three  springs,  known  as  Sulphur 
Springs.  These  have  been  estensivel}'  inves- 
tigated by  Dr.  Slathcws,  and  the_y  are  already 
resorted  to  by  a  great  many  people. 

In  Watson  Township,  Section  22,  Township 

7,  Range  6,  on  land  op  the  I.  C.  R.  R.,  near  the 
farm  of  Andy  Parks  are  still  other  and  very 
fine  springs.  In  the  recent  sale  of  tlie  lands  of 
the  railroad,  these  springs  were  reserved,  and  it 
is  said  the  road  intends  to  improve  and  de- 
velop this  health  resort. 

The  Origin,  mid  Formation  of  Prairies. — 
For  many  j-ears  this  subject  has  been  under 
discussion  by  some  of  our  most  eminent  men. 
Among  the  first  to  enter  at  any  length  upon 
the  subject  was  Hon.  Walter  B.  Scates,  former- 
ly of  the  State  Supreme  Court,  Prof  Whitney, 
of  the  Geological  Survey  of  Iowa,  and  Prof 
Winehell,  the  eminent  geologist  of  Ann  Arbor 
University,  continued  it  at  great  length,  and 
Prof  Lesquereux  joined  also  the  investigation. 
Mr.  Worthen,  the  State  geologist,  realizing  the 
great  importance  of  the  people  of  Illinois  of 
this  subject,  requested  Prof  Lesquereux  to 
give  his  latest  and  best  conclusions  in  refer- 
ence to  it,  after  his  recent  discussions  with 
other  eminent  geologists. 

The  Professor  holds  that  prairies  are,  at  our 
time,  in  process  of  formation  along  the  shores 
of  our  lakes — Lake  Michigan,  Lake  Erie,  etc., 
as  also  along  the  Mississippi  and  some  of  its 
affluents,  especially  the  Minnesota  River.  The 
formation  of  these  recent  prairies,  whose  ex- 
tent is  not  comparable  to  that  of  the  primitive 
ones,  is  peculiar,  and  has  the  greatest  analogy 
with  that  of  the  peat  bogs.  Where  the  lake 
waves  or  currents  strike  the  shores  or  the  low 
grounds,  and  there  heap  materials  —sand,  peb- 
bles, mud,  etc. — they  build  up  more  or  less  ele- 
vated dams  or  islands,  which  soon  become  cov- 
ered with  trees.  These  dams  are  not  always 
built  along  the  shores;  they  do  not  even  always 


follow  their  outline,  but  often  inclose  wide 
shallow  basins,  whose  waters  are  thus  shel- 
tered against  any  movement.  Here  the  aquatic 
plants,  sedges,  rashes,  grasses,  etc.,  soon 
appear,  these  basins  become  swamps,  and,  as 
it  can  be  seen  near  the  borders  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan, though  the  waters  may  surround  them, 
the  trees  never  invade  them,  never  grow  upon 
them,  even  when  the  swamps  become  drained 
by  some  natural  or  artificial  cause.  Along  the 
Mississippi  and  the  Minnesota  Rivers  the  same 
phenomenon  is  observable,  with  a  difference 
only  in  the  process  of  operation.  In  time  of 
flood,  the  heaviest  particles  of  mud  are  depos- 
ited on  both  sides  of  the  current,  along  the  line 
of  slack  water,  and  b}-  repeated  deposits,  dams 
are  slowly  formed  and  -upraised  above  the  gen- 
eral surface  of  the  bottom  land.  Thus,  after  a 
time,  of  course,  the  water  thrown  on  the  bot- 
toms b^'  a  flood  is,  at  its  subsidence,  shut  out 
from  the  river,  and  both  sides  of  it  are  con- 
verted into  swamps,  sometimes  of  great  extent. 
Seen  from  the  high  bluff's  bordering  its  bottom 
land,  the  bed  of  the  Minnesota  River  is,  in  the 
spring,  marked  for  miles  hy  two  narrow  strips 
of  timbered  land,  bordering  the  true  channel 
of  the  river,  and  emerging  like  fringes  iu  the 
middle  of  a  long,  continuous  narrow  lake.  In 
the  summer,  and  viewed  from  the  'same  point, 
the  same  bottoms  are  transformed  into  a  green 
plain,  whose  undulating  surface  looks  like  im- 
mense fields  of  unripe  wheat,  but  forms,  in 
truth,  impassible  swamps,  covered  with  rushes, 
sedges,  etc.  B^-  successive  inundations  and 
their  deposits  of  mud,  and  bj'  the  heaping  of 
detritus  of  their  luxuriant  herbaceous  vegeta- 
tion, these  become,  by  and  by,  raised  up  above 
the  level  of  the  river.  They  then  dry  up  in 
the  summer,  mostly  by  infiltration  and  evapor- 
ation, and  when  out  of  reach  of  flood,  they  be- 
come first  wet,  and  afterward  diy  prairies. 
Prairie  du  Chein,  Prairie  la  Fourche,  Prairie  la 
Crosse,  etc.,  as  their  names  indicate,  a,r&  towns 
located  upon  formations  of  this  kind.     These 


HISTOKY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


33 


splendid  patches  of  prairie,  though  of  a  far 
more  recent  orgin  than  the  immense  plains 
above  them,  are,  nevertheless,  true  prairies, 
bordered  on  one  side  b}'  the  high,  timbered 
bimka  of  the  bottoms,  a  fringe  of  trees  separ- 
ate them  still  from  the  actual  bed  of  the  river; 
nevertheless,  the  trees  do  not  invade  them. 

This  peculiarity  of  formation  explains,  first 
the  peculiar  nature  of  the  soil  of  the  prairies. 
It  is  neither  peat  nor  humus,  but  a  black,  soft 
mold,  impregnated  with  a  large  proportion  of 
ulmic  acid,  produced  b}'  the  slow  decomposition, 
mostly  under  water,  of  aquatic  plants,  and  thus 
partaking  as  much  of  the  nature  of  the  peat  as 
(hat  of  the  true  humus.  In  all  the  depressions 
of  the  prairies  where  water  is  permanent  and 
unmixed  with  particles  of  mineral  matter,  the 
ground  is  true  peat. 

It  is  easy  to  understaml  why  trees  cannot 
grow  on  such  kind  of  ground.  The  germina- 
tion of  seeds  of  arborescent  plants  needs  the 
free  access  of  oxj'gen  for  their  development, 
and  the  trees  especially  in  their  youth  absorb 
b3'  their  roots  a  great  amount  of  air,  and  de- 
mand a  solid  point  of  attachment  to  fix  them- 
selves. Moreover,  the  acid  of  this  kind  of  soil 
by  its  particularly  antiseptic  property-,  promotes 
the  vegetation  of  a  peculiar  group  of  plants, 
mostlj'  herbaceous.  Of  all  our  trees,  the  tam- 
arack is  the  only  species  which,  in  our  northern 
climate,  can  grow  on  peaty  ground;  and  this, 
even,  happens  onl^'  under  rare  and  favorable 
circumstances;  that  is,  when  stagnant  water, 
remaining  at  a  constant  level,  has  been  invaded 
b}'  a  kind  of  mosses,  the  Spliagnuin. 

To  this  the  objection  is  made*  that  if  the 
prairies  are  so  formed  they  would  be  univer- 
sally flat  and  horizontal.  And  Winchell  has 
replied  to  the  objection  that  the  assertion  that 
it  is  not  the  peat  in  the  prairie  soil  that  keeps 
them  prairies,  because  trees  do  grow  and  flour- 
ish upon  them  when  planted  there. 

*  Atwater,  in  St/Ziman's  Journdi,  Volume  I,  page  IIG,  and  Rouine 
same  jiturnal,  Volume  II,  page  30,  both  hold  thatvriiirica  originated 
from  swamps.  "While  Winchell,  Desce  and  others  make  the  ohjec- 
tioD  considered  above. 


These  apparently  strong  objections  are  an- 
swered by  Prof.  Lesquereux  and  others,  that  it 
is  not  proper  to  refute  one  assertion  b}-  another; 
that  it  is  a  well- settled  fact  in  botanical  physi- 
ology, that  trees  absorb  by  their  roots  a  certain 
amount  of  oxj-gen  necessary  to  their  life.  It 
is  in  accordance  with  this  principle  that  trees, 
to  thrive  well,  ought  not  to  be  planted  too  deep, 
that  most  of  the  species  of  trees  perish  when 
their  roots  are  buried  in  a  stratum  of  claj'  im- 
permeable to  the  air,  or  underlaid  bj*  clay  im- 
permeable to  the  water;  that  whenever  the 
water  is  dammed  to  make  a  pond,  all  the  trees 
are  killed  on  the  whole  Hooded  space;  that  still 
water  always  ^ills  a  tree,  but  there  are  .some 
trees  with  roots  so  formed  into  many  and  tine 
branches,  that  they  maj'  live  in  moving  waters, 
or  running  streams.  Thus,  the  bald  eyprus 
and  lupelo  that,  in  the  South,  grow  in  the  mid- 
dle of  creeks  and  bayous,  are  enabled  to  get  air 
from  the  waters  that  are  moving  and  changing. 
De  Candole,  in  his  book  on  Vegetable  Phj-si- 
ology,  saj-s  that  a  constant  irrigation  necessary 
for  the  rice  culture  in  Lombard}^,  was  a  great 
inconvenience,  because  the  water  penetrates 
the  ground  of  the  neighboring  properties  and 
kills  the  trees.  That  '•  water  left  stagnant  for 
a  time  on  the  ground  rots  the  trees  at  their 
column,  prevents  the  access  of  oxj'gen  to  the 
roots  and  kills  them."  That  "  in  the  low 
grounds  of  Holland  the}'  dig,  for  planting  trees, 
deep  holes,  and  fill  the  bottom  with  bundles  of 
bushes,  as  a  kind  of  drainage  for  surplus  water, 
as  long  as  the  tree  is  youug  enough  to  be  killed 
by  humidity."  That  "  the  true  swamps  and 
marshes  have  no<trees,  and  cannot  have  any  be- 
cause stagnant  water  always  kills  them." 

As  to  the  assertion  that  trees  will  grow  on 
the  prairies  when  once  introduced,  this,  .all  ad- 
mit, is  certainl}'  true.  But  one  should  take 
care  to  make  a  distinction  between  the  results 
of  an  artificial  and  those  of  a  natural  one. 
When  trees  are  planted  on  the  prairie,  the  soil 
is    conveniently    pre-prepared.       The    clayey' 


34 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


subsoil  mixed  witli  the  black  mold  forms  a 
compound  wliicli  combines  densitj'  of  certain 
parts  with  the  lightness  of  others,  and  contain 
a  great  proportion  of  nutritive  elements.  If  the 
cla3'  of  the  subsoil  is  not  too  thicli  to  be  im- 
permeable to  water,  and  then  to  retain  it  around 
the  roots,  this  prepared  or  artificial  ground  is 
indeed,  very  appropriate  to  the  growth  of  trees, 
But  has  anybod}'  ever  seen  oaks  or  hickory,  or 
any  other  kind  of  trees,  grow  on  the  plains  from 
a  handful  or  from  a  bushel  of  acorns  or  of  nuts 
thrown  upon  the  surface  ?  Wh}^  then,  if  trees 
will  grow  on  the  prairies,  do  we  not  see  those 
isolated  and  far-between  cluster  of  trees,  which 
appear  here  and  there  on  the  borders  of  ancient 
lakes,  cover  a  wider  area,  and  by-and-b3-  invade 
the  whole  prairies  ?  Some  of  these  trees  have 
lived  there  forages;  their  trunks  are  strong  and 
thick,  and  their  branches  widely  expanded,  are 
shaken,  and  their  fruits  swept  awa}-  bj'  the  au- 
tumnal storms,  and  nevertheless  their  domain 
is  restricted  by  the  nature  of  the  ground  to 
limits  which  they  have  never  surpassed. 

The  soil  on  the  pi-airies  of  Illinois  varies  in 
thickness  from  one  to  four  feet,  and  even  more 
sometimes.  How  has  been  produced  this 
enormous  coating  of  black  mold  which  covers 
the  clay  subsoil  ?  This  subsoil  could  only  be 
produced  by  water.  Complete  oxidation  of 
vegetable  remains  has  never  resulted  in  the 
heaping  of  such  a  peculiar  thick  compound  as 
the  .soil  of  the  prairies.  Even  in  our  oldest  and 
still  virgin  forests  the  humus  is  never  so  deep. 
In  some  bottoms,  the  arable  grounds  ra.ay  be 
found  as  thick,  but  it  is  not  the  result  of  vege- 
table decomposition,  but  of  successive  accumu- 
lations of  mud  by  floods.  We  must  then  con- 
sider this  prairie  soil  as  formed  under  peculiar 
chemical  action,  Ijy  a  slow  oxidation  or  decom- 
position of  vegetable  matter,  retarded  in  its  ac- 
tion by  water,  in  preventing  the  free  access  of 
oxgen,  as  it  lias  happened  in  the  formation  of 
peat.  But  in  this  last  matter,  the  oxidation  is 
much  slower  and  less  complete,  and  water  be- 


ing permanent,  not  exposed  to  change  of  levels, 
cannot  bring  into  it  the  elements  of  fertility 
which  it  gives  to  the  soil  of  the  prairies.  This 
soil,  as  before  stated,  is  half  peat  and  half 
humus. 

The  great  proportion  of  ulmic  acid  contained 
in  the  prairie  soil  is  perceivable  in  its  slow  de- 
composition when  exposed  to  atmospheric  ac- 
tion. The  overturned  sod  of  the  prairies  would 
scarcely  become  decomposed  and  pulverized  in 
two  or  three  years,  if  its  disintegration  was  not 
helped  b}'  repeated  plowings.  It  is  this  acid 
which,  in  too  large  proportions,  renders  the  soil 
sometimes  hard  and  sour.  But  it  has  also  the 
propert}'  of  preserving  for  a  long  time  the  fer- 
tilizing elements  mixed  with  it.  Hence,  it  is 
one  of  the  causes  of  the  long-continued  pro- 
ductiveness of  the  prairies.  Under  the  influ- 
ence of  stagnant  water,  and  the  remains  of  ani- 
mals which  have  inhabited  it  while  the  soil  was 
in  process  of  formation,  silica  especially,  with 
alumina,  ammonia  and  other  elements,  have 
been  left  in  the  soil,  in  such  proportions  as  to 
make  its  extraordinary  fertility,  and  especiall3- 
its  inexhaustible  productiveness  for  grasses; 
for  by  the  unpermeability  of  the  under  clay,  the 
fertilizing  elements  have  been  left  in  the  soil. 
As  natural  meadows,  our  prairies  have  fed  for 
centuries,  innumerable  herds  of  buffalo  and  deer, 
etc.,  which  roamed  over  them,  and  now  they 
will  feed  and  fatten  our  herds  of  cattle  for  as 
long  a  time  as  we  may  want  or  save  them  for 
that  purpose.  But  more  important  than  this  to 
the  agriculturist  is  the  great  fact  taught  hiui 
who  has  the  intelligence  to  investigate  and  un- 
derstand the  soil  of  our  prairies,  namely,  that 
by  the  peculiar  compound  of  the  prairie  soil,  it 
will,  under  proper  cultivation,  produce,  for  an 
indefinite  length  of  time,  crops  of  cereals,  corn, 
wheat,  etc.,  as  rich  as  may  be  obtained  from  the 
richest  bottom  lands,  and  without  anj*  apparent 
diminution  of  the  productive  capacity  of  the  soil. 
Even  if,  by  successive  crops  of  the  same  kind, 
the  upper  soil  should   become  somewhat   de- 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


35 


prived  of  its  fertilizing  elements,  especially  of 
its  silica,  lime  and  alumina,  so  necessaiy  for 
the  growth  of  corn,  we  know  by  experience,  as 
well  as  the  geologists  know  by  its  formation^ 
that  the  subsoil  is  a  real  mine  of  these  fertiliz- 
ing elements,  and  that  deep  plowing  will  re- 
turn to  an  exhausted  prairie  land  its  primitive 
fertility. 

For  the  culture  of  trees  also,  the  foregoing 
explanation  of  the  formation  of  the  prairies  give 
directions  in  accord  with  what  experience 
teaches  us  to  be  right.  To  plant  trees  which 
do  not  like  humidity — fruit  trees  especially — 
dig  deep  holes,  pass  through  the  clay  to  the 
drift,  and  thus  establish  a  natural  drainage. 
Fill,  then,  the  bottom  of  the  hole  with  loose 
materials,  pebbles,  bushes,  sod,  mold,  or  any 
debris,  and  thus  you  have  the  best  ground  that 
can  be  prepared  for  the  health  and  long  life  of 
trees.  When  this  cannot  be  done,  and  shade 
trees  are  desirable,  for  example,  plant,  in  any 
hole  deep  enough  to  contain  the  roots,  elms, 
buttonwood,  white  locusts,  sugar  tree,  maple, 
etc.,  all  species  which  live  generally  along  the 
rivers  and  support  a  ccrtahi  degree  of 
humiditj^,  and  they  will  thrive,  if  only  they 
get  some  air  through  the  ground  which  covers 
them. 

The  prairies  of  the  West,  especially  of  Illi- 
nois, are  in  harmony  and  agree  with  the  destiny 
of  our  people,  even  to  a  greater  extent  than  our 
rich  and  extensive  coal  fields.  Like  these  pro- 
digious sources  of  combustible  mineral,  they 
clearly  point  out  the  future  race  of  men  which 
is  called  to  inhabit  them,   and  profit  by  their 


immeasurable  and  inexhaustible  fertility.  While 
one  of  these  formations  is  destined  to  furnish 
an  immense  population  the  elements  of  indus- 
trial greatness,  the  other  is  ready  to  provide  it 
with  both  the  essential  elements  of  life — bread 
and  meat.  Hence,  the  prairies  have  their  place 
marked  in  the  future  history  of  mankind.  They 
do  not  indicate  or  prophecy  luxury,  laziness 
and  dissipation  of  life,  but  hard  work,  abun- 
dance, and  the  enjoyment  of  freedom  and  true 
manhood. 

Etfingham  Couuty  is,  and  will  be  for  years, 
an  agricultural  county.  Whilst  the  black  loam 
is  not  so  deep  here  as  in  the  corn  counties  north 
of  us,  yet  the  peculiar  formation  of  the  surface 
soil  is  such  that  there  never  will  be  waste  for 
the  stored  plant  food  that  Will  be  here  for  ages, 
and  always  ready  to  respond  generously  to  the 
farmer  who  knows  enough  to  find  it.  For  grass 
and  the  cereals  it' may  be  prepared  to  equal,  if 
not  excel,  any  county  in  the  State.  Already  in 
wheat  it  stands  the  first,  both  in  quantity  to 
the  acre,  and  in  the  quality.  Deep  plowing  is 
the  farmer's  key  to  wealth  here.  Deep  subsoil 
plowing  will  make  these  ruinous  droughts  almost 
whoU}'  disappear,  as  well  as  prevent  from  harm 
the  heavy  falls  of  water  that  alternate  with  the 
droughts  and  sometimes  one  and  sometimes  the 
other  send  dismay  to  our  people.  And  when 
this  deep  subsoil  plowing  is  followed  up  with 
tile  drainage,  it  will  bring  the  true  wealth  and 
abundance  to  our  people  that  will  both  surprise 
and  please.  It  may  not  in  the  end  prove  the 
best  of  corn  land  in  our  State,  but  in  all  else, 
she  may  indeed  be  '  Queen  of  the  May." 


36 


HISTORY  OF  EFFOGHAM  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER  III. 


ORGANIZATIOX  OF  THE  COUNTY— ACT  OF  THE    LEGISLATURE  CREATING  IT— LOCATION  OF  FIRST 

COUNTY  SEAT— EXTRACTS    FROM    THE    EARLY    RECORDS- FIRST    LAND  ENTRIES— CENSUS 

AND  TAXES-MARRIAGES— SCHOOLS— THEIR  ORIGIN  AND  IMPROVEMENTS— SOME 

NEW    FACTS    AND  .THEORIES    ON    EDUCATION— WILLIAM    J.     HANKINS— 

EARLY    ELECTIONS— EFFINGHAM    IN    THE    BLACK    HAWK    WAR. 

"  Ye  builded  wiser  than  ye  knew." — Pearre. 

THE  act  of  the  Illinois  Legislature  creating 
aud  defining  the  boundary'  lines  of  Effing- 
ham and  Jasper  Counties  bears  date  February 
15,  1831.  The  two  counties  were  organized  in 
the  same  act,  in  which  there  is  not  a  word  iu 
reference  to  what  other  county  or  counties  the 
territorj'  is  taken  from.  The  Legislature  pro- 
ceeded to  designate  bj'  township  lines  the 
boundaries  of  the  two  counties.  The  county 
of  Jasper  is  first  defined,  and  then  it  proceeds 
to  describe  Effingham  County  as  "  beginning 
at  the  northwest  corner  of  Jasper  County." 

The  territorj-  comprising  Effingham  Count}- 
was  taken  from  Fa3-ette  County-.  Faj-ette  was 
taken  from  Bond,  and  Bond  from  the  good  old 
mother  county  of  all  the  counties  in  Illinois — 
St.  Clair.)  In  the  royal  train  of  daughters  of 
St.  Clair  County  this  would,  properly  speak- 
ing, be  a  great-grand- daughter. 

This  county  is  just  thirty  days  the  junior  of 
Cook  County.  Chicago  was  then  a  small,  out- 
lying precinct  of  Crawford  Count}',  that  so 
worried  the  Tax  Collector  when  he  had  to  go 
there  to  collect  the  taxes,  as  it  would  cost  him 
always  more  than  the  entire  tax  to  defray 
expenses. 

The  act  incorporating  Effingham  County 
proceeds  in  the  usual  phraseology  of  such 
enactments,  and  defines  the  boundary  lines  as 
follows  : 

"  Beginning  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Jas- 
per County,  running  south  with  the  line  there- 


of to  the  southeast  corner  of  Township  No.  6, 
thence  with  the  line  dividing  Townships  5  and 
6  to  the  northwest  corner  of  Township  5  north, 
in  Range  4  east,  thence  north  with  the  town- 
ship lines  to  the  northwest  corner  of  Section 
19  of  Township  9  north,  Range  4  east,  thence 
east  with  the  section  line  to  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  Section  24,  Range  6  east,  thence  'South 
with  the  township  line  to  the  southeast  corner 
of  Township  9  north,  thence  east  to  the  north- 
east corner  of  Township  S  north,  iu  Range  7 
east,  and  thence  south  with  the  range  line  to 
the  place  of  beginning." 

I  The  act  appointed  John  Hale}',  James  Gal- 
loway and  John  Hall  Commissioners  "  to  lo- 
cate the  seat  of  justice  for  Effingham  County." 

It  then  recites  that  '-the  said  Commissioners, 
or  a  majority  of  them,  are  hereby  required  to 
proceed  to  examine  the  said  Commissioners 
(sic?)  respectively,  at  any  time  they  may  agree 
upon  previous  to  the  1st  day  of  November 
nextj'and,  xcith  an  eye  to  the  best  interests  of  said 
counties,  shall  select  a  suitable  place  for  the 
seat  of  justice." 

"  The  Commissioners  respectively  are  hereby 
empowered  to  receive  from  the  owner  of  such 
land  as  they  may  select  for  the  purpose  afore- 
said, a  donation  of  not  less  than  twenty  acres. 
Or  they  may  receive  donations  In  money, 
which  shall  be  applied  to  the  purchase  of  lands 
for  such  purpose,  and.  in  either  case,  they  shall 
take  good  and  sufficient  deeds  therefor,  grant- 
ing the  land  in  fee  simple  for  the  use  and  ben- 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


37 


efit  of  said  counties.  The  Commissioners,  if 
tliej'  stiall  select  lauds  belonging  to  the  Gov- 
ernment, shall  purchase  a  half  quarter-section 
for  the  use  and  benefit  of  such  county,  pro- 
vided they  shall  receive  donations  in  money 
sufficient  to  make  such  purchase  or  purchases." 

The  act  proceeds  to  state  that  "  when  the 
Commissioners  shall  have  made  the  selections 
of  land  for  the  countj'  seats  of  the  two  coun- 
ties, the}'  shall  report  their  proceedings  to  the 
Recorder  of  Crawford  Count}-  for  Jasper  and 
to  the  Recorder  of  Fa3'ette  County  for  Effing- 
ham." It  then  requires  the  Recorders  of  these 
counties  to  keep  the  same  in  their  respective 
offices  until  the  said  counties  shall  be  organ- 
ized, when  they  shall  transmit  the  same  to  the 
Clerks  of  the  County  Commissioners'  Court  of 
the  aforesaid  new  counties  respectivelj'." 

If  the  Commissioners  for  this  countj', 
Messrs.  Haley,  Galloway  and  Hall,  ever  made 
a  report  of  their  proceedings  in  selecting  a 
seat  of  justice  for  this  count}'  to  the  Recorder 
of  Fayette  County,  as  the  law  required,  it  can- 
not now  be  found  in  the  records.  There  is  no 
doubt  but  they  did.  They  selected  Ewington, 
and  named  it  in  honor  of  Gen.  W.  L.  D.  Ew- 
ing,  then  a  leading  lawj-er  and  afterward  a 
prominent  politician  of  the  State,  who  resided 
at  Vandalia. 

Why  the  county  was  named  Effingham  is 
not  known.  The  bill  to  incorporate  the  county 
was  the  work  of  Gen.  Ewing,  William  Linn 
and  Joseph  Duncan,  and  it  is  said  the  name 
was  the  suggestion  of  Gen.  Ewing.  James 
and  Joseph  Duncan  had  donated  the  twenty 
acres  mentioned  in  the  legislative  act  when 
they  instruct  the  Commissioners,  all  three  of 
them,  to  act  "  loith  an  eye  to  the  best  interests 
of  the  count}'."  How  they  expected  three 
men  to  go  about  the  business  with  "  an  eye  " 
we  cannot  imagine. 

After  the  Legislature  incorporated  the  coun- 
ty, matters  seem  to  have  remained  quiescent 
until  the  20th  day  of  December,  1832,  when 


the  Legislature  passed  an  act  authorizing 
p]ffingham  County  to  hold  an  election  "  to  elect 
three  County  Commissioners,  a  Sheriff  and  a 
Coroner."  The  designated  places  of  election 
were  Ewington,  and  the  house  of  Thomas  I. 
Brockett,  and  further  designating  Jacob  Slo- 
ver,  John  Loy  aud  Levi  Gorden  as  the  Judges 
of  the  election  at  Ewington,  and  William 
Tbomasson,  M.  Brockett  and  Jonathan  Park- 
hurst  the  Judges  at  Brockett's.  This  election 
was  held  January  1,  1833.  No  record  of  it  can 
be  found.-  Theophilus  W.  Short,  Isaac  Fancher 
and  William  J.  Hankins  were  elected  the  first 
County  Commissioners,  aud  they  proceeded  to 
organize  the  County  Commissioners'  Court  in 
Ewington  on  the  21st  day  of  January,  1833, 
by  the  appointment,  first  temporary  and  then 
permanent  County  Clerk,  of  Joseph  H.  Gilles- 
pie, who  at  once  entered  upon  the  discharge  of 
his  duties. 

Henry  P.  Bailey  had  been  elected  Sheriff  at 
the  above-named  election.  John  C.  Sprigg  had 
been  appointed  February  15, 1833,  Circuit  Clerk 
of  the  ci  lunty  by  Judge  Wilson.  Sprigg's  com- 
mission bore  date,  Vandalia,  February  15, 1833. 

Here  then,  February  15,  1833,  the  whole 
county  legal  machinery  was  put  in  motion,  and 
Effingham  became  in  fact  as  well  as  in  name 
a  live,  active,  absolute  county.  The  County 
Court  at  this  term  merely  organized  and  ad- 
journed, no  county  business  being  transacted. 
The  court  met  in  session  again  February  4. 
Its  first  official  act  was  to  divide  the  county 
into  two  voting  and  election  precincts.  The 
voting  place  of  one  being  Ewington,  and  Levi 
Jordan,  John  Loy  and  Jacob  Slover  were  ap- 
pointed Judges.  The  other  precinct  voted  at 
T.  I.  Brockett's,  and  John  Martin,  William 
Brockett  and  William  Thomasson  were  the 
Judges.  Court  adjourned.  It  met  again  the 
next  month,  March,  and  its  first  act  at  this  ses- 
sion was  the  first  time  in  the  life  of  the  county 
that  it  made  an  order  on  the  Treasurer,  as  fol- 
lows : 


38 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


"  Ordered,  that  thirty  cents  be  paid  the 
County'  Clerk  for  postage  and  one  dollar  for 
services,  and  also  one  dollar  to  each  of  the 
Commissioners,  and  one  dollar  to  John  Broom 
for  services  as  Constable  at  this  term  of  court." 

Prom  this  ver}-  little  fountain  flows  a  peren- 
nial stream  that  will  always  flow  and  never 
stop.* 

In  May,  1833,  the  first  Circuit  Court  con- 
vened in  Ewington.  Theophilus  W.  Smith, 
Presiding  Judge,  and  John  C.  Sprigg,  Clerk  of 
the  Court.  Henry  P.  Bailey,  Sherifl".  The 
grand  jurors  were  Seymour  R.  Powell,  foreman, 
Martin  Davenport,  John  Trapp,  John  Gana- 
way,  Hickman  Lankford,  John  P.  Fairleigh, 
Kinton  Adams,  James  Levitt,  Alfred  Warren, 
James  Hudson,  James  Martin,  Newton  E.  Tar- 
rant, James  Neal,  Stephen  Austin,  Harrison 
Higgs,  John  Martin,  Charles  Gilkie,  Levi  Jor- 
dan, Levi  Self,  Thomas  I.  Brockett,  James 
White,  Robert  Moore,  Samuel  L.  Reed. 

The  petit  jurors  were  Uriah  Moore,  Thomas 
Williams,  Ben  Campbell,  John  Mitchell,  John 
G-eorge,  John  Allen,  Jacob  Slover,  Joseph  Nes- 
bitt,  Andrew  Martin,  Jesse  White,  James 
Howell,  Amos  Martin,  Richard  Cohea,  Andrew 
Lilly,  John  Maxwell,  Dan  Williams,  Duke  Rob- 
inson, Henrj'  Tucker,  James  Porter,  William 
Tibbs,  Jesse  Pulfer,  Enoch  Neaville,  John  K. 
Howard,  Michael  Robinson. 

There  were  four  cases  on  the  docket,  name- 
ly :  John  Beasley  vs.  Robert  Moore,  trespass 
on  the  case ;  Andrew  Bratton  vs.  Simeon 
Perkins,  appeal  ;  John  MaxQeld  vs.  John 
W.  Robinson,  ditto ;  William  31.  McConnell 
vs.  Jacob  Slover,  set  fa  to  foreclose.  There 
were  three  lawyers  at  this  court,  namely : 
A.  P.  Field,  Levi  Davis,  W.  L.  D.  Ewing. 
Of  these  Levi  Davis,  of  Alton,  is  the  only  sur- 
vivor. The  grand  jury  returned  three  indict- 
ments into  court :  T.  W.  Short,  for  selling  liq- 

*The  flret  Constables  in  the  county,  John  0.  Scott  and  John 
Broom,  attended  upon  this  court.  A  license  to  sell  goods  was 
granted  tii  John  Fuiikhouser,  and  at  the  next  June  term  Eli  Cook 
was  granted  a  similar  license. 


uor  without  license,  William  Crisap,  adultery, 
Martha  Hinson,  fornication,  and  adjourned 
its  labors. 

At  the  June  term,  1333,  of  the  County  Com- 
missioners' Court,  the  only  business  was  the 
following  order  : 

"That  J.  H.  Gillespie  be  allowed  for  clerk- 
ing on  day  of  sale  of  lots,  1.50,  ordering 
bonds,  .50.  2  quoirs  of  paper  for  to  make  rec- 
ord books,  50  cts.  Rent  of  house  for  holding 
court  in,  1.50." 

These  record  books,  for  which  ••  2  quoirs  of 
paper "  were  purchased,  "  for  to  make,"  are 
lost.  A  fact  much  to  be  regretted.  At  this 
term  of  the  court,  James  Turner  succeeds  Fan- 
cher  as  Commissioner,  but  there  is  no  explana- 
tion how  this  came  about.  The  County  Court 
appointed  John  Loy  Countj^  Treasurer,  and 
William  J.  Hankins  County  Surveyor.  In  1833, 
there  was  a  public  auction  of  lots  in  the  do- 
nated twenty-acre  part  of  the  town  of  Ewing- 
ton, S.  R.  Powell,  auctioneer,  and  J.  H.  Gilles- 
pie, clerk.  Twenty-two  lots  were  sold.  The 
highest  price  paid  was  ^(34,  by  Hankins,  and 
the  lowest  wis  $8.12^.  The  average  price  per 
lot  was  $24.46.  About  ten  times  their  value 
now. 

The  county  court  made  an  order  to  T.  W. 
Short  for  $1.87 J,  "for  whiskey  furnished  on 
the  da\^  the  lots  were  sold."  The  county  was 
divided  into  three  road  distriot-i,  and  Rnad  Su- 
pervisors appointed,  Andrew  Bratton  for  Dis- 
trict No.  1,  Jonathan  Parkhurst,  No.  2",- and  John 
Broom,  No.  3.  The  subjects  of  count}'  and 
cart  roads  was  of  the  first  importance  to  the 
people.  Among  the  first  acts  of  the  Commis- 
sioners was  to  order  N.  B.  Tarranv  and  Joseph 
Rentfro  to  la}'  out  a  cart  road  from  Ewington 
to  the  county  line,  in  the  direction  of  Wither- 
spoon's  mill,  in  Shelby  Count}'.  Another  road 
was  made,  a  count}'  road,  aud  ordered  worked, 
namely,  a  road  from  Fairfield,  via  Ewington, 
to  Shelbyville. 

The  Government  had  commenced  work  on 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


tlie  National  road  in  1820  in  this  county,  and  a 
considerable  force  was  stationed  at  the  Little 
Wabash,  engaged  in  building  a  bridge  across 
this  stream.  Workiueu's  shanties  had  been 
constructed,  and  this  fact,  no  doubt,  caused 
Ewington  to  be  selected  as  the  county  town. 
They  were  very  rude,  miserable  pens  and 
sheds,  and  yet  tlie  first  people  there,  as  well  as 
the  first  Circuit  Courts,  utilized  them  as  tempo- 
rary resting  places. 

Tlic  work  on  tlie  National  road  in  this  coun- 
ty stopped  ill  1?.>3,  a  little  west  of  Ewington. 
The  bridge  across  the  Little  Wabash,  although 
expensive,  was  a  tumble-down  affair.  It  was 
soon  washed  awaj',  and  the  stone  abutments 
were  carried  ofl'  by  the  people  to  wall  their 
wells  and  for  foundations  for  their  buildings. 

The  new  county  was  thus  left  much  as  na- 
ture had  made  it  in  regai'd  to  roads.  A  pony 
mail,  at  first  weeldy,  was  carried  from  Terre 
Haute  to  St.  Louis.  Anotlier  mail  route,  of 
the  same  kind,  was  from  Fairfield  to  Shelby- 
ville.  When  the  streams  raged  the  mails 
stopped.  But  as  there  were  few  people  here, 
and  still  fewer  that  could  read  and  write,  and 
as  letter  postage  was  25  cents,  and  not 
prepaid  at  that,  it  was  probably  a  blessing  that 
tlie  people  were  not  smothered  with  our  mod- 
ern avalanche  of  mail  matter.  Nevertheless,  a 
crying  want  of  the  people — a  want  not  yet 
wholly  satisfied,  although  many  thousands  of 
dollars  have  been  washed  toward  the  Gulf  in 
the  form  of  bridges^was  roads,  and  passable 
bridges  across  the  streams.  The  Commission- 
ers made  commendable  efforts  to  supply  this 
want.  But  the^'  were  not  skilled  civil  engi- 
neers, nor  were  their  contractors,  apparently, 
that  did  the  work.  But  they  had  this  great 
advantage  of  the  present.  They  built  cheap 
structures,  and  when  thej'  floated  away  upon 
the  muddy  torrent,  they  left  at  least  the  conso- 
lation that  they  had  not  bankrupted  tlie  un- 
born generations  to  come. 

The   court   notified  contractors  to  send   in 


their  bids  for  a  number  of  contemplated 
bridges  in  the  county.  James  Cartwright  and 
T.  W.  Short,  John  Funkhouser  and  Gillen- 
waters,  among  others,  seem  to  have  been  the 
principal  builders.  There  were  neither  pens, 
paper  nor  circumlocution  wasted  in  these  im- 
portant business  papers.  For  instance  :  "  I 
will  build  the  bridge  across  the  Wabash  at 
Brockett's  for  S588.  (Signed)  John  Trapp." 
Or  this  :  ■'  I  will  dam  the  work  agreeable  to 
the  present  contract  for  one  hundred  and  fiff- 
teeu  dolls  if  high  water  dont  prevent.  T.  J. 
Gillenwaters." 

Can  tlie  school-teacher  improve  on  this  : 
"James  Cartwright,  bid  for  Brig  $h")8.00." 
Or, 

•'  I  will  do  the  work  at  Ewington  bridge  for 
a  dollar  less  than  any  responsible  bidder. 

"  JouN  Funkhouser." 
These  papers    were   not   addressed   to  any 
person  or  tiling.     They  were  without  date  or 
flourish  of  any  kind.     E plurihus  unum. 

The  next  pressing,  public  necessity  after- 
roads  and  bridges,  seems  to  have  been  a  county 
jail,  induced  probably  by  the  following  :  On 
the  30lh  July,  1833,  John  Cooper  was  ar- 
raigned before  Esquires  Gillespie  and  Han- 
kins  for  larceny.  The  preliminary  examina- 
tion resulted  in  the  following  commitment : 
"  it  was  adjudged  by  us  that  thar  was  proba- 
ble ground  for  his  guilt  and  hes  failed  to  give 
security  for  his  appearance  at  the  next  cir 
court  he  was  committed  to  the  jail  of  Shelby 
county  as  there  was  no  iail  being  provided  in 
this  county."  To  this  incentive  was  soon  after 
added  the  circumstance  that  one  Charles  Lewis 
was  arrested  for  a  horse-thief.  And  during 
1834-35,  Sheriff  Bailey  certifies  that  nearly 
every  able-bodied  man  in  the  county  was  paid 
in  county  orders  for  at  one  time  or  another 
guarding  Lewis.  The  fact  is,  the  expense  of 
holding  this  man  a  prisoner  for  more  than  a 
year  cost  the  county  double  all  other  county 
expenses  except  bridges.     In  1833,  a  jail  was 


40 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUXTY. 


built,  made  of  logs,  and  was  locked  with  a 
very  fair  padlock.  There  was  not  money 
enough,  it  seems,  to  bii}-  the  lock  for  some 
time,  but  as  the  door  swung  outside  the  Sheriff 
propped  it  good  and  fast  with  leaning  poles 
and  rails.  We  will  do  the  court  the  justice 
to  mention  that  this  was  intended  onl}'  as  a 
temporary  structure.  It  answered  very  well  to 
hold  men  while  they  wore  sleeping  off  their 
drunks.  In  fact,  it  did  in  its  time  keep  safe 
sober  criminals  when  it  was  constantly  sur- 
rounded by  well-armed,  vigilant  guards.  The 
architect  and  superintendent  of  this  public 
structure  was  T.  W.  Short.  The  county  paid 
him  $10  for  his  services.  Levi  Jordan  and 
James  Krai  were  paid  $496  for  building  the 
jail. 

At  the  March  term,  1834,  appears  the  follow- 
ing order  :  "  Ordered  that  the  coart  proceede 
to  a  point  a  county  treasurer  for  the  present 
Year.  What  a  pon  it  a  peared  that  John  Loy 
and  T.  J.  Gilenwaters  was  aplicants  it  apears 
that  John  Loj'  is  apointed." 

The  election  of  a  Treasurer  being  so  sue- 
cessfally  completed,  the  following  county  leg- 
islation was  had  :  •'  Ordered,  That  no  Taveru- 
Keeper  or  Grocery  Keeper  in  this  County 
shall  charge  more  than  twenty  five  cents  for  a 
meals  vituels  and  Twenty  Five  Cents  for  a 
Horse  feed  Lodging  12^  Cents.  Twent}-  five 
Cents  for  a  quart  of  Whiskey  and  twelve  and 
a  half  Cents  for  a  pint  of  Whiskey,  not  exceed-  I 
ing  fifty  cents  a  quart  for  Brand}-,  Wine  and  j 
Gin  and  not  exceeding  eighteen  and  three 
fourths  Cents  per  half  pint  for  Brandy  Wine 
and  Gin  Rum  at  the  same  as  Brandy  Wine 
and  Gin." 

Bless  their  good  old  souls  !  They  gave  no 
heed  to  those  vile  decoctions,  lager  beer,  apple- 
jack and  black  strap  ! 

The  jail  being  ofl'  the  hands  of  the  court, 
and  a  secure  place  provided  for  the  surplus 
part  of  the  communit}-,  the  following  proceed- 
ings were  had  with  a  view   to  restraining  the 


running  at  large  of  other  stock  :  "  Ordered, 
that  the  letting  of  the  bilding  of  an  Estraij 
Pon  be  let  to  lowes  and  mos  responcible  bider 
on  the  13  day  March  in  the  town  of  Ewington 
to  be  sitawated  on  the  north  west  corner  of  the 
Publick  sqare  of  the  following  description  to 
Wit  Sixty  fete  Sqare  the  ponnells  ten  fete 
long  the  posts  to  be  of  Mulberry  hewen  eight 
inches  sqare  two  feet  in  the  groun  and  seven 
fete  and  ahalf  above  the  two  fete  in  the  to 
Scorched  the  Railing  to  be  of  White  Oak  tim- 
ber such  as  will  not  spring  either  heweu  Sawed 
or  Split  to  be  not  over  six  inches  wide  nor 
under  three  thick  oil  of  which  shal  be  in  com- 
plyance  with  Law  regulatin  the  building  of 
Bstray  Pons  and  that  the  Clerk  Advertise  the 
sam  b}'  pasting  written  notices." 

At  March  term,  1835,  contract  made  to  build 
court  house.  Contract  price  S580.37i^.  Built 
same  year  by  Hankins  &  Cartwright. 

December  11,  1829,  Robert  Moore  purchased 
at  the  Land  Office  in  Vandalia  the  east  half  of 
the  southeast  quarter  of  Section  7,  Township  8 
north,  Range  5  east — the  first  land  entr}-  ever 
made  within  our  county  limits. 

July  9,  1830,  Riley  Howard  entered  the  west 
half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  11, 
Township  7,  Range  4.  September  30  of  the 
year,  Robert  Moore  entered  the  east  half  of 
the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  18,  Township 
8,  Range  5. 

In  1831,  there  were  four  land  entries — -R. 
Peebles  and  W.  H.  Brown  in  Section  7, 
Township  5 ;  Alfred  McDaniel  the  northeast 
quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  2, 
Township  6,  Range  5,  and  some  Polanders  en- 
tered a  half  quarter-section  in  the  northwest 
part  of  the  county.  There  were  no  entries  in 
1835.  Several  small  tracts  in  1833,  then  there 
were  a  verj*  few  scattering  entries  until  1838. 
This  year  and  1839,  the  land  market  was  act- 
ive for  this  count}-,  due  to  some  extent  that  it 
was  these  two  3-ears  that  marked  the  advent  of 
the  Germans   that  have   built   up    Teutopolis 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


41 


and  now  own  a  large  portion  of  the  surround- 
ing countr}-. 

Tlie  first  deed  recorded  in  the  county  bears 
date  February  27,  1833,  Isaac  Fancher  and 
Amy  Fancher,  his  wife  (her  mark),  to  T.  J. 
Gilleuwaters;  consideration  $500,  and  conveys 
by  quit  claim  east  half  of  northwest  quarter 
of  Section  36,  Townsliip  8  north,  llangc  5  east. 
The  officer  vouches  that  he  "  examined  the 
wife  separtely,"  etc.  Then  follows  a  number 
of  deeds  by  ditferent  men  and  their  wives  in 
which  there  is  nothing  of  special  interest  until 
one  is  reached  that  is  signed  by  T.  W.  and 
Sally  Short.  Sally  was  the  first  woman  that 
ever  in  an  instrument  of  record  in  the  Circuit 
Clerk's  office  who  did  not  make  "  her  mark." 
The  land  market  continued  esceediuglj-  dull, 
and  entries  few  and  scattering  over  the  county 
until  1852-53.  Then  people  began  to  realize 
that  a  railroad  was  coming — coming  like  a  raj- 
of  light  and  hope.  To  this  stimulant  of  tlie 
land  market  was  added  the  enactment  by  Con- 
gress of  what  was  known  as  the  "Swamp 
Land  Act,"  by  which,  upon  proof  by  the  coun- 
ties that  certain  land  were  •'  swamp  and  over- 
flowed lands,"  the  Government  would  give  all 
such  lands  to  the  respective  counties  (reallj' 
first  to  the  State  and  the  State  to  the  counties) 
that  were  not  entered,  and  if  entered,  then  the 
Government  would  refund  the  entry  money  in 
kind. 

In  1856,  Congress  had  passed  the  "  Bit 
Act."  In  other  words,  it  said  that  all  lands 
that  had  been  a  certain  number  of  }-ears  in  the 
market  could  be  entered  for  12^  cents  per  acre, 
provided  the  applicant  therefor  made  oath 
tliat  he  was  buying  for  his  own  use  and  for 
actual  settlement  and  cultivation.  It  is  as- 
tonishing what  a  spontaneous  uprising  of  actual 
and  intended  farmers  this  act  made  in  a  night, 
in  and  around  Vandalia,  of  all  classes  of  men, 
women  and  even  school  children.  The  act  was 
a  wise  one,  and  it  closed  the  Vandalia  and  all 
other  land  offices  in  Illinois,  except  Springfield, 


where  the  others  were  taken  to.  Thus  all  the 
lands  became  corporate  and  private  property, 
and  in  one  way  or  another  have  been  made  to 
contribute  their  share  to  the  wealth  of  the 
country. 

In  1835,  the  Countj'  Court  removed  Loy 
from  the  Treasurer's  office  and  elected  Sam 
Huston,  and  at  the  same  time  appointed  Huston 
a  Commissioner  to  take  the  county  census. 
The  enumeration  of  the  people  was  carefully 
made  and,  from  the  best  data  now  to  be  found 
(Huston's  books  being  lost),  the  entire  popula- 
tion was  about  one  thousand  or  one  thousand 
and  eight  in  the  year  1835.  These  settlements 
still  were  Blue  Point,  Ewington,  on  the  Lower 
Wabash,  on  Fulfer  and  Second  Creeks  and  in 
Union  Township. 

Loy  was  County  Treasurer  in  1833  and  1834, 
and  his  2  per  cent  for  the  funds  for  two  years 
amounted  to  $8.S7A^.  Or  in  other  words,  the 
entire  funds  the  county  possessed  for  two  years 
was  $443.75. 

From  the  organization  of  the  county  until 
some  time  in  the  "  forties"  the  entire  tax  upon 
all  property  was  five  mills  on  the  dollar.  The 
whole  revenue  from  taxes  in  the  count}"  the 
first  year  was  $50.  The  next  year  it  rose  to  $58 
The  increase  upon  tliese  figures  was  verj- 
gradual.  Indeed,  so  much  so,  that  in  1837  tlie 
total  revenue  collected  in  the  county  was 
$122.27. 

The  heaviest  taxpayer  in  1837  in  the  county 
was  John  Funkhouser,  $5.  The  next  heaviest, 
Robert  Moore,  $3.25;  John  Martin,  $3.  Then 
•  followed  Joim  McCoy,  Presley  Funkhouser, 
Riley  Howard,  W.  J.  Ilankins,  Bartholomew 
McCann,  William  Freeman,  C.  Duncan  and  John 
Trapp,  $2  each.  T.  J.  Gillenwaters  paid  $1.75. 
There  were  142  names  on  the  tax  book,  and 
they  averaged  86^  cents  each. 

If  there  were  any  tax-record  books  before 
the  year  1837  kept,  which  is  very  doubtful, 
they  are  lost  now.  The  tax  record  of  1837  is 
a  little  book  of  ten  pages,  made  for   a  school 


42 


HISTORY   OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


copy  book;  has  a  paper  back,  on  which  is  a 
wood-cut  intended,  probably,  to  represent  a 
school  room  exhibition  day.  Tlie  audience  is 
represented  by  four  or  five  grown  people,  all 
sitting  straight  as  arrows  and  as  flat  against 
the  paper  as  if  they  had  been  just  taken  out 
of  a  hydraulic  tobacco  press  ;  a  like  number  of 
similar  looking  children  are  perched  in  a  row 
on  benches,  and  a  putty-faced  little  Henry  Clay 
is  on  the  rostrum.  His  left  hand  and  arm  is 
pasted  flat  and  tight  to  his  leg,  his  right  arm 
is  stiff  and  straight  at  an  angle  of  forty-five, 
and  vou  can  almost  hear  his  piping  treble  as 
he  exclaims; 

"  How  large  was  Alexander's  ^raio!" 
The  cost  of  this  record  book  could  not  have 
been  less  than  five  cents,  because  that  was 
the  smallest  money  they  had  in  those  days, 
and  for  the  further  reason  that  then  it  cost 
money  to  indulge  in  the  decorative  arts.  It  is 
said  that  the  purchase  of  this  book  made  a 
profound  sensation  throughout  the  county  and 
became  the  ruling  question  in  politics  for  some 
time,  some  contending  it  was  too  pretty  a 
book  to  spoil  by  writing  in  it,  others  holding 
that  such  extravagance  would  be  ruinous  to 
all,  and  still  others  saying  that  they  believed 
in  the  county  keeping  in  the  lead  in  the  fine 
arts,  even  if  it  did  cost  money.  This  public 
discussion  evidently  taught  the  offleial  a  lesson, 
because  the  book  for  the  next  year  was  made 
at  home,  and  consisted  of  foolscap  paper  cut 
and  stitched. 

In  1838,  W.  J.  Hankins  certifies  to  the 
County  Court  the  following  as  the  total  rev- 
enue of  the  county  : 

Tax  on  personal  property $162  57* 

Real  estate  for  1836-37-38 29  45 


Total $192  02i 

Marrying  and  Giving  in  Marringe. — There 
were  weddings  here  when  th^  parties  had 
to  go  to  Vandalia  to  get  the  license, 
among  the  earliest  of  which  was  the  marriage 


of  Burgess  Pugh  to  Pamelia  Jenkins,  1829. 
BIrs.  John  0.  Scott  infosms  us  she  attended 
this  wedding  as  a  young  girl.  She  remembers 
the  bride  had  on  some  kind  of  a  white  dress 
and  store  shoes  ;  that  there  was  chicken  pie 
and  honey  for  dinner.  John  Trapp  performed 
the  ceremonj-,  and  when  it  was  over  the  groom 
told  him  he  would  bring  him  his  pay  in  a  short 
time  in  "  real  strained  beeswax."  About  the 
same  time  Mike  Robinson  and  Delilah  Pugh, 
and  Enoch  Neavills  and  Laura  Pugh,  Jesse 
White  and  Katie  Neavills,  Mary  Parkhurst  and 
James  Porter  were  all  married. 

The  first  marriage  license  issued  from  the 
county  was  January  21,  18.3o,  to  James  C. 
Haden  and  Nancy  Nesbitt.  The  next  w\as 
March  28  of  the  same  year,  to  John  0.  Scott 
and  Patsy  B.  Parkhur.st.  The  Countv  Clerk 
was  very  cautious  about  issuing  marriage 
licenses  without  first  having  the  parents'  or 
guardians'  consent,  as  the  following  will  show: 

"  Mr.  hankins  pies  ishue  my  son  fielden 
Mcoy  licens  for  Marrieg  for  I  lia\-  noe  objec- 
tions to  the  sam,  Nov.  1835." 

Again; 

"  Mr.  Hankins,  pleas  to  let  Joiin  Chadwell  hav 
Liesns  and  you  will  oblige  your  friend  I  Kant 
atend  to  git  my  self 

"  RlCIl.\RI>  COHEA." 

It  is  proper  to  explain  the  above  by  stating 
that  Chadwell  married  Elizabeth  Cohea  Novem- 
ber 10.  1835. 

Micheal  Brockett  married  Mary  Thomasson 
August  18,  1834. 

It  is  certified  in  the  records  that  on  27th 
April,  1835,  was  '•  Laufley  joined  to  gether  a.s 
husban  and  Wife  Jackson  finer,  and  Sin  they 
Land." 

On  13th  June,  1833,  Pendleton  Nelson  mar- 
ried Eliza  Martins. 

July  12,  1836,  Alexander  JlcWhorter  mar- 
ried Margaret  Loy. 

The  following  tells  the  story  for  Elizabeth 
Sullivan; 


HISTORY   OF  EFFINGHAM  COUXTY. 


43 


"  I  asserte  that  Eloizabetli  Sullivan  is  over 
eighteen  years  old,  and  is  her  own  agent. 

"Dec,  183-i.  "P.  A.  T.  Sullivan." 

This  document  clears  up  all  doubts  as  to 
whether  Pat  was  willing  to  act  as  the  agent  for 
Lizzie  in  the  matter  of  marrying  or  not.  He 
evidently  was  not.  But  when  he  was  for  the 
last  time  appealed  to  to  do  something,  his  ruddy 
face  glowed  a  little  more  than  usual,  and  he 
stormed  and  raved  and  called  for  pen,  ink  and 
paper,  and  fixed  himself  at  the  table  to  fire  at 
the  County  Clerk  the  above  formidable  State 
paper.  The  imagination  can  almost  see  him  as 
examines  carefullj-  his  pen,  dipping  it  into  the 
ink,  sucking  it  clean,  and  again  closely  examin- 
ing it,  before  spreading  himself  all  over  the 
table  and  biting  his  tongue;  the  old  goose-quill 
fivirly  creaks  and  sputters  as  he  puts  upon  the 
virgin  paper  the  truth  about  his  daughter  being 
"  her  own  agent."  He  boldl}'  "  asertes  "  that 
she  is,  and  holds  himself  ready  to  pummel  all 
who  doubt  it  or  say  one  woid  to  the  contrary. 

The  different  officials  who  performed  the  dif- 
ferent marriages  in  those  days  seem  to  have  all 
dropped  into  the  same  style  of  writing  their  re- 
turns upon  the  back  of  the  licenses.  They 
each  apparently  thought  it  highly  proper  to  sa}- 
that  they  had  "  solemnized  the  rites  of  matri- 
mony," etc.  Thev  must  have  met  with  great 
difficulties  iu  spelling  the  word '' solemnized," 
as  in  the  different  returns  it  is  spelled  incor- 
rectl}-  as  manv  as  fourteen  or  fifteen  times. 
For  instance:  Sollemise,  solemize,  solemise,  sol- 
oise,  solemside,  solemsided,  solamis,  solmnis, 
sollomondise.  solimsis,  solimize,  sollumise,  sol 
imnize,  soUemis,  etc. 

Among   the   first  of  preachers   to   marrj-  a 
couple  was  one  who  made  the   following  poet- 
ical and  rather  neat  return: 
"According  to  law  and  injunction  of  Heaven, 

On  the  2  of  June,  1837, 
In  wedlock  I  joined,  during  natural  life, 

The  within  Jessee  Fuller  and  Rhoda,  his  wife. 
"  Geo.  M.  Hansen,  L.  D.,  M.  E.  C.  ' 


In  searching  among  these  "quaint an  curious 
volumes  of  forgotten  lore,"  the  following  docu- 
ment was  dug  up  in  the  rubl)ish.  It  is  a  bill 
rendered  by  James  B.  Hamilton,  and  as  near  as 
the  types  can  give  it,  it  is  in  the  following  facts 
and  figures: 

"  I  dowe  sertyfy  to  the  Corns  Cort  of  Ktlhig- 
ham  an  State  111  That  Mr  Henry  BouUs  Fell 
Sick  at  my  hous  on  16  July  1840  and  was 
beried  the  25  of  the  same  instant. 

Funerl  Ex  Spences 
"  For  nersin  and  uersment — maid  out — 

Mr  T.Levitt  an  H  Lankfort 15  00 

for  plank  and   nales   from   Brent  Whit- 
field      2  00 

to  Davis  for  Meckin  the  Coftn 3  00 

to  T.  H.  Gillinwatrs  Srawdin 3  25 

It  is  onl)-  by  inference  that  the  world  will 
ever  know  whether  Boulls  died  at  all  or 
not.  We  are  informed  that  he  "Fell  Sick" 
on  the  16th  and  was  "Beried  the  25  of  the 
same  instant,"  and  that  Gillinwaters  furnished 
the  "  Srawdin  "  (shroud).  Who  was  the  damsel 
that  the  bill  tells  us,  at  the  end  of  the  line 
"  Nersin  an  Nersment,"  was  the  "  maid  out  "  ? 
Whj-  did  she  go  out?  What  was  she  doing 
there,  anj'how?  The  account  saj-s  distinctly 
and  unmistakably  that  "  He  fell  "  sick  "  at  my 
house,"  not  ui  my  house.  If  the  "  maid  "  was 
helping  with  the  "  nersin  an  nersment "  she 
could  not  have  been  in  the  house  to  have  au- 
thorized the  announcement  that  there  was  a 
"  maid  out." 

Schools. — Mrs.  John  0.  Scott  reports  the  first 
school  ever  taught  here  was  in  1831,  by  her 
brother,  Elisha  Parkhurst,  who  at  that  time  was 
a  mere  lad,  not  over  twelve  years  of  age. 
Thomas  I.  Brockett,  realizing  the  pressing 
necessities  in  this  line,  set  about  it  and  cleaned 
up  and  fixed  a  stable  on  his  premises,  and  hired 
Elisha,  whom  he  overlooked  and  superintended 
and  assisted  in  all  emergencies.  The  neigh- 
bors, John  Allen,  John  McCo}-,  Lilly,  Stephen 
Austin,    Widow   Dagner  (two   grandchildren), 


44 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


sent  their  children  and  made  a  school  of  fifteen 
or  twenty  pupils.  Elisha  apparently  was  a  suc- 
cessful teacher,  although  a  boy,  and  for  years 
he  taught  in  various  parts  of  the  countr}-.  The 
next  school  was  taught  by  Dr.  John  GiUenwa- 
ters  (a  cousin  of  the  Jud^e),  in  Ewington,  in 
1833.  A  room  was  rented  for  this  in  some 
private  residence.  The  next  in  order  was  Samuel 
White,  who  taught  in  the  garret  of  Judge  Gil- 
lenwater's  house. 

These  were  pioneer  schools,  and,  considering 
all  the  circumstances,  were  very  good  indeed. 
The  onl}'  Latin  they  ev^er  taught  was  to  make 
their  pupils  pronounce  the  letter  z  "  izzard." 
The  people  of  those  days,  compared  with  the 
present  generation,  had  some  very  healthy 
ideas  about  schools.  They  believed  a  school 
was  a  place  of  training  in  the  "  three  R's," 
and  that  its  usefulness  stopped  at  the  "  rule  of 
three." 

A  picture  of  Elisha  Parkhurst's  school  in 
Brockett's  stable,  more  than  half  a  century 
ago,  would  be  an  appropriate  as  well  as  sug- 
gestive scene  to  hang  upon  the  walls  of  every 
school  room  in  our' county. 

It  was  a  long  time  before  the  rudest  log 
schoolhouses  were  erected.  The  people  were 
sparsely  scattered  in  the  sparse  neighborhoods. 
They  were  poor  in  this  world's  goods  as  a  rule. 
Teachers  were  scarce,  and  so  were  books. 
There  were  a  large  portion  of  the  grown  peo- 
ple that  could  neither  read  nor  write,  and  some 
of  these  had  lived  where  there  was  no  use  to 
be  made  of  these  accomplishments,  and  thc^' 
had  no  realizing  sense  of  the  importance  of 
teaching  their  children  to  read  and  write,  in 
order  to  prepare  them  for  what  was  soon  com- 
ing, namely,  mail  facilities  by  the  hour,  cheap 
postage,  and  abundant  and  cheap  literature  ; 
a  people  transformed  from  trappers  and  hunters 
into  an  eager  commercial  and  trading  commu- 
nity, where  a  ceaseless  activity  is  combined 
with  that  rapid,  broad  comprehension,  that 
could  every  morning  look  over  the  movements 


of  the  commercial  world  of  the  preceding 
twenty-four  iiours,  and  form  his  conclusions 
and  put  into  instant  execution  his  plans  and 
purposes  for  the  next  twelve  hours. 

In  1838,  John  Funkhouser,  the  School  Com- 
missioner for  the  county,  made  a  report  to  the 
court  of  his  official  acts  and  doings  for  the 
years  1837-38.  The  report  is  addressed  to  the 
"  Onorable  Commrs.  Cort,  June,  1838." 

He  charges  himself  with  $146.76  for  the 
year  1838.     Then  follows  : 

"Dec  .5,  1837.  Amount  paid  on  last  return. 
Shoes  not  demanded,  38.21^." 

Total,  184.67f 

The  inference  is  that  there  was  $38.21  of  the 
money  of  1837  that  had  not  been  called  for  by 
orders,  and  this  swelled  the  total  fund  to 
$184.67. 

He  then  credits  himself  as  follows  : 

Paid  Thomas  Loy  for  teaching  school 

ill  T.  8,  R.  5 28.33i 

Riielhi  Griffith,  do.,  T.  8,  R.  6,   .     ,       9.88 

This  he  says  was  all  he  paid  out  for  the  year 
1837. 

For  the  ne.xt  year,  he  paid  Sam  Huston, 
teacher.  $24.79.  Thomas  M.  Loy,  do.,  41.67. 
Charles  Gilkie,  do.,  16.53.  Ruella  Griffith, 
20.12. 

This  shows  that  for  the  year  1838  there  was 
paid  to  the  four  teachers  that  taught  the 
schools  of  the  county,  $103.10.  The  number 
of  school  children  in  the  county,  from  the  best 
obtainable  estimates  of  that  time,  was  four 
hundred.  Foiir  schools  were  taught,  and  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  pupils  would  be  a  fair 
estimate  of  tlie  number  that  were  in  attendance 
upon  the  schools  in  the  county,  and  82^  cents 
per  capita  was  the   total  expense. 

The  assessment  for  the  present  year  in  the 
city  of  Effingham  school  district  is  $6,000. 
The  school  attendance  is  about  five  hundred. 
The  difference  in  then  and  now  is  as  82^ 
cents  is  to  $12  per  pupil.  Those  were  in 
part    pay    schools  —  these    are    free    schools 


^T^-e-i'^^, 


^ 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


47 


Those  were  managed  by  the  people — these  by 
the  State.  There  are  no  statistics,  unfortu- 
nately, b}-  which  the  comparative  illiteracy  of 
then  and  now  of  the  rising  generation  can  be 
shown.     This  is  much  to  be  regretted. 

The  fundamental  idea  of  all  schools  is  to 
talie  care  of  the  mind  and  morals  of  children 
and  train  them  up  in  the  wa}'  they  should  go 
assisted  in  the  moral  work  by  religion  and  the 
church.  This  i)eing  admitted,  we  have  this 
light  thrown  upi.)n  the  subject  of  progress 
made  in  intelligence  and  morals  in  the  lifty 
years  just  past.  There  has  been  as  marked 
improvement  in  tlie  number  and  qualitj^  of  our 
present  splendid  and  expensive  church  build- 
ings as  there  has  been  in  the  schoolhouses  in 
that  time.  So  has  the  improvement  in  num- 
bers and  superiority  of  ministers  of  the  Gospel 
kept  equal  pace  with  the  race  of  school  teach- 
ers of  thea  and  now.  It  has  cost  many  thou- 
sands of  dollars  to  erect  the  numerous  school 
buildings  in  the  county.  Prom  Elisha  Park- 
hurst's  pioneer  school  room  in  Brockett's  sta- 
ble to  the  elegant  and  elaborately  furnished 
high  school  room  of  to-day  is  a  long  stride  in 
educating  mankind.  This  was  onlj'  paralleled 
by  the  places  of  worship  then  and  now,  and  to 
complete  the  picture  in  a  ministerial  line  let 
Boleyjack  and  Beecher  stand  forth.  The  ad- 
vance all  round  has  been  marked  and  great, 
especiall}-  in  the  matter  of  expense  and  show. 

Are  these  finger  boards  lining  the  highways 
back  fifty  years,  that  point  out  an  equall}-  great 
improvement  in  public  manners,  morals,  or  in- 
telligence ?  Illiteracy  is  a  crime,  but  so  is 
pinehuig  poverty'.  Illiteracy  and  ignorance 
are  not.  S3'non3'mous  terms.  But  neither  are 
education  and  expense  synonymous  terms.  Is 
outward  change  in  teacher  or  preacher,  or 
great  extravagance  in  the  schoolhouses,  an}- 
proof  that  morals  or  education   is   improved? 

The  people  pour  their  mono}-  into  the  school 
treasury  unsparingly.  Not  only  without  grudg- 
ing, but  freely   and  gladly.     Why  ?     Because 


they  are  told  and  believe  that  the  S3'Stem  is 
about  perfect,  and  the  onlj-  possible  cause  of 
its  failure  to  perfect  mankind  is  the  absence  of 
a  sufficient  quantity-  of  it,  and  its  universal  ap- 
plication to  all  children.  Docs  this  fifty  years' 
experience  and  practice  in  this  count}-  prove 
this  or  the  contrary  ?  We  have  plenty  of  men 
near  the  age  of  fifty  years  who  were  reared 
here,  and  some  of  them  learned  to  read  and 
write  after  they  were  thirty  years  old.  Tiie}- 
had  not  the  benefit  of  those  primitive  schools, 
as  there  are  many  here  now  and  suc'h  there 
always  will  be,  who  reap  none  of  the  benefits 
of  the  modern  school.  Compare  the  average 
man  and  woman,  natives  of  this  State,  who 
were  reared  under  the  poor,  meager  pay  schools 
of  the  olden  time,  with  the  average  man  and 
woman  from  different  States,  reared  under  the 
benign  influences  of  the  most  liberal  free 
schools.  Is  illiteracy  banished?  Do  crimes  cease 
and  immorality  flee  to  the  mountains  before 
the  mighty  tread  of  this  grand  army  of  free 
schools  ?  Is  there  a  proportionate  disappear- 
ance of  the  one  with  the  appearance  of  the 
other  ?  The  multitudinous  mass  of  mankind 
will  say  yes  !  The  figures  of  statistics  will 
alone  tell  the  true  story. 

This  is  no  place  to  discuss  the  question  of 
how  to  make  better  the  common  school,  even 
if  it  is  one  of  supreme  importance.  We  pass 
to  other  parts  of  the  subject,  content  with  this 
statement.  The  schools  are  based  upon  the 
idea  that  all  can  and  should  become  i)hilos- 
ophers,  with  no  difference  among  men,  except 
in  degree  of  advancement.  Whereas  the  truth 
is  that  the  best  and  most  difficult  thing  for  so- 
cietj-  to  do  is  to  produce  gentlemen.  True,  it 
is  that  the  home  influence  and  training  is  where 
this  precious  commodit}-  to  societj-  is  mostlv 
to  come  from,  yet  if  the  schools  ever  arrive  at 
the  point  where  they  can,  even  in  the  smallest 
degree,  supply  this  to  the  children  of  homes 
that  have  it  not,  then  will  there  be  the  com- 
mencement of  the  real  school.     Then   ma}-  the 

c 


48 


HISTORY  OF  EFFIKGHAM  COUNTY. 


school  teacher,  surrouncled  bj'  his  school  family, 
like  the  proud  mother  of  the  Gracchi  exclaim  : 
"Behold,  these  are  mj- jewels!  " 

Men  have  interested  themselves  in  education 
since  recorded,  and  even  before  recorded  time. 
The  earliest  traditions  present  only  grown  men, 
seeking  to  educate  themselves.  Children  then 
were  left  to  grow,  with  only  the  restraints  or 
training  that  society  and  home  forced  upon 
them,  their  education  being  left  to  their  own 
exertions  after  they  became  men  and  women. 
Remember  that  silch  schooling  advanced  all 
mankind — made  civilization  out  of  barbarism. 

A  little  book  entitled  "  Ten  Days  in  Athens," 
gives  us  some  account  of  a  school,  taught  in 
the  porches  and  the  gardens  by  Epicurus.  This 
little  book  tells  the  .secret  of  the  intellectual 
greatness  and  glory  of  Athens,  that  immortal 
citj' — the  mistress  and  nourishing  mother  of 
civilization — ^whose  grand  work  has  for  3,000 
years  stood  as  a  beacon  light  upon  tiie  troubled 
waters.  The  school  of  Epicurus  had  no  aid 
from  the  State,  it  had  little,  if  any  more,  ele- 
gance or  paraphernalia  than  did  the  boy  teacher 
— Elisha  Parkhurst's  school  in  Brockett's  stable. 
It  was  without  books.  Yet  it  was  a  fountain 
of  profound  philosophy,  from  which  his  fol- 
lowers might  drink,  and  drink  long  and  deeply. 
The  routine  of  his  school-room  were  his  con- 
versations in  which  he  gave  them  the  ripened 
wisdom  of  his  mind.  He  gave  them  true  knowl- 
edge— that  knowledge  that  lifts  truth  from  error; 
the  great  doctrine  that  the  highest  and  most  en- 
during pleasure  in  life  is  the  acquisition  of  new 
truths  that  come  of  the  better  understanding 
and  comprehension  of  the  mental  and  physical 
laws;  that  this  alone  destroyed  ignorance,  and 
that  ignorance  is  the  fruitful  source  of  the  evils 
that  afflict  mankind.  In  discussing  the  gods, 
he  bluntly  told  his  pagan  school  that  their 
dieties  no  more  caused  rain  to  come  to  make 
the  grain  grow  than  did  they  send  the  rain  to 
rot  in  the  field  the  gathered  l)ut  ungarnered 
products   of  the  farm;   that  to  worship  these 


gods  in  the  hope  that  the  worship  would  be 
pro-rated  and  paid  in  future  great  favors  was 
not  the  most  ennobling  religious  idea  of  which 
a  great  and  pure  soul  could  contemplate  or 
have. 

What,  think  you,  would  this  old  pagan 
scliool  teacher  say,  could  he  now  pay  us  a  visit, 
and  be  taken  to  Oxford  Universit}',  and  in 
solemn  soberness  shown  the  exact  and  priceless 
facsimne,  that  is  there  so  carefully  preserved,  of 
the  horn  that  blew  down  the  walls  of  Jericho? 

Epicurus  had  been  reared  in  paganism;  he 
had  been  cradled  in  its  lap,  had  taken  it  with 
his  food  from  his  mother's  breast,  and,  like  all 
men,  had  adopted  the  religion  of  his  fathers. 
Yet  he  grew  to  be  intellectually  almost  a  demi- 
god. He  did  not  grow  to  think  in  the  old 
groves  of  formulated  ideas  where  "  to  dally  was 
to  be  a  dastard — to  doubt  was  to  be  damned.'' 
He  was  nominally  a  pagan,  but  he  wor- 
shiped truth  alone,  and  with  "  an  eastern  de- 
votion he  knelt  at  the  shiine  of  his  idolatry." 
He  was  illiterate,  but  who  in  the  ages  since  he 
was  upon  earth  has  been  great  enougli  to  take 
his  master's  seat  in  the  school-room  ? 

Another  great  man,  but  not  his  peer,  was 
the  Swiss,  Pestolozzi,  the  school  teacher  who 
lived  and  taught  school  a  hundred  years 
ago.  He  believed  and  taught  that  there  was 
much  error  in  the  fundamental  idea  and  system 
of  the  schools.  He  contended  that  mere  mem- 
orizing from  books  was  not  education,  was  not 
the  source  of  knowledge;  that  knowledge  came 
not  by  being  told  so  and  so,  either  by  the  books 
or  the  teacher,  but  bj-  experimental  lessons 
where  not  only  the  brain,  but  the  heart  the 
eye,  the  touch,  in  fact,  all  the  avenues  to  the 
brain  were  not  only  partakers  but  become  part 
and  parcel  of  the  lesson. 

Pestolozzi  took  issue  with  the  schools  as  the 
system  and  science  of  teaching  had  been  the 
accepted  practice  for  sixteen  hundred  years 
before  his  day.  He  established  a  school  and 
attempted  to  put  in  practice  his  theories.     His 


HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


49 


school  was  a  failure,  not  because  of  the  defects 
of  his  discoveries  in  the  system,  but  because 
he  tauglit  in  advance  of  his  day — a  cause  of  as 
much  loss  to  manlvind  probablj-  as  all  other 
causes  combined.  It  is  true  that,  in  the  insti- 
tutes and  conventions  of  teachers  we  are  told 
and  re-told,  as  often  as  these  bodies  meet,  that 
all  schools  arc  now  taught  strictly  upon  the 
"  Pestilozzian  plan,"  as  they  term  it.  Go  study 
what  the  great  Swiss  saj-s,  and  3'ou  will  be 
amazed  at  the  wide  misunderstanding  that 
exists  between  his  ideas  and  the  practices  of 
the  school  room. 

The  profound  thinker,  Locke,  has  slapped 
the  faces  of  the  first  schools  of  Europe,  with 
the  "learned  ignorance"  thej'  annually  pour 
upon  the  world,  labeled  "  Education."  He  tells 
them  illiterate  intelligence  is  infinitely  prefer- 
able to  "  learned  ignorance."  And  yet  a 
United  States  Senator,  in  Congress  two  years 
ago,  in  discussing  some  school  subject,  an- 
nounced that  "  every  illiterate  person  in  our 
country  is  a  menace  to  our  free  institutions," 
and  from  the  fact  that  he  did  not  say  that  he 
had  any  fears  of  ignorance,  it  is  a  fair  presump- 
tion tiiat  the  Senator,  in  common  with  most 
men  who  think  v^aguely  and  talk  loosely,  con- 
founding words  with  a  shocking  recklessness, 
used  the  word  "  illiterate "  when  he  meant 
ignorance. 

Richard  Grant  White  discussed  very  ably  re- 
cently, in  the  North  American  Review,  the  ques- 
tion •'  The  Public  Schools  a  Failure,"  in  whicli 
he  arrays  the  statistics  of  lUiterac}'  and  crime 
of  a  certain  number  of  States  north  of  the  Po- 
tomac with  an  equal  number  south  of  that  river. 
They  were  States  of  free  public  schools  and 
States  without  them,  classified  and  compared. 

In  the  United  States  Census  of  1870,  Dr. 
Earle  discussed  at  much  length  the  question  of 
public  schools  and  insanitj-,  and  basing  his  con- 
clusions upon  the  Government  statistics,  he 
draws  some  frightful  conclusions. 

A  committee  of  gentlemen  in  Chicago,  deeply 


interested  in  the  schools,  who  had  Iicen  ap- 
pointed to  investigate  the  subject  in  tiiat  city, 
reported  unanimously  that  the}'  could  arrive  at 
no  other  conclusion  but  that  the  whole  system 
had  been  so  pressed  and  pushed  by  the  cr}-  for 
improvement  that  they  were  now  almost  value- 
less as  a  means  of  education. 

A  prominent  school  man  of  California  sums 
up  his  investigations,  and  he  has  no  hesitation 
in  putting  down  as  his  best  judgment  that  the 
whole  system  is  so  full  of  faults  that  it  is  of 
doubtful  value.  These  men  may,  and  it  is  to 
be  hoped  they  are,  in  error  upon  this  vital 
question;  yet  they  start  a  discussion  that  can- 
not but  prove  wholesome.  It  is  the  waters  that 
are  stirred  that  are  pure  and  liealthy. 

Educate!  Educate!  Teach  all  men,  though 
what  is  true  education  first;  then  you  cannot 
provide  too  much  of  this,  nor  is  the  necessary 
cost  a  question  for  a  moment's  consideration. 
Because  it  is  the  inestimable  boon  to  man— the 
basis  of  civilization  and  man's  welfare. 

The  young  State  of  Illinois  manifested  a  deep 
interest  in  this  important  subject.  On  the  13th 
of  April,  1818,  it  was  admitted  as  a  State  in 
the  Union,  and  Congress  in  tiie  act  of  admis- 
sion offered  for  the  State's  "  free  acceptance  or 
rejection  "  the  following  among  other  proposi- 
tions : 

1.  "That  section  numbered  sixteen  in  every 
township,  and  when  such  section  has  been  sold 
or  otherwise  disposed  of,  other  lands  equivalent 
thereto,  and  as  contiguous  as  may  be,  shall  be 
granted  to  the  State  for  the  use  of  schools. 

3.  "  That  five  per  cent  of  the  net  proceeds  of 
the  lands  lying  within  such  State,  and  which 
shall  be  sold  b}'  Congress  from  and  after  the 
1st  daj-  of  Januar}',  1819,  after  deducting  all 
expenses  incident  to  the  same,  shall  be  re- 
served for  the  purposes  tbllowing,  viz.:  Two- 
fifths  to  be  disbursed  under  the  direction  of 
Congress  in  making  roads  leading  to  the  State, 
the  residue  to  be  appropriated  by  the  Legisla- 
ture  of  the   State   for   the  encouragement  of 


50 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


learning,  of  which  one-sixth  part  shall  be  ex- 
clusively bestowed  on  a  college  or  llniversitJ^" 

These  propositions  were  accepted  b}-  the 
State  Constitutional  Convention  at  Kaskaskia 
on  the  26th  day  of  August,  1818. 

January  15,  1825,  the  Legislature  passed  an 
act  for  the  "  establishment  of  free  schools  and 
other  purposes."  An  amendment  to  this  act 
was  passed  February  17,  1827,  providing, 
among  other  things,  as  follows: 

"  The  legal  voters  of  any  school  distuict,  at 
their  regular  meetings,  shall  have  power  in  their 
discretion  to  cause  either  the  whole  or  one-half 
of  the  sum  required  to  support  a  school  in  such 
district  to  be  raised  by  taxation.  And  if  only 
one-half  be  raised  by  taxation,  the  remainder 
may  be  required  to  be  paid  by  parents,  masters 
and  guardians,  in  proportion  to  the  number  of 
pupils  which  each  of  them  shall  send  to  such 
school. 

"Sec.  4.  No  person  shall  hereafter  be  taxed 
for  the  support  of  any  free  school  in  this  State 
unless  by  his  or  her  own  free  will  and  consent, 
first  had  and  obtained  in  writing.  Any  person 
so  agreeing  and  consenthig  shall  be  taxed  in 
the  manner  prescribed  in  the  act  to  which  this 
is  an  amendment.  Provided.  That  no  person 
shall  be  permitted  to  send  any  scholar  or  schol- 
ars to  such  school  unless  such  person  shall  have 
consented  as  above  to  be  taxed  for  the  support 
of  such  school,  or  by  the  permission  of  the 
trustees  of  said  school.  And  provided,  That  all 
persons  residing  within  the  limits  of  a  school 
district  shall  at  all  times  have  the  privilege  of 
subscribing  for  the  support  and  establishment 
■of  any  such  schools." 

In  May,  1827,  a  general  act  relating  to  the 
school  lands  was  passed  by  the  Legislature  pro- 
viding for  the  appointing  by  the  County  Com- 
missioners' Court  of  three  Trustees  in  "  each 
township  where  they  may  deem  it  expedient, 
and  where  the  population  tiiereof  will  admit, 
to  be  called  the  Trustees  of  the  School  Land," 
making  the  Trustees  a  body  corporate,  requir- 


ing them  within  six  months  after  their  appoint- 
ment to  survej'  section  sixteen,  or  such  other 
land  as  ma3-  be  selected  in  lieu  thereof,  in  tracts 
not  less  than  forty  nor  more  than  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  make  a  plat  thereof  for  the 
Commissioners'  Court,  authorizing  it  to  reserve 
from  sale  certain  timber  or  stone  or  coal  lands, 
and  to  lease  said  lands,  etc.,  etc."  These  Trustees 
were  required  to  la}'  off  school  districts,  so  that 
each  district  should  not  have  less  than  '■'  eighteen 
scholars  subscribed  or  going  to  school."  The 
State  then  levied  an  annual  two-mill  tax  on  the 
property  of  the  State  for  the  maintenance  of 
schools,  and  thus  step  by  step  laid  the  founda- 
tion for  our  free  schools  upon  a  broad  and  lib- 
eral and  wise  financial  plan.  The  State  put  the 
means  in  the  school  men's  hands.  It  did  all  it 
could  do  in  this  way  in  the  cause  of  education, 
and  if  there  is  any  failure  in  the  system,  it  is 
the  fault,  not  of  its  financial  provisions,  but  of 
the  organizers  and  the  workmen  in  the  school- 
room. 

From  the  little  beginning  in  Brockett's  stable 
has  grown  the  public  free  schools  of  the  county, 
of  which  there  are  seventy -seven  school  dis- 
tricts, that  have  three  log,  sixty-three  frame  and 
ten  brick  schoolhouses,  with  an  enrollment  of 
pupils  of  4,238,  a  daily  attendance  this  school 
year  (1882)  of  327,659,  the  average  school  term 
of  six  and  five-tenths  months,  with  the  schools 
classed  as  graded,  and  an  attendance  upon 
these  graded  schools  of  1,449.  There  were 
ninety-five  teachers  employed.  The  total 
expenditure  for  1882  was  $30,685.79;  the 
amount  paid  teachers,  $19,416.51;  the  highest 
monthly  salary  paid  was  $75,  and  the  lowest  $15, 
an  average  of  $31.58.  We  have  a  school  in- 
debtedness of  $13,650.  There  are  other  than 
the  free  schools — ten  schools  with  an  enroll- 
ment of  520.  The  number  of  children  under 
twentj'-one  3'ears  of  age  in  the  county  is  9,443, 
and  the  number  of  school  age — that  is,  between 
six  and  twenty-one — is  6,218.  The  number  of 
illiterate  persons  in  the  county  is  placed  at  six- 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


51 


teen.  This  is  palpably  an  error,  but  by  how 
much  the  number  is  understated  cannot  be 
known. 

The  schools  of  Effingham  Count}'  rank  well  with 
those  of  other  counties  in  the  State,  and  this 
evidences  a  commendal)le  spirit  of  enterprise 
and  liberality  of  the  people.  They  are  deeply 
interested  in  this  important  work,  and  the  money 
they  freely  paj-  in  such  large  sums  demands  of 
our  school  men  a  wise  discharge  of  their  duties. 
It  demands  of  them  that  thej-  shall  educate,  to 
the  best,  the  rising  generation;  that  they  shall 
neither  waste  the  lives  of  their  children  nor 
their  monej-  by  false  education.  There  is  noth- 
ing in  this  life  of  more  importance  than  the 
school-room.  There  is  no  class  of  people  that 
are  surrounded  with  such  important  responsi- 
bilities as  the  educator.  A  mistake  here  is  a 
crime.  To  teach  the  young  a  falsehood  is  to 
poison  the  mind  and  pollute  the  soul.  The  evils 
of  such  an  act  are  well-nigh  incurable.  Here  is 
the"  paved  highwaj'  to  ignorance  and  meutal 
sterility  that  is  a  menace  indeed  to  civilization 
itself. 

Let  it  be  remembered  that  these  pioneers 
had  to  begin  at  the  foundation  and  from 
there  build.  To  create  our  possessions  and 
belongings.  Did  the}'  build  only  upon  the 
eternal  rocks  ! 

William  J.  Hanlcins. — Of  the  early  legal 
and  official  life  of  this  county,  we  know  of  no 
man  who  stands  out  in  the  picture  more  promi- 
nently than  Judge  William  J.  Hankins.  He 
came  here  just  when  he  was  most  needed  and 
his  finger  marks  are  everj'where,  telling  the 
story  of  his  handiwork,  and  writing  his  epitaph 
in  the  hearts,  not  only  of  his  descendants,  but 
of  the  thousands  who  are  reaping,  and  who 
will  in  the  future  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  labors 
and  his  foresight. 

He  came  here  in  1832,  with  a  wife  and  sev- 
eral j'oung  children — impelled,  doubtless,  by 
the  Napoleonic  impulse  of  destiny.  A  new 
county  had  been  incorporated  by  the  Legisla- 


ture, and  its  people  were  few,  and  there  was  a 
demand  for  men  competent  to  do  the  work 
of  placing  the  infant  municipality  upon  its 
feet.  An  unorganized  communitj-  of  people 
were  placed  by  law  to  themselves,  and  society 
and  fellowship  was  to  be  created,  their  own 
police  and  local  laws  to  be  made  and  executed, 
the  wheels  and  machinery  of  a  little  govern- 
ment were  to  be  constructed  and  adjusted,  and 
the  whole  to  be  so  ad.apted  that  it  would  work 
harmoniously  and  without  friction. 

It  is  the  men  of  the  strong  intellects  and 
force  of  character  that  come  to  the  front  when 
important  work,  especially  work  that  is  not 
routine,  is  to  be  done.  Judge  Hankins,  in  his 
small  way — smaller  because  his  field  of  opera- 
tions was,  in  the  nature  of  things,  circum- 
scrilied  within  the  smallest  limits — is  as  much 
an  expression  of  this  truth  as  was  the  Little 
Corporal,  whose  "  frown  terrifi(^d  the  glance  its 
magnificence  attracted." 

In  the  first  elections  ever  held  in  the  count}-, 
Hankins  was  elected  County  Commissioner, 
and  he  organized  the  County  Commissioners' 
Court  and  was  the  central  figure  in  all  the 
official  acts  and  doings  of  that  body.  He  was, 
at  the  same  time,  County  Survej'or,  Justice  of 
the  Peace,  Postmaster,  and  in  nearl}'  every  im- 
portant special  commission,  or  supervision,  or 
agent  for  tiie  people  or  county,  he  was  invari- 
ably the  master,  mover  and  leader.  At  one 
time  or  another  he  held  about  every  position 
of  public  trust  in  the  county,  and  in  each  and 
all  was  he  ever  honest,  faithful  and  com- 
petent. His  education  in  the  school  books 
had  been  limited  and  meager.  His  chirography 
was  good;  his  spelling  bad  and  his  grammar 
fault}',  and  yet  he  wrote  many  legal  and  other 
documents  and  papers  that  are  models  of  terse- 
ness, completeness  and  perspicacity.  He  evi- 
dently had  been  his  own  schoolmaster  mostly, 
and  he  had  wrought  out  for  himself  a  practical 
education  of  great  value  to  himself  and  the 
people  of  the  county.     He  probably,  if  alive 


U.  OF  ILL  Lia 


53 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


and  in  his  prime,  could  not  pass  a  successful 
examination  for  a  fourtli  grade  teaclier's  cer- 
tificate, yet  it  is  a  question  if  tliere  has  ever 
been  a  school  teacher  in  the  county  but  that 
could  have  gone  to  Hankins  to  learn — and 
there  have  learned  much  of  incomparable 
value.  He  helped  the  helpless,  aided  the 
weak,  fed  the  hungry  and  was  a  generous  and 
warm-hearted  friend  to  all  mankind,  as  were 
all  men  who  knew  him,  a  friend  to  him. 

Among  the  simple  rustic  pioneers  he  lived  a 
useful  and  busy  life.  If  he  had  amliition,  it 
was  not  made  of  that  "sterner  stuff"  that  pro- 
tects its  friends  by  crushing  to  death  all  oppo- 
nents. He  must  have  felt  lie  was  superior  to 
the  majority  of  his  surroundings,  yet  he  was 
never  officious  or  offensively  dictatorial. 

When  the  county's  record  of  social  life,  its 
legal  and  official  growth  and  existence,  the 
people's  prosperity,  happiness  and  joy,  together 
with  their  griefs  and  pains  are  rendered  and 
the  accounts  closed,  the  great  book  completed, 
bound  and  ready  to  put  away,  let  it  be  in- 
scribed "  The  work  of  William  J.  Hankins  and 
others." 

Among  the  earliest  elections  in  the  county 
was  a  memorable  race  made  l)y  William  Free- 
man for  Justice  of  the  Peace.  In  those  good 
days,  that  official  was  most  commonlj-  called 
"  Squire,"  not  Esquire,  but  Squire,  and  some 
pronounced  it  Square.  Freeman  was  ambitious 
to  serve  his  country,  and  to  his  ear  the  title 
Squire  was  a  long  step  in  the  line  of  honorable 
promotion.  There  was  another  man  who 
coveted  the  prize,  and  so  the  two  became  can- 
didates. The  contest  was  spirited,  and  on  the 
day  of  election  it  was,  to  put  it  mildly,  red 
hot.  The  candidates  and  their  friends,  in 
looking  for  the  official  worm,  literalh"  left  no 
stone  unturned.  As  election  day  waned,  the  con- 
test raged  onlj-  the  fiercer.  It  was  hurrah!  for 
one  side,  and  hurray!  for  the  other.  Living 
witnesses  testifj'  that  before  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon  some  of  the  ablest  "  blowers  and  strik- 


ers "  at  the  polls  had  grown  so  wearj-  and  ex- 
hausted, at  Freeman's  expense,  that  they  could 
not  walk  straight.  This  and  some  other  unfavor- 
able sj'mptoms  so  discouraged  Freeman  that  he 
went  home  before  the  polls  closed,  convinced 
that  he  was  defeated.  He  had,  in  slang  par- 
lance, "  thrown  up  the  sponge."  He  lived  two 
or  three  miles  out  of  Ewington. 

To  ihe  surprise  of  every  one,  when  the  polls 
were  closed.  Freeman  was  elected  by  two  votes. 
A  few  of  his  friends  mounted  their  horses  and 
rode  to  his  house  to  inform  and  surprise  him 
with  this  good  fortune.  He  was  in  bed,  sound 
asleep.  They  roused  him,  called  him  out  and 
told  him  he  was  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace. 
At  this  he  raved  and  swore,  as  did  the  army  in 
Flanders,  and  bid  his  friends  go  back  and  tell 
the  election  that  he  was  not,  and  had  not  been, 
a  candidate  for  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  that 
he  would  either  have  squire  or  nothing;  that 
was  what  he  ran  for,  and  he  would  not  be  fooled 
with  by  anybody. 

He  changed  his  mind  in  time  to  qualifj-  as 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  made  an  efficient 
officer,  discharging  his  duties  not  only  honestl}'. 
but  with  ability. 

Of  the  earlj'  comers  here,  the  man  first 
licensed  and  authorized  to  vend  goods  in  our 
county  was  John  Funkhouser.  His  line  of 
work  lay  in  a  different  avenue  from  that  of 
Judge  Hankins,  but  it  was  parallel  and  equally 
important  to  the  young  commonwealth.  He 
was  a  merchant,  miller,  farmer,  trader  in  stock, 
and  a  buyer  and  seller  in  everything  that  the 
people  wanted  to  buy  and  sell.  When  there 
was  no  trade  or  commerce,  no  stores  nor  money 
before  for  the  convenience  of  the  people,  he  or- 
ganized and  made  the  way  for  these.  He 
opened  the  avenues  for  money  to  come  and  cir- 
culate among  tlie  people,  as  well  as  for  indus- 
tries that  furnished  imployment  to  men  that, 
without  him,  would  have,  of  necessity,  been  idle, 
and  perhaps  dissolute.  In  this  w.a}-  his  depend- 
ants outnumbered  those  of  anj-  man  who  has 


HISTORY   OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


53 


ever  been  iu  the  coimU',  and  his  strong,  clear 
jiulginent,  quick  foresight  and  nerve  iu  those 
broad  fields  of  commerce  that  brought  him 
profits  and  the  commuuit}'  gains  aud  the  means 
of  many  comforts,  are  bright  examples  of  how 
ranch  better  it  is  to  give  in  that  which  encour- 
ages men  to  help  themselves  b}'  their  own  ex- 
ertions than  that  old  and  mistaken  charity  that 
do'es  out  its  stinted  aids  and  fosters  by  it  the 
idleness  and  want  of  thrift  that  first  produced 
it.  His  executive  abilities  must  have  been  of 
no  common  order.  He  not  only  had  to  direct 
and  plan  his  multiform  business,  but  he  had  to 
create  it  where  there  was  none  before,  as  well 
as  think  and  provide  for  his  little  armj-  of  de- 
pendants, and  so  wise  and  just  did  he  manage 
this  that  what  made  him  a  rich  man,  con- 
tributed to  the  wealth  and  comfort  of  the  entire 
commuuit}'.  His  liberalitj-  and  generosity  to- 
ward his  dependants  and  neighbors  is  well  told 
in  a  little  anecdote.  He  advised  one  of  his 
men  to  plant  a  little  piece  of  ground  in  corn, 
and  he  would  furnish  seed,  teams,  etc.,  neces- 
sary for  him  to  work  it.  It  was  a  little  out-of- 
the-way  patch  of  ground  of  three  or  four  acres. 
This  man  did  as  advised,  and  the  season  proved 
not  tlie  best  for  corn.  In  the  fall,  he  got  Funk- 
houser's  wagon  and  gathered  it,  and  took  it  all. 
When  asked  about  the  one-third  for  rent,  he  re- 
plied :  '■  Why,  you  see  there  was  no  third. 
There  was  only  two  loads  in  the  field.  That 
was  ray  two-thirds,  and  I  reckon  as  how  you 
don't  want  your  third,  when  it  didn't  grow." 

Funkhouser  enjoyed  this  joke  the  balance  of 
his  life. 

John  Funkhouser  was  born  in  Green  County, 
Ky.,  in  the  year  1778.  He  died  in  this  count}-, 
in  1857.  He  came  to  Illinois  in  1814,  and 
located  in  Gallatin  Countj-.  He  moved  to 
Wayne  County  in  1819,  and  to  Effingham  in 
1833,  and  improved  the  fiirm  now  the  property' 
and  possession  of  C.  F.  Lill}^  in  Jackson  Town- 
ship; here  he  opened  a  store  and  built  a  horse- 
mill,  and  commenced  those  extensive  business 


operations  that  grew  and   multiplied  until  the 
day  of  his  death. 

When  his  strong,  generous  and  busy  hands 
fell  nerveless  at  his  side  in  death,  his  life-work 
was  taken  up,  where  he  had  stopped,  by  his 
son,  Presley  Funkhouser,  who  proved  a  worthy 
sou  of  a  worthy  sire.  He  not  only  carried  on 
successfully  the  extended  operations  inaugu- 
rated b}'  his  father,  but  increased  and  enlarged 
them  in  every  vfny.  A  willing  tribute  that  is 
paid  to  his  memory  b}-  all  who  knew  him  in  life, 
was,  that  he  was  the  most  generous  and  liberal 
of  men.  He  helped  all  with  a  free  and  liberal 
hand.  A  man  of  strong  head,  warm  heart,  aud 
a  plethoric  purse  made  him  a  citizen  that  was 
a  boon  to  the  people  of  the  county,  whose  like 
we  may  never  look  upon  agairj. 

The  oldest  living  persons  born  in  the  county 
are  two — -a  man  and  woman,  born  the  same 
night,  in  the  same  house,  and  not  twins.  These 
two  persons  are  Thomas  Austin  and  Martha 
Tucker,  mie  Brockett,  born  1-tth  of  November, 
1828.  Stephen  Austin  and  family  arrived  in 
this  count}-,  and  that  night,  in  the  house  of 
Thomas  I.  Brockett,  with  whom  Austin  stopped, 
was  born  Thomas  Austin  aud  Martha,  the 
daughter  of  Thomas  I.  Brockett.  Martha  mar- 
ried Jonathan  Tucker.  So  far  as  can  be  ascer- 
tained, these  were  the  first  births  in  the  county. 
These  two  oldest  children  of  the  county  were 
born  in  what  is  now  Jackson  Township,  where 
they  are  both  still  residing. 

For  a  new  border  settlement,  where  the  press- 
ing want  was  people,  these  two  little  squalling 
pioneers  were  a  most  encouraging  beginning, 
and  truly  great  must  have  been  the  sensation 
of  the  day  to  the  half-dozen  or  so  of  families 
that  then  occupied  all  the  territor}  that  now 
constitutes  Effingham  County.  Henry  Turner 
was  born  December  28,  1830. 

Birtiis  aud  deaths  follow  each  other  in  nat- 
ure's order.  The  first  death  that  we  have  any 
account  of  was  that  of  Isaac  Fulfer,  who  was 
killed  in  the  year  1829  or  1830.     He  had  found 


54 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


a  bee-tree,  and  the  hive  was  in  a  limb  of  the 
tree,  to  where  he  climbed,  in  order  to  cut  off  the 
limb.  As  he  stood  by  the  body  of  the  tree  and 
cut  the  large  limb,  it  commenced  to  fall,  and, 
instead  of  breaking  directly,  split,  and  that  part 
uncut  held  it  to  the  main  tree,  while  the  other 
part  caught  the  body  of  Fulfer  against  the  main 
body  of  the  tree  and  pushed  it  up  a  consider- 
able distance,  with  such  force  that  he  was 
crushed  to  death  almost  instantly.  When  the 
outer  part  of  the  limb  had  come  to  the  roots  of 
the  tree,  the  body  of  poor  Fulfer  was  released, 
aild  life  wholly  extinct,  it  fell  and  lodged  upon 
the  limb,  and  the  friends  of  the  dead  man  had  . 
some  difficulty  in  getting  his  body  down  to  the 
ground. 

In  1830,  a  negro  who  had  been  a  laborer  at 
work  on  the  National  road,  during  the  winter, 
started  to  go  to  Vandalia  on  foot,  and  was 
frozen  to  death  on  the  way,  a  '•  Dacotah  bliz- 
zard" meeting  him  in  a  short  time  after  he  left 
the  cabin  on  the  Little  Waliash.  His  name  is 
not  mentioned.  It  is  a  curious  accident  that 
the  first  two  births  should  have  happened  as 
they  did,  and  as  is  related  above,  as  well  as  it  is 
remarkable  that  the  first  two  deaths  known 
were  violent  ones. 

In  September,  1835,  the  Commissioners' 
Court  was  called  upon  to  provide  homes  for 
the  two  infant  children  of  Phillip  Backer,  who 
had  suffered  death  from  exposure,  caused  by 
an  attack  of  mental  aberation.  This  sad 
duty  was  the  first  of  the  kind  the  court  was 
called  upon  to  perform,  as  well  as  was  the 
death  that  left  these  poor  orphans  the  first  of 
the  kind  in  the  county. 

In  1832,  the  Black  Hawk  war  was  in  prog- 
ress, and  this  young  county  sent  out  its  first 
warriors.  The  little  battalion  was  not  very 
strong  in  numbers,  yet  it  was  a  large  propor- 
tion of  the  able-bodied  men  to  go  to  war.  Four- 
teen names  are  all  that  can  now  be  recalled 


of  these  Indian  fighters,  to  wit:  Alexander 
McWhorter,  John  Griffy,  Henry  P.  Bailey, 
John  Trapp,  Mike  Brockett,  John  Allen,  James 
Porter,  Eli.  Parkhurst,  John  Beasley,  Isaac 
Fancher,  Alexander  Fancher,  James  Patton, 
Gideon  Louder,  and  John  Meeks. 

Of  this  little  army  of  our  county's  first  he- 
roes that  started  to  the  front,  keeping  step  to 
the  spirited  fife  and  drum,  all  are  now  sleeping 
in  their  graves  except  Alexander  McWhorter, 
to  whose  green  old  age  are  we  indebted  for 
the  brief  story  that  tells  of  all  the  county's 
heroes  in  a  very  important  war.  Not  a  great 
war,  great  in  its  many  battles  and  innumeral)le 
slain,  but  great  in  its  fruits,  and  its  good  to  all 
the  millions  of  people  in  the  Mississippi  Val- 
ley and  their  descendants.  It  was  not  in  a 
war  tainted  with  invasion  or  conquest,  those 
unholy  purposes  that  stain  mankind  and  make 
their  battles  so  shocking  in  brutalism  and  bar- 
barism; it  was  to  protect  their  homes,  and  their 
wives,  and  little  ones  from  the  tomahawk,  the 
scalping  knife,  and  the  fire  and  faggot  of  the 
monster  red  devils  in  their  cruel  and  bloody 
course,  that  the  noble  little  band  went  forth. 
The  country  has  not  very  graciously  remem- 
bered these,  its  true  heroes  and  benefactors. 
The  politicians  have  had  no  occasion  to  spill 
over  the  living  or  the  dead  of  these  heroes 
any  of  their  ocean  of  crockadile  tears  in  order 
to  catch  votes.  It  has  not  been  fashionable  to 
do  so,  and  there  are  no  fashion-followers  that 
can  equal  the  politicians. 

There  are  but  few  of  the  soldiers  of  the  Black 
Hawk  war  now  left  among  us.  In  a  very  few 
short  years  there  will  be  none.  May  their 
names  and  their  fames  be  Intrusted  to  the  gen- 
tle and  just  hands  of  that  future  historian,  who 
will,  with  tears  in  his  eyes  and  divine  anger  in 
his  heart,  exterminate  false  gods  and  idols,  and 
resurrect  from  unmerited  forgetfulness  and 
oblivion,  the  world's  true  and  modest  heroes. 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COl'NTY. 


55 


CHAPTER     IV. 


rilAKACTER  OF  THE    PIONEERS— GREAT    MEN— CUMBERLAND    ROAD— TOLL    BRIDGE— THE  FIRST 
CENSUS— HARD    LIFE  — HOW    BROCKETT    PLAYED    BULL    CALF  — PIONEER    WOMEN- 
WILD  HONEY— COFFEE  AS  BEAN  SOUP— DR.  BISHOP'S  MILLS— THK  KILLING 
OF  HILL— ROD  JENKINS  AND  WHISKY— BOLEYJACK,  ETC.,  ETC. 

cessity,  not  drawn  by  those  who  personall}-  knew 
the  originals.  It  is  best  this  should  be  so,  for, 
then,  there  is  most  apt  to  be  no  prejudices, 
either  for  or  against  the  subjects  that  constitute 
the  picture,  and  false  colors  are  not  so  liable  to 
slip  in.  There  is  less  incentive  (there  should 
be  none)  to  suppress  here  and  overdraw  there; 
in  short,  less  of  prejudice,  and  consequenth* 
more  of  truth.  But  men  who  write  are  affected 
b}'  much  tlie  same  prejudices  or  color  of  vision 
in  viewing  transactions  of  which  they  formed 
a  part  as  other  men,  and  for  this  reason  history 
is  written  by  strangers,  or  rather  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  strangers,  who  live  in  the  long 
years  and  ages  after  the  actors  and  their  imme- 
diate descendants  have  passed  awaj. 

It  requires  a  remarkable  state  of  society  to 
produce  a  remarkable  individual.  The  individ- 
ual thus  becomes  the  index  to  the  surroundings 
that  created  him.  For,  mark  you,  the  great 
man,  the  extraordinar}- — the  marked  man — is 
not  a  special  providence  for  a  special  providen- 
tial purpose,  any  more  than  is  an  extraordinary 
prize  pumpkin.  One  is  as  much  the  result  of 
surroundings  that  preceded  his  or  its  coming 
as  the  other.  You  look  upon  the  huge  pump- 
kin in  huge  amazement,  and  while  you  may 
not  openly  confess  it,  3'ou  in  j-our  heart  believe 
that  the  god  of  pumpkin-pie  has  here  made  a 
strong,  a  long,  and  a  pull  altogether.  And  so 
wlien  you  look  upon  that  crowned  monarch  of 
all  mankind  —  Shakespeare.  The  one  is  no 
more  a  miracle  than  the  other.  They  are  both 
the  results  of  those  laws  that  never  change — 


"How  sweet  the  memory  of  those  early  days." 

IN  the  preceding  chapters  we  have  attempted 
to  give  some  account  of  the  coming  of  the 
earliest  settlers  here,  who  they  were,  and  in 
what  order  they  came,  with  some  sketches  that 
were  intended  to  serve  as  illustrations  that 
would  give  the  reader  the  best  idea  that  we 
possessed  of  what  manner  of  men  they  were. 
These  pen  sketches  are  all  that  can  be  given  of 
a  people  that  have  passed  awaj',  and  of  whom 
the  artist  and  painter  had  preserved  no  re- 
corded signs.  Of  necessity,  such  sketches  are 
drawn  by  those  who  never  saw  the  originals, 
and  wlio  can  know  of  them  only  by  much 
talking  and  communications  with  those  who 
did  know  them  long  and  well,  while  the}-  were 
here  and  playing  their  part  in  life.  To  pick 
out  tlie  representative  people  of  all  the  differ- 
ent classes  of  a  communitj',  and  draw  a  true 
representation  of  them — so  true  that  any  reader 
can  gather  an  actual,  personal  acquaintance 
with  those  who  were  perhaps  dead  before  he 
was  l)orn — is  no  easy  task,  yet  one,  if  done  well 
and  truly,  will  give  him  a  just  and  correct  idea 
of  those  about  whom  he  is  studying  history 
for  the  purpose  of  learning.  For  a  certain 
quality  of  society  will  produce  a  certain  kind 
of  men,  or  a  certain  kind  of  character — a  lead- 
ing character  with  strong  marks  and  signs  that 
arrests  attention,  and  fixes  upon  him  the  duty 
of  furnishing  posteritj'  the  key  to  the  whole 
mass  of  his  fellow-men,  who  were  his  neigh- 
bors and  contemporaries. 

We  have  said  that  such   sketches  are,  of  ne- 


56 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


where  like  causes  produce  like  results  always. 
If  the  statistics  of  a  people,  together  with 
the.se  ciiaracter  sketclies  that  are  the  statistics 
of  that  inner  life  of  men,  that  is  a  part,  and 
parcel  of  tlie  first  named,  are  both  truly  given, 
they  constitute  the  true  history  of  that  people. 
Because  a  histor}-  of  a  people  is  only  a  just 
account  of  so  much  of  the  human  mind,  its  in- 
fluence upon  itself — the  influence  upon  it  of  the 
-surroundings. 

In  the  preceding  chapters  we  have,  as  nearly 
as  we  could,  followed  events,  and  even  the  in- 
dividuals, in  their  chronological  order.  We 
found  that  on  the  15th  of  February,  1831,  here 
was  formed  a  new  county,  with  a  pioneer  pop- 
ulation of  about  three  hundred  people,  and 
aearlj-  as  many  more  people  here  who  consti- 
tuted the  forces  at  work  upon  the  National 
road,  that  was  then  in  process  of  construction 
through  this  county. 

This  road  was  originally  called  the  Cumber- 
land road,  after  the  old  stage  road  from  Wash- 
ington City  to  Cumberland,  Md.,  where  had 
been  the  resting  place  for  Clay,  Jaclison, 
Harrison,  Randolph,  and  many  other  notables, 
as  they  journeyed  to  and  fro  from  the  seat  of 
government.  Tliis  road  was  a  national  work. 
It  had  been  provided  for  in  the  reservation  of 
five  per  cent  of  the  sale  of  public  lands  in  Illi- 
nois and  other  .-States,  and  biennial  appropria- 
tions were  its  dependence  for  a  continuation  to 
completion.  When  Congress  made  any  appro- 
priations for  this  road,  it  required  that  "  said 
sums  of  monei|;  shall  be  replaced  out  of  any 
funds  reserved  for  laying  out  and  making 
roads,  under  the  directions  of  Congress,  by  the 
several  acts  passed  for  the  admission  of  the 
States  of  Ohio,  tudiana,  Illinois  and  Missouri 
into  the  Union,  on  an  equal  footing  with  the 
original  States." 

The  heaviest  force  of  these  workmen  was  at 
the  crossing  of  the  Little  Wabash,  and  here 
was  erected  shanties  and  a  little  supply  store 
in  1830. 


The  county  lines  now  are  identical  with  those 
designated  by  the  Legislature  in  the  act  of 
Feliraarj',  1831,  although  in  18i5  the  Legisla- 
ture, in  order  probabl}-  to  better  fit  the  county 
seats  of  Shelby  and  Effingham  Counties  to 
their  geographical  centers,  passed  an  act  to 
take  from  Shelb}-  Count}-  the  north  half  of 
Towns  9,  i,  5  and  6,  and  make  them  a  part  of 
Effingham  Counlj';  provided,  the  people  of 
those  half  townsliips  mentioned  should,  by  a 
majority  vote,  so  elect.  This  proposition  was 
voted  down,  and  the  act  became  null  and  void. 
The  bridge  over  the  Little  Wabash  at 
Ewington  was  a  toll  bridge.  By  act  of  the 
Legislature  of  1817,  it  was  made  a  free  bridge 
after  a  specified  time. 

In  1835,  Col.  Sam  Huston  was  designated 
by  the  County  Commissioners'  Court  to  take  a 
census  of  the  county.  There  then  had  gath- 
ered here  al)out  one  thousand  people,  two 
stores,  about  two  hundred  improvements  called 
farms,  but  little  clearings,  that  would  not  aver- 
age over  two  or  three  acres  each,  and  stump 
mills,  for  pounding  corn  into  meal,  were  about 
as  numerous  as  the  cabins  in  the  county. 
Every  family  was  theij  own  miller,  practically, 
until  a  man  named  Witherspoon  started  a  mill 
in  Shelby ^Count}-,  about  twelve  miles  north  of 
Ewington.  This  was  a  horse  mill,  and  here 
the  people  would  gather,  await  their  turn  to 
put  their  horses  in  the  mill,  and  grind  out 
tbeir  grist.  Like  all  new  settlers,  they  labored 
under  not  only  the  disadvantage  of  being  poor 
in  all  the  comforts  of  life — the  plainest  neces- 
sities even — as  well  as  a  complete  absence  of 
those  things,  such  as  mechanics,  blacksmiths, 
wheelwrights,  carpenters,  etc.,  that  are  essen- 
tial, in  the  procuring  every  aid  they  were  com- 
pelled to  have.  There  was  little  or  nothing  to 
be  bought,  and  they  had  even  less  to  purchase 
with  had  it  been  there.  In  1829,  there  were 
\  only  two  or  three  farms  in  the  couutj'  where 
j  land  enough  was  tilled  to  use  an  old  "  Carey 
I  plow,"  and  one  of  these  pioneer  farmers  tells 


HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


37 


how   lie  footed   it  from  the  south  Hue  of  this 
county   to   Shelb^'ville,    canning  his    plow  to 
have  it  sharpeued.     Man}-  started  their  "  dead- 
nin "  in  the  tiinl)er,  and  dug  holes   here  and 
there,  planted  corn  and   potatoes  and  perhaps 
a  few  beans,  and  thus  raised  their  little  trucl^- 
patehes,  that  gave  them  food  or  broad  at  least; 
their  meat  they  could  procure  in  great  abun- 
dance by  their  rifles.     Frequently  there  would 
be  but  one  wagon  to  a  whole   neighborhood, 
and  then  for  ordinary  uses  the  old  '•  lizzard  " 
sled  was  the   universal  substitute.     This  was 
made  by  cutting  the  forks  of  a  tree,  the  two 
limbs  making  the  runners,  and  the  short  end 
above  the  forks  with  a  hole  in  it  to  hitch  to. 
A  yoke  of  scrawny  bull  calves,  a  big  boy  and 
all  the  family  of  little  ones  and  a  dog  or  two 
were  the  forces  that  "  snaked  up  "  water  some- 
times, and  wood  sometimes,  and  other  things 
were  thus   transported  short  distances.      The 
calves  had  to  be  put  to  work  j'oung ;  they  were 
naturally  of  a  big  horned,  sharp  rumped  breed, 
and  not  the  best  cared  for  in  the  world  at  that. 
In  fact,  John  I.  Brockett  vows  and  declares 
that  when  he  was  a  good  sized  lout  of  a  boy, 
their  extremity  in  the  line  of  bull  calves  was 
so  great  that  he  conceived  the  happy  expedi- 
ent of  yoking  himself   up  with  the  onlj-  one 
his  family  possessed.     The  idea  was  no  sooner 
conceived  than  it  was  executed,  with  a  j-ounger 
brother  to  drive.      But  John  made  such  a  sor- 
ry-looking calf  that  his  mate  refused  to  pull, 
and  wheeled  his  rump  around  and  turned  the 
yoke,  and  thus  the_y  stood  with  their   iieads  in 
opposite  directions.    This  would  not  do.    John 
had  heard  of   tying  oxen's  tails  together  to 
keep  them  from  turning  tlie  yoke.     So   he  got 
a  cob  and  gathered   it   up  in  the  seat  of  his 
leather  breeches,  and  tied   the  rope  fast  below 
the  knot  formed   by  the  cob,  and   this  was  se- 
curely- tied  to  the  calf's  tail,  and  the  difficulty 
was  overcome  and  the  team  re-hitched  to  the 
"  lizzard."     The  calf  again  tried  to  twist  him- 
self around  and  turn  the  yoke.     He  pulled  till 


John's  suspenders  "  popped,"  and  his  leather 
breeches  stretched  out  until  they  were  as  long 
and  slim  as  the  calf's  tail,  when  John  ordered 
his  brother  to  give  them  the  gad.  The  bull 
looked  at  John,  its  mate,  and  bellowed  and 
plunged  and  pulled  its  tail  nearly  off,  and 
finally,  iu  agony  and  fright,  it  ran  off  at  full 
speed,  John  doing  his  best  to  keep  up,  or  check 
the  calf,  or  keep  his  neck  from  being  broken. 
Over  the  brush,  the  briers,  logs  and  everything 
pell-mell,  the  frightened  calf  bellowing,  and 
the  now  worse  frightened  John  roaring  at  his 
mother,  as  the  runaways  approached  the  house. 
"  Here  we  come,  d — n  our  fool  souls  !  stop  us  I 
stop  us  !  we're  running  away  !  " 

The  single  wagon  to  a  neighborhood  was 
generally  kept  busy;  when  not  employed  by 
the  owner's  work  it  was  hired  to  the  neighbors 
the  established  price  for  wagon,  team  and 
driver  was  five  bushels  of  corn  a  day.  This 
corn  was  worth  from  8  to  12  cents  a  bushel. 

As  a  general  thing,  the  evidences  are  that 
the  women  of  the  pioneers  were  more  industri- 
ous than  the  men.  The  majority  of  them  had 
to  raise  the  flax,  or  assist  at  it,  and  then  when 
it  was  "  broke  "  and  "  scutched  "  and  '•'  hackled,' 
it  fell  to  their  lot  to  spin  and  weave  and  make 
it  into  wearing  apparel  and  household  goods. 
They  worked  often  in  the  truck  patches;  they 
carried  the  water  at  a  distance  often  from 
springs,  and  here  they  would  take  their  clothes 
on  wash-day,  often  they  picked  up  the  fire- 
wood and  carried  it  in  their  arms  to  the  house. 
They  dressed  the  skins  frequently,  and  these 
were  made  into  wearing  apparel.  They  made 
their  own  soap  and  year  in  and  year  out  in 
nearly  every  cabin  stood  the  "  dye-kettle  "  and 
after  "dyeing"  pretty  much  all  the  time,  it 
was  no  surprise  when  they  went  to  church  to 
be  called  "  poor  dying  sisters."  The  "  dye- 
kettle  "  was  always  at  the  fire-side.  A  rough 
cover  made  it  a  convenient  seat  and  many 
of  our  now  old  people  can  tell  you  about : 

"How  sweet  the  memory  of  those  early  days," 


58 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


when  they  sat  upon  the  dear  old  kettle  and 
courted  grandmother.  Tliis  reminds  us  of  a 
current  stor}'  of  one  of  the  very  bashful  young 
fellows,  who  called  to  "  spark  "  his  girl,  and 
when  he  took  his  seat  on  the  kettle  to  com- 
mence the  long,  delightful  evening's  work,  and 
his  girl,  no  other  seat  being  handy,  seated  her- 
self in  his  lap.  His  delirious  first  joy  passed 
away  after  some  time,  but  the  girl  talked  and 
giggled  and  laughed  and  continued  to  talk.  He 
grew  silent  as  she  grew  talkative;  after  awhile 
he  blubbered  out  crying  at  a  terrible  rate.  The 
poor  girl  inquired  the  matter — ^petted,  and 
soothed  him  and  clung  the  closer  to  him. 
Finallj-,  the  household  was  raised  and  when 
compelled  to  tell  what  was  the  matter,  he 
whined  and  sobbed  out"  The — kittle — cuts  me!" 
The  edge  of  the  kettle  had  stopped  blood  cir- 
culation in  his  limbs,  and  the  dear  girl  on  his 
lap  had  increased  its  circulation  in  his  heart; 
the  pain  from  the  kettle  was  agony;  holding 
the  girl  was  a  delightful  ecstasy.  He  could  not 
push  her  off,  nor  could  he  endure  the  suffering 
any  longer.  In  his  helplessness  he  cried.  Who 
blames  him? 

The  first  school  reports  of  the  doings  of  the 
County  School  Commissioners  are  preserved 
from  being  dry,  monotonous  and  sleep-produc- 
ing by  their  brevity  and  wholesome  originalit}', 
as  well  as  the  regular  Chinese  puzzles  that 
some  words  make  by  the  way  thej-  are  spelled. 
For  instance  the  line  : 

'•  Hieronomous  Faithout  Scagule  SIO." 
This  would  look  to  any  ordinarj'  stupid 
reader  as  something  amounting  to  $10  had 
been  paid  to  one  "  Scagule,"  but  the  eagle- 
ej-ed  historian  had  posted  himself  about  everj' 
man  and  woman  in  the  county,  all  the  children, 
many  of  the  dogs,  stump  mills,  Indians,  green- 
heads,  pioneer  pills,  and  other  luxuries  of  those 
good  old  honest  times — times  when  a  counter- 
feit half-dollar  commanded  a  premium,  because 
it  was  not  onlj'  the  best  but  the  onl3-  money 
within  reach — we  say  the  historian  knew  in  a 


moment  that  Mr.  "  Scagule  '  had  neither  taught 
school  nor  done  anything  else  to  earn  antl  get 
the  enormous  amount  of  $10.  He  rubl)ed 
his  sleepy  eyes  and  took  another  look  when 
lo,  and  behold!  tlie  line  was  plain  : 

''  H.  Faithout,  schedule  $10." 

Honest  Hieronomous  Faithout  had  taught 
school   for  $10    a  month     and  had    returned 

his  "  Scagule  "  in  first-class  style. 

****** 

In  1830,  the  first  bushel  of  wheat  ever  planted 
in  the  county  was  by  Judge  Broom.  It  made 
a  generous  yield,  and  from  here  came  the  seed 
that  in  the  after  years  made  much  of  the  wheat 
bread  of  our  people.  It  was  sown  in  what  is 
now  Mason  Township.  The  same  man  planted 
the  first  orchard  here  in  1829.  He  had  brought 
the  young  trees  with  him  from  Tennessee;  were 
all  grafted  trees,  and  several  have  told  us  that, 
in  the  year  1839,  they  remember  getting  off 
this  orchard  some  excellent  fruit.  When  it  is 
remembered  that  up  to  this  year  there  were 
yet  but  eighteen  families  in  JIason  Township, 
it  evidences  that  these  people  were  b}'  Broom's 
care  and  foresight,  afforded  a  verj'  early  op- 
portunity of  sitting  down  and  enjoying  their 
own  vines  and  apple  trees.  Until  this  orchard 
came  on,  the  people  tasted  no  other  fruit,  except 
that  which  grew  wild  in  the  woods.  These 
were  crab-apples,  plums,  grapes  and  wild 
cherry  and  the  variety  of  nuts  found  here. 

The  first  really  profitable  industry  here  was 
the  gathering  honey.  The  alternating  of  tim- 
ber and  prairie — prairies  jeweled  with  garden 
flowers — were  favored  places  for  the  wild  bees, 
and,  therefore,  nearly  every  tree  was  the  hive 
where  they  lived  and  gathered  their  sweet 
treasures  from  the  blossoms  of  the  prairie. 
The  honey  was  gathered  and  the  wax  strained 
and  both  became  the  really  money-producing 
products  of  the  country.  Honey,  beeswax, 
ginseng,  venison,  turkeys,  pelts  and  furs  were 
the  only  things  possible  to  send  to  market  to 
exchange  for  such  articles  as  the  people  wanted. 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


50 


And  of  all  these,  honey  and  coon-skins  were 
the  leading  ones.  These  early  comers  had  to 
have  powder,  tobacco  and  whiskj'.  For  every- 
thing else  thej'  could  kill  game.  The  first  sea- 
son usuallj-  they  had  to  buj*  corn  for  bread, 
but  the  emergencies  were  frequent  when  this 
could  not  be  got,  then  they  used  the  lean  of 
the  meat  for  bread  and  tlie  fat  for  meat. 

In  man}-  families,  coffee  was  unknown.  One 
instance  is  related  where  a  man  was  quite  sick. 
In  his  .young  days,  he  had  used  coffee,  and 
when  he  lay  sick  he  imagined  that  would  bring 
him  health.  Judge  Broom  went  on  foot  to 
Shelby  ville  and  got  a  pound.  When  he  returned 
to  the  sick  man's  house  he  gave  it  to  the 
daughters  (grown  girls)  and  told  them  to  make 
some  for  their  father.  They  took  it  out  and 
examined  it  for  some  time,  when  they  went  to 
the  old  people  and  inquired  if  you  made  it 
"  likeother  bean  soup." 

All  families  did  not  live  this  way.  There 
was  then,  as  now,  great  difference  in  the  fore- 
thought and  thrift  of  the  people.  Many,  even 
when  here  before  the  county  was  organized, 
lived  in  generous  plenty  of  such  as  the  land 
afforded  then  anywhere  in  the  gi'eat  West. 
Meat  of  a  superior  quality  and  in  varieties 
that  we  now  cannot  get  were  within  the  easy 
reach  of  all,  but  in  everything  else  to  eat  or 
wear  they  were  far  behind  us  now,  but  so  was 
the  whole  country-.  But  what  was  possible  for 
men  to  do  then  is  well  illustrated  in  the  sketch 
that  we  give  below  tiiat  comprises  the  facts  of 
what  the  subject  did  do.  In  this  connection 
we  may  say  that  we  prefer  to  give  the  facts 
than  to  try  to  give  the  results  and  let  them  tell 
tlieir  own  stor^-. 

"  Dr.  Jacob  Bishop  was  born  in  Hard}- 
County,  Va.,  in  1812,  and  spent  his  years  to 
maturity  on  his  father's  farm.  W^hen  of  age, 
he  emigrated  to  Licking  Count}',  Ohio,  where 
he  was  soon  after  married  to  Sarah  Hooks. 
His  father  died  in  1836,  when  he  was  called  to 
his  old  home,  where  he  remained  until  he  ad- 


ministered upon  the  estate,  which  duty  he  per- 
formed to  the  utmost  satisfaction  of  all  inter- 
ested. He  then  returned  to  his  home  in 
Licking  County,  where  he  remained  a  little 
more  than  a  }'ear,  and  then  moved  to  Etiing- 
ham  County,  arriving  October  11,  1841,  and 
fixed  his  home  at  Blue  Point.  This  was 
simply  going  into  camp,  as  for  some  time  his 
wagon  was  his  house.  With  his  own  hand  and 
alone  he  cut  and  carried,  with  the  help  of  Met 
Kelly,  the  logs  and  poles  and  built  his  cabin. 
He  commenced  opening  a  farm.  His  ax  and 
auger  were  about  all  the  mechanical  aids  he 
possessed.  Until  his  first  crop  matured,  his 
table,  made  by  his  own  hands  from  the  first 
convenient  tree,  did  not  do  any  of  that  prover- 
bial groaning  under  the  other  ijroverbial  loads 
of  rich  and  delicate  viands  gathered  from  the 
four  quarters  o£  the  wide  and  beautiful  earth  ; 
for  even  6-cent  corn,  wliich  had  to  be  pur- 
chased and  direct  from  the  cob,  manufactured 
at  home  from  the  old  stump-mill,  w.as  earning 
bread  by  the  sweat  of  the  brow.  True,  there 
were  then  four  old,  rickety  liorse-mills  in  the 
couuty,  but  they  were  so  little  an  improve- 
ment on  the  home  stump  and  pestle  that  they 
were  of  doubtful  advantage. 

'•The  moment  a  little  leisure  from  his  primi- 
tive farming  operations  was  found,  he  looked 
about  him  and  determined  to  make  such  im- 
provements as  his  fertile  brain  suggested  and 
his  hard  necessities  demanded.  He  procured 
a  couple  of  bowlders,  '  nigger  heads,'  as  they 
are  commonly  called,  that  are  found  so  fre- 
quently all  over  the  county,  and  from  these  he 
manufactured  a  couple  of  mill-stones,  the  bed- 
stone being  fixed  in  a  .sycamore  gum.  This 
gum  was  a  common  article  of  utility  in  the 
early  day.  It  was  made  by  sawing  off  a  hol- 
low tree  any  required  length,  and  when  set 
upright  was  a  fine  substitute  for  barrel  or 
hogshead.  This  was  firmly  fixed  in  the 
ground,  the  upright  lever  attachment  was  at- 
tached to  the  upper  stone,  and  the  mill  was 


60 


HISTORY   OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


complete.  The  motive  power  to  this  was  his 
own  strong  arms,  and  in  this  way,  a  big  im- 
provement, remember,  on  the  old  way,  he 
secured  for  a  long  time  the  bread  for  his  fam- 
ily, consisting  of  a  wife  and  six  children.  But 
his  active  nature  did  not  permit  him  to  stop 
content  with  this  ;  he  sought  out  other  schemes 
and  quickly  put  them  into  practice.  He  had 
bj'  this  time  become  the  happ\'  possessor  of  a 
yoke  of  oxen  and  an  old,  patched-up  wagon, 
and  with  these  he  inaugurated  the  business  of 
going  among  tlie  people  and  gathering  their 
beeswax,  pelts,  venison  or  an^-thing  else  they 
desired  to  send  to  market  that  was  transporta- 
ble, and  with  a  load  of  these,  going  to  St. 
Louis.  These  products  the  neighbors  thus 
pooled  and  sent  to  market  were  sold  to  the 
best  advantage  by  this  trusty  commission 
merchant,  and  with  the  proceeds  he  would 
purchase  and  bring  back  the  quantitj'  and 
kind  of  merchandise  ordered  153-  each,  which 
would  be  carefully  delivered  to  the  widespread 
neighbors.  To  thus  patiently  gather  up  the  load 
to  take  awaj',  then  return  to  each  the  articles 
ordered  ;  to  be  from  three  to  five  weeks  on 
the  road  to  the  city  and  return,  and  that,  too, 
when  in  wet  weather  the  roads  and  bridges 
were  simph"  horrible,  and  in  dry  weather  it 
was,  if  anything,  even  worse,  as  the  cattle  were 
in  danger  of  perishing,  and  in  still  thore  dan- 
ger of  running  away,  overturning  the  wagon, 
plunging  down  a  bluff,  or  hopelessly  bogging 
wagon  and  all  in  the  mud  and  water — a  not 
uncommon  occurrence  when  the  suffering 
brutes  would  suddenly  smell  the  water  as  they 
would  pass  near  it  along  the  road  ;  to  all  this 
add  the  exposure  to  wind,  storms,  snow  and 
freezingj  and  to  heat  and  dust ;  to  these  in- 
clude the  time  and  hard  labor  of  this  slow, 
small  kind  of  business  ;  to  do  all  this,  and  tell 
it  to  the  people  of  this  day  and  age,  is  to  ex- 
cite tlieir  incredulity  and  tax  them  with  a  load 
of  doubts.  But  Bishop  did  all  this,  and,  slow 
and  small   as   it  looks,  he  soon   so  prospered 


that  he  accumulated  sufficient  to  commence  a 
regular  business  of  buying  what  the  people 
had  to  sell  and  selling  it  on  his  own  account. 
He  bought  their  pelts,  beeswax  and  produce, 
and  purchased  the  goods  which  he  sold  to  them 
for  their  products. 

In  1844  or  184."),  he  moved  into  Freemaiiton, 
then  but  a  mere  hamlet  on  the  National  road, 
\and  commenced  regularj'  to  merchandise,  but 
•continuing  to  make  his  regular  trips  to  St. 
Louis  and  exchanging  products  for  goods  and 
returning  again  and  exchanging  goods  for  prod- 
ucts. A  part  of  his  trade  was  to  bring  flour 
to  the  people.  This  trade  at  that  time  com- 
pared to  the  flour  trade  of  to-da}-  is  a  curious 
instance  of  the  changes  that  occur.  Now  we 
ship  out  of  the  county  flour  by  the  car-load,  and 
that  often  in  daily  shipments;  at  that  time,  it 
was  brought  here  and  retailed  outonlj-  in  cases 
of  sickness,  in  three  and  five-pound  packages 
onh',  the  five  pounds  being  the  maximum  that 
a  single  family  would  purchase  at  a  time.  It 
was  a  very  poor,  black  article  at  that — one  that 
the  well  now  would  elevate  their  offended  noses 
at,  but  it  was  food  and  medicine  to  the  poor 
sick  sufferers  of  that  daj-. 

Bishop's  business  in  Freemanton  was  so 
prosperous  that  he  soon  felt  able  to  commence 
the  erection  of  a  wool  carding  machine.  For 
those  da3-s,  this  was  a  daring  enterprise.  The 
motive  power  was  a  tread-wheel  moved  bj' 
three  oxen,  and  here  was  furnished  the  people 
a  new  iudustr}',  as  well  as  a  home  market  for 
their  wool.  It  must  have  been  a  great  boon  to 
the  poor  women  of  the  country,  as  it  tended 
much  to  lighten  their  work  in  preparing  the 
clothes  for  tlieir  families.  He  soon  found  that 
his  machine  was  a  complete  success,  and  that 
his  motive  power  was  capable  of  doing  addi- 
tional work,  and  so  he  added  regular  mill- 
stones that  would  make  corn-meal  and  even 
grind  wheat  which  could  be  and  was  bolted  "  by 
hand."  And  thus  Bishop's  carding- machine 
and  grist-mill  soon  became  the  center  of  much 
business  and  traffic. 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


61 


In  1850,  the  countrj-  had  outgrown  the  ca- 
pacities and  its  tread-wheel  power,  and  so  he 
responded  tp  the  public  wants  and  purchased  an 
engine  and  boiler.  With  this  great  improve- 
ment and  added  power,  he  purchased  a  circular 
saw,  and  made  this  an  addition  to  his  establish- 
ment. He  was  then  read}-  and  enabled  to  card 
the  wool,  grind  the  meal  and  flour  and  saw  the 
lumber  as  the  public  need  required.  This  was 
the  first  saw  and  grist  steam  mill  ever  started 
in  the  count}-.  For  many  miles  around  the 
people  came  in  crowds  to  look  upon  and  admire 
this  wonderful  thing.  On  Saturdaj-s,  particu- 
larly, thej'  would  gather  in  numbers  and  spend 
the  day  in  athletic  and  other  sports  about  the 
mill,  and  in  many  wa3-s  manifest  their  wonder 
and  jo}'  over  the  grand  improvement. 

We  could  not  give  the  history  of  the  rise  and 
progress  of  the  mill  in  our  county  without  at 
the  same  time  giving  much  of  the  early  history 
of  Dr.  Bishop,  so  closely  are  the  two  identified. 
It  is  but  just  to  the  memory  of  a  good  man,  a 
valuable  citizen  and  a  kind-hearted,  true  gen- 
tleman, to  brieflj-  conclude  this  paragraph  with 
a  few  further  words  of  the  Doctor  : 

In  early  life  he  had  secured  a  small  but. select 
medical  librar}-;  not  with  a  view  of  ever  prac- 
ticing medicine,  but  to  improve  himself — to 
educate  himself — to  secure  knowledge;  he  mas- 
tered these  books,  and  to  this  information  his 
strong,  closely  observing  mind  had  gathered 
knowledge  from  every  available  opportunity  or 
experiment  that  presented  itself  Ho  found 
himself  often  and  often  surrounded  by  sick 
,  neighbors,  when  there  was  no  physician  to  be 
had  ;  in  such  emergencies  he  was  the  Good 
Samaritan.  And  so  valuable  did  he  prove  as 
nurse  and  adviser  that  he  soon  was  wanted 
both  far  and  near,  and  almost  from  compulsion 
he  was  thus  drifted  into  the  practice  of  med- 
icine. From  the  very  first  he  had  shown  him- 
self to  be  so  skillful  in  the  handling  of  that 
dreadful  disease,  typhoid  fever,  that  his  repu- 
tation and  practice  extended,  not  onlj-  over  his 


own  but  all  adjoining  counties.  To  this  large, 
but  not  lucrative  practice — not  lucrative  be- 
cause the  people  were  poor  and  his  charity  was 
wide— he  gave  his  time  almost  exclusively  to 
the  time  of  his  last  sickness.  For  some  j-ears 
before  his  death  he  suffered  from  rheumatism, 
of  which  he  died  on  the  8th  of  Noveml)er, 
1870,  in  the  fifty-ninth  year  of  his  age. 

His  widow,  Sarah  Bishop,  died  March  11, 
1872.  Three  sons  and  three  daughters  were 
left  surviving;  of  these,  one  son  and  one  daugh- 
ter have  since  died. 

Dr.  Bishop's  life  is  a  fair  illustration  of  the 
fact  that  a  man  who  is  a  born  gentleman  will 
always  be  one  despite  surroundings.  It  is  a 
common  saying  of  some  men  that  if  so-and-so 
had  only  had  different  training  and  surround- 
ings in  his  youth,  instead  of  being  a  mere  vul- 
gar lout,  he  would  be  a  gentleman.  There  is 
little  truth  in  such  moralizings.  It  is  doubtful 
if  there  is  an}-.  There  is  infinitely  more  truth 
in  the  opposite  aphorism  that  "blood  will  tell." 
There  is  such  a  thing  as  pure  and  gentle  blood, 
and  surroundings  can  no  more  change  or  hide 
it  in  the  possessor  than  they  can  the  muley's 
ears  or  the  leopard's  spots. 

It  is  the  testimony  of  all  who  knew  Dr.  Bish- 
op, that  his  presence  in  the  sick  room  was  like 
a  genial,  bright  ray  of  sunshine.  Under  no 
circumstances  did  he  forget  to  he  a  true  and 
perfect  gentleman.  All  testify  to  this,  and  the 
memory  of  his  strong  integrity  and  strict  hon- 
esty, when  added  to  what  he  has  done  for  the 
improvement  of  the  people  of  the  county,  are 
his  imperishable  and  fit  monument. 

In  conclusion,  upon  the  sulijeet  of  mills,  it 
may  be  here  stated  that  for  a  long  time  the 
only  mode  of  getting  sawed  lumber  was  by  the 
"whip-saw."  This  was  run  by  two  men,  with 
saw  made  for  this  purpose,  one  man  standing 
on  the  log  and  the  other  under  it,  and  in  this 
hard  and  tedious  way  much  lumber  was  got  out 
before  the  horse-mill  of  T.  J.  Gillenwater's  was 
put  up,  and  a  circular  saw  put  to  work.     This 


63 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM   COUNTY. 


was  propelled  bj*  sevea  horses,  and  often  cut 
eight  to  nine  hundred  feet  of  lumber  a  day. 

In  the  early  day  some  ingenious  pioneer  put 
lip  a  curious  water-mill  on  the  Wabash.  It  was 
so  contrived,  being  two  largo  troughs  hung  up- 
on a  pivoted  cross-beam,  with  a  heav}-  stone  at 
one  end  of  the  beam  and  the  trough  at  the 
other,  so  rigged  that  when  the  trough  filled 
with  water,  it  would  raise  the  stone  and  the 
water  would  then  spill  out  of  the  trough  and 
let  the  stoue  drop  heavily  in  the  other  trough 
where  the  grain  was.  It  was  automatic  and 
worked  continuallj',  needing  only  an  attendent 
to  take  out  the  meal  and  put  in  fresh  grain. 

The  population  of  Effingham  County  in  1840 
was  1,675.  The  census  for  the  year  reports 
451  engaged  in  agriculture;  in  manufactures 
and  trade,  16;  in  commerce,  9;  learned  profes- 
sions, 4.  The  county  had  two  insane  persons. 
They  were  a  private  charge.  There  is  no  record 
of  the  number  of  persons  that  could  not  read 
and  write.  Under  the  head  of  universities,  col- 
leges, students,  grammar  schools  and  mining 
all  are  blanks. 

The  Killing  of  Hill. — At  high  noon,  on  the 
15th  da3'  of  April,  1842,  in  the  town  of  Free- 
nianton,  Dick  Hill,  as  he  sat  upon  his  horse, 
conversing  with  Jesse  Newman,  was  shot  dead. 
Hill  was  in  the  road  and  the  man  he  was  con- 
versing with  stood  inside  the  yard,  and  near  a 
blacksmith  shop.  The  report  of  the  gun  was 
probably  heard  b}-  all  in  the  little  village,  j'et 
to  this  day  it  has  never  been  proven  who  fired 
the  shot.  His  head,  shoulder  and  body  were 
riddled  with  buck-shot,  and  his  death  must 
have  been  instantaneous,  as  he  rolled  off  his 
horse  and  fell  limp  and  dead  in  the  road,  where 
he  lay  just  as  he  had  fallen.  Some  of  the  scat- 
tering shot  had  slightl}'  wounded  the  horse's 
shoulder,  and  the  frightened,  riderless  animal 
running  past  the  few  village  houses  at  full 
speed,  toward  his  home  and  along  the  road  his 
master  had  ridden  a  short  time  before.  This 
added  to  the  report  of  the  gun  told  the  tragic 


story  unmistakably  to  all.  When  the  horse 
dashed  up  to  his  master's  door,  the  empty  sad- 
dle and  the  yet  warm  blood  told  the  frightful 
story  to  3Irs.  Hill.  It  was  a  short  half-mile 
from  the  scene  of  the  tragedy  to  Hill's  house. 
The  screams  of  the  woman  could  be  plainly 
heard,  as  she  rushed  out  of  her  door,  caught 
the  horse,  bounded  into  the  saddle  and  at  full 
speed  started  to  the  village.  With  mingled 
screams,  sobs  and  execrations  upon  the  mur- 
derers, and  waving  her  hands  and  arms  above 
her  head,  she  came  to  where  her  dead  husband 
lay.  The  horse  stopped  when  she  flung  herself 
to  the  ground,  fell  upon  the  corpse,  pushed  one 
haud  under  the  head,  and  in  doing  so  covered 
the  hand  and  part  of  her  arm  in  the  dark  mud 
made  by  the  blood,  as  it  mingled  with  the  dust 
of  the  road;  she  raised  the  head  until  the  face 
of  the  living  and  tiie  dead  were  nearly  along 
side  each  other,  when  the  maniac  wife  and  dead 
husband  presented  a  picture  that  will  never 
fade  from  the  memory  of  the  few  who  looked 
upon  it. 

A  brief  half-hour  before  the  tragedj^,  Kichard 
John  Hill,  in  the  prime  of  lusty  life,  splendid 
physical  .organization,  and  above  the  average 
of  much  of  his  surroundings  in  intellect  and 
culture,  had  left  his  wife  as  she  stood  in  the 
door  admiringlj'  watching  him  as  he  rode  away 
upon  his  spirited  and  gaily  caparisoned  horse, 
toward  the  village.  He  rode  up  to  the  village 
post  office,  kept  by  Mrs.  Flack,  now  >Irs.  Joshua 
Bradley,  had  called  for  his  mail,  which  was  car- 
ried out  to  him  \>y  Mr.  Brown,  and  after  chat- 
ting gaily  a  moment,  he  turned  his  horse  and 
rode  toward  the  blacksmith  shop  and  to  his 
terrible  death. 

The  excitement  over  this  daylight,  yet  mjs- 
terious  tragedj',  was  great,  indeed,  among  all 
people.  The  consequences  flowing  therefrom, 
lasting  as  they  did  for  nearly-  a  generation 
were  unparalleled  in  the  history  of  the  State. 
Nearly  all  questions  of  social  life  and  the  poli- 
tics of  the  count}'  were  pivoted  upon  this  sub- 


'1' 


'7 


f   C-y-v-z-^uu 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUlsTY. 


65 


ject.  And  to  this  da}-,  if  you  talk  to  one  yet 
left  of  the  few  men  of  that  time,  who  were 
prominent  in  the  affiiirs  of  the  county,  you  may 
easily  detect  that  the  subject  might  re-kiudle 
the  fires  that  raged  within  them  more  than 
forty  years  ago. 

Richard  John  Hill  had  lived  for  some  years 
in  the  county;  had  been  County  Superintendent 
of  Schools,  and  was  Count}-  Collector  when  he 
was  killed.  But  with  many  of  the  best  people 
he  had  earned  a  bad  reputation.  Apparently 
he  wished  to  be  considered  a  reckless,  desperate 
and  dangerous  man.  He  openly  defied  public 
moral  sentiments.  It  was  said  that  he  was  a 
gambler.  Many  believed  he  was  not  only  a 
counterfeiter,  but  worse,  and  stories  were  told 
of  him,  which,  if  true,  made  him  amenable  to 
punishment  for  the  violation  of  nearly  every 
crime  in  the  decalogue.  His  delight  was  to  be 
regarded  as  a  terror  generally,  and  his  practices 
and  followers,  and  henchmen  were  such  that 
he  could  and  did  over-ride  and  cow  many,  and 
secure  the  dread  or  hate  of  nearly  all. 

Not  long  after  Hill's  death,  the  dead  body  of 
a  man  was  found  at  or  near  Deadman's  Grove 
(the  place  gets  its  name  from  the  circumstance). 
All  indications  were  that  the  body  had  lain 
for  a  long  time  in  the  water.  No  one  at  the 
inquest  recognized  the  unfortunate.  The  fiicts 
were  published  and  Mrs.  Sweeney,  of  Spring- 
field, came  here,  and  from  the  clothes,  the  false 
teeth  and  the  peculiar  blue  color  of  one  of  his 
partially  decayed  teeth,  identified  the  body  as 
being  that  of  W.  S.  Sweeney,'  her  husband. 
Hill's  enemies  asserted  and  believed  that  he  and 
his  brother  Ed  had  killed  and  robbed  Sweeney 
and  thrown  his  body  into  the  creek.  They 
told  all  the  circumstantial  details — the  fiict 
that  Hill  was  in  debt  to  Sweeney  and  had 
written  to  him  to  meet  him  in  Shelby  ville,  that 
they  did  meet  there,  gambled  and  carouued  for 
two  or  three  days,  and  then  Sweeney  and  Dick 
and  Ed  Hill  started  for  Freemanton,  Sweeney 
in  a  buggy  and  the  other  two   on  horseback. 


In  this  way  they  were  seen  at  points  along  the 
road  to  near  Deadman's  Grove.  One  or  two 
parties  in  this  county  met  them  north  of  the 
Grove  and  these  were  the  last  traces  of  Sweeney 
alive.  Dick  and  Ed  Hill  were  seen  continuing 
their  way  south  of  the  Grove,  but  without 
Sweeney,  and  it  was  said  that  Ed  was  in  a 
buggy,  leading  a  horse  behind  and  Dick  in 
company  on  horseback.  Near  Freemanton,  at 
the  north  side  of  Mr.s.  Flack's  farm,  they  were 
seen  to  separate,  Dick  going  toward  his  home 
and  Ed  going  west  on  the  National  road.  He 
is  reported  to  have  been  seen  at  Vandalia  still 
driving  the  buggy  and  leading  a  horse.  This 
was  the  last  ever  seen  or  heard  of  Ed  Hill. 

In  the  foregoing  mention  of  the  social  and 
political  divisions  among  the  people,  it  must 
not  be  supposed  that  it  was  divided  upon  the 
line  of  the  friends  of  the  man  on  one  side  and 
his  enemies  on  the  other.  This  was  not  the 
line  of  contention  at  all.  Tiiere  were  probably 
ver}'  few  who  regretted  the  taking  off  of  Hill. 
It  was  the  manner  in  which  it  was  done  and  a 
desire  to  ferret  out  the  murderers,  and  at  least 
attempt  to  punish  them  aad  vindicate  the  maj- 
esty of  the  law  that  constituted  the  one  side, 
while  the  others  were  so  rejoiced  at  his  death 
that  they  not  only  justified  the  manner  of  it, 
but  they  were  ready  to  go  any  length  to  shield 
and  protect  the  perpetrators. 

It  was  due  to  this  state  of  affairs  that  it  was 
impossible  to  ever  produce  in  a  court  the  truth 
that  some  absolutely  knew,  and  all  iiad  well 
grounded  suspicions.  Every  witness  who  saw 
the  most  material  parts  of  the  tragedy,  were 
those  who  hated  Hill  and  were  warm  friends  of 
the  suspected,  and  they  discreetly  closed  their 
mouths  upon  the  subject  and  kept  them  so  until 
long  after  the  principal  actors  were  all  dead 
and  the  county  feud  had  passed  away  by  the 
election  of  Joiin  Trapp  as  County  Clerk  in 
1860. 

The  people  of  the  county  had  ranged  them- 
selves on  the  two  sides,  and    for  twenty  years 

D 


66 


HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


elections  were  won  and  lost,  the  question  not 
being  are  you  a  Democrat  or  Whig,  but  are  you 
a  Trapp-man  or  an  anti-Trapp.  Or  as  one  side 
sometimes  taunted  the  other  as  "  horse  thieves," 
and  in  return  they  were  designated  as  "  mur- 
derers." These  terrible  epithets  were  not  com- 
mon, but  during  the  long  feud  they  could  at 
times  be  heard.  It  is  much  to  say  of  the 
people  of  those  days,  that  during  the  twenty 
j'ears  of  bickering  and  bitterness,  other  and 
better  lives  than  Dick  Hill's  were  not  yielded 
up  as  sacrifices  upon  the  alters  of  hot  passion 
and  bitter  prejudices. 

The  evils  arising  in  this  unfortunate  turn 
in  the  public  and  private  affairs  of  the  people 
were  great  and  manifold.  Their  effects  are  not 
yet  wholly  obliterated.  Important  questions 
in  social  life,  education  and  finance  were 
dwarfed  and  forgotten,  while  detraction  and 
hate  ruled  the  hour.  This  unfortunate  state 
of  affairs  would  probably  never  have  existed 
had  any  other  man  than  John  Trapp  been  sus- 
pected of  being  the  chief  actor  in  the  bloody* 
story.  There  were  few  people  who  doubted 
very  strongl}'  at  anv  time  as  to  who  it  was  that 
killed  Hill.  Trapp  himself,  it  is  said,  never 
denied  it  point  blank. 

Trapp  and  Mike  Brockett  were  seen,  just 
after  Hill  was  shot,  to  emerge  from  the  empty 
building  that  stood  near  the  blacksmith  shop 
.in  front  of  which  the  killing  occurred.  They 
each  carried  a  gun;  they  quietly  walked  up 
and  after  looking  a  few  minutes  at  the  dead, 
Trapp  remarked  to  some  one  standing  b}', 
•'  He  is  dead,  isn't  he?"  and  the  two  men  turned 
and  walked  off. 

In  some  respects,  John  Trapp  was  an  ex- 
traordinary man.  He  was  quiet,  unobtrusive, 
kind  and  gentle  of  disposition — big-souled  and 
warmly  generous  to  all;  of  natural  sound, 
strong  sense  and  liberal  views;  he  sedulouslj' 
avoided  dirticulties  and  all  troubles.  He  was 
affectionate  and  warm-hearted,  and  he  loved 
his  friends  and   never   abused   or   threatened 


even  his  worst  enemies.  He  believed  he  had  been 
deeplj'  wronged  by  Hill.  Those  who  knew  the 
circumstances  expected  he  would  kill  him. 
Hence,  when  the  sharp  report  of  the  gun  rang  out 
in  the  quiet  village  of  Freemauton,  it  is  said  the 
same  exclamation  came  from  all  who  heard 
the  gun,  "  There,  I  expect  Hill  is  shot!"  But 
if  Trapp  had  deep  griefs — wrongs  that  impelled 
him  to  avenge  them  illl  blood,  he  gave  no  sign 
or  outward  token;  tie  confided  them  to  no  hu- 
man being  that  ever  betrayed  his  confidence 
or  gave  up  his  secret.  He  was  as  the  still 
waters  that  are  deep.  Not  hast}-  to  act,  not 
swift  to  revenge.  He  made  no  threats — no 
warning,  but  he  deliberately  executed  his  de- 
liberate purposes  even  to  the  death.  His 
friends  never  deserted  him — his  enemies  had 
ceased  to  persecute  him,  and  there  is  no  ques- 
tion but  that  he  died  in  the  sincere  and  honest 
conviction  that  he  had  only  done  his  duty. 

The  following  is  the  substance  of  an  act  of 
the  Illinois  Legislature,  and  is  the  final  chapter 
in  the  official  life  of  Richard  John  Hill,  of  date 
February  3,  1845  : 

"  Whereas,  Richard  J.  Hill  was  appointed 
Collector  of  the  Countj-  of  Effingham  for  the 
taxes  for  the  year  1841,  and  was  charged  with 
the  collection  of  the  taxes  of  that  j^ear,  amount- 
ing to  the  sum  of  $227.1(1,  and  died  without 
having  completed  the  collection  of  the  same 
and  it  appearing  by  the  books  of  said  Hill,  as. 
returned  to  the  County  Commissioners'  Court 
of  said  county,  by  William  J.  Hankins,  ad- 
ministrator of  said  Hill,  and  that  there  re- 
mains uncollected  the  sum  of  $182.47.  There- 
fore 

Section  1.  Be  it  enacted,  eic.  That  Samuel 
B.  Parks,  Charles  Gilky  and  Presley  Funk- 
houser  be  released  from  a  judgment  obtained 
in  the  Sangamon  Circuit  Court  against  them 
as  securities  of  said  Richard  J.  Hill,  as  collec- 
tor as  aforesaid,  on  payment  of  the  sum  of 
$44.G9  with  interests,  costs  of  suit,  that  being 
the  amount  that  appears  to  have  been  collected 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


67 


by  the  said  Hill  as  collector  at  the  time  of  his 
death. 

A  tj'pe  of  a  class  of  men  developed  by  the 
times  were  the  fighting,  roj-stering,  drinking, 
devil-may-care  fellows  of  whom  "chief  among 
ten  thousand  and  the  one  altogether  lovely" 
was  Rod  Jenkins.  He  had  boon  companions, 
many  imitators,  but  no  equals.  He  stood 
alone  "  like  some  grand  ancient  tower  "  except 
when  he  had  to  steady  himself  by  leaning  on 
some  one  not  so  tired  as  he  was.  There  was 
nothing  small  about  Rod;  he  "  longed"  for  the 
spiritual  in  this  life,  and,  like  the  old  woman 
when  telling  how  she  liked  corn  bread,  he 
"  honed  "  for  liquid  joys.  In  the  language  of 
the  hard-shell  funeral  sermon,  "  he  had  bosses 
and  he  run  'em — had  dogs  and  he  "  fit  "  'em — 
had  cocks  and  always  bet  his  bottom  dollar 
on  the  high-combed  cock. 

To  hunt  a  little,  frolic  much,  go  to  town  often 
and  never  miss  a  general  election  daj',  and  get 
"  glorious  "  earl3-  and  fight  all  da}'  for  fun,  was 
the  pleasure  and  delight  of  his  life. 

We  mean  no  offense  to  the  readers  of  the  prize- 
ring  literature  of  to-day  by  informing  them  that 
even  in  the  early  times  there  were  men  here 
nearly  as  big  fools  as  they  aie.  Their  intelli- 
gence, like  these,  had  a  strong  admixture  of  the 
bulldog  and  hyena.  Their  real  worship  was  an 
image  of  the  bullet-head  and  thick-necked  tribe 
of  bruisers.  It  is  this  base-born  admiration  of 
the  thug  that  makes  such  characters  possible 
among  civilized  men.  The  bull}'  is  the  com- 
panion piece  of  the  religio- militant  dogmatic 
preacher.  Thev  are  admirabl}' mated  in  igno-  | 
ranee,  but  in  all  else  the  blood-tub  is  the  best  of 
the  two.  It  has  been  said  that  of  all  disgust- 
ing sights  for  gods  or  men,  the  worst  is  that  of 
a  prize-ring  with  two  human  brutes  turned 
loose,  like  Spanish  bulls,  to  batter  and  bruise  i 
each  other  to  the  point  of  death.  But,  in  truth,  i 
a  3-et  worse  sight  is  an  ignorant  dogmatic  ass 
in  the  pulpit,  sacrilegiousl}-  proclaiming  his 
Godly  authority  to  damn  mankind,  and  rudely 


invading  the  sacred  confines  of  that  border  land 
of  the  finite  and  infinite,  where  each  one  is  unto 
himself  a  secret  and  a  covenant  with  his  God 
alone;  where  no  carthh"  power  should  ever  at- 
tempt or  does  attempt  to  go,  but  where  the 
long-eared  dogmatist  would  forever  "  bray  "  j'ou 
in  the  gnashing  teeth,  the  sobs  and  wails  of  a 
superheated  hell  and  brimstone. 

There  were  redeeming  traits  often  about  the 
fighting  bully  in  those  olden  times.  He  was  the 
foundation  upon  which  the  present  thugs  may 
place  their  first  start  in  the  world,  and  from  the 
good  that  was  in  him  his  successors  have  wholly 
departed,  until  they  now  present  an  instance 
of  perpetual  degeneration  and  total  depravity. 

Rod  had  many  redeeming  qualities.  At 
home  he  was  sober,  industrious  and  honest. 
His  .fault  was  he  wanted  to  go  to  town  too  often. 
He  only  wanted  to  quarrel  with  those  who  had, 
like  himself,  a  passion  for  such  discussions,  and 
here  was  a  small  class  of  men  who  found  their 
fun  and  enjoyment  in  thus  expending  the  pent- 
up  vital  forces  that  were  in  their  large  and 
splendidl}'  developed  physical  organizations. 

Among  barbarous  people,  to  drink  and  get 
drunk  are  not  grievous  crimes,  and  generally 
from  the  highest  to  the  lowest  the  rule  is  to  in- 
dulge to  excess  upon  every  opportunity.  There 
was  a  time  when  anywhere  in  Illinois  whisky 
was  to  be  found  in  every  house;  it  was  a  com- 
mon- beverage  for  men,  women  and  children, 
and  common  hospitality  commanded  it  to 
be  offered  to  every  guest  upon  nearly  all 
occasions.  It  was  cheap,  in  common  use, 
fresh  from  the  still  and  fiery,  but  neither  adul- 
terated nor  poisoned.  It  made  men  drunk  and 
foolish  and  beastly,  but  probably  did  not  so 
fearfully  craze  them  then  as  now. 

Rod  was  not  whoU}'  vile  nor  evil-looking, 
morally  or  physically.  In  fact,  a  kindly-faced, 
good  old  grandmother  who  knew  Rod  when  she 
was  a  fair-haired  Lass,  has  often  described  him 
to  the  writer  as  she  saw  him  with  her  young 
eyes  in  his  early  manhood.     She  insists  he  was 


68 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


not  her  sweetheart,  yet  she  pronounces  him,  at 
one  time,  "  the  prettiest  man  in  the  county." 
But  he  was  never  vain  of  his  beautj',  however 
much  he  may  have  been  of  his  prowess.  Even 
if  he  had  been  proud  of  his  manly  beauty  of 
face,  he  met  with  an  accident  that  changed  all 
this  just  as  effectually  as  did  the  mule  cure  the 
boy  that  attempted  to  climb  his  tail.  This  ac- 
cident gave  him  the  name  of  '•  Old  Snip  Nose," 
and  came  about  as  follows: 

On  one  occasion,  in  a  nice,  friendl}'  fight, 
he  bit  off  a  portion  of  his  friend's  nose. 
When  he  sobered  up,  he  no  doubt  regretted 
the  accident  so  much  that  he  would  have 
replaced  the  missing  link  if  he  could.  But 
seeing  he  could  not  do  this,  he  gave  him- 
self no  further  concern.  His  victim  did  not 
relish  the  very  practical  joke,  but  nursed  his 
wrath  to  keep  it  warm,  and  as  patiently  as  he 
could,  bided  his  time.  It  was  not  a  great  while 
before  he  saw  Rod  start  home  from  Ewiugton 
so  ver^'  drunk  that  before  he  had  gone  verj'  far 
beyond  the  city  limits  he  fell  off  his  wagon,  the 
fall  not  disturbing  his  sound  sleep.  His  enemj' 
improved  the  opportunity,  rushed  upon  him, 
and  cut  off  his  nose.  Whisky  had  been  the 
Delilah  that  caressed  Rod  in  her  lap  until  he 
■was  shorn  thus  cruell3'.  From  that  day  he  had 
about  the  poorest  excuse  for  a  nose  in  the 
whole  county.  At  all  events  he  missed  it  so 
sadly  that  he  eventuallj-  took  an  old  shoe-vamp, 
soaked  it  well,  and  made  a  leather  nose,  which 
was  fastened  to  its  place  by  a  string  around  his 
Lead  above  the  ears. 

One  morning  he  rode  into  Ewington  to  spend 
the  day,  as  usual,  and  as  he  came  into  the 
crowd,  Dan  Williams  (Blue  Dan)  saluted  him 
cheerfully  with,  "  How  are  j'ou,  old  Snip  Nose?  " 

He  paid  little  or  no  attention  at  the  time  to 
this  salutation,  but  during  the  day  Rod  and  Dan 
got  into  a  fight,  when  Rod  bit  off  Dan's  nose, 
and  then  pushed  him  awaj',  sa3-ing  with  a  leer, 
"How  are  you,  Brother  Snip?"  The  whole 
county  enjoyed  the  joke  finely',  at  least  as  well 


nearly  as  did  Blue  Dan,  and  from  this  time 
forth  the  two  were  better  friends  than  ever. 
They  often  met  in  the  village  and  spent  the  day 
in  admirable  harmonj-  together,  never  after 
meeting  with  more  serious  mishaps  than  some- 
times loosing  their  leather  noses,  and  then  they 
would  go  arm  in  arm  roaring  through  the  vil- 
lage, sending  the  women  and  children,  and  some 
of  the  men  too,  flying  in  terror  to  their  homes 
and  hiding  places. 

Rod  and  Dan  were  admirable  types  of  a  class 
that  were  here  from  the  first,  and  that  will  be  here 
yet  for  maj'hap  a  long  time.  It  is  not  insisted  on 
that  their  abnormall}'  developed  bumps  for 
fights  and  whisky  were  either  essential  to  the 
early  pioneer  or  models  to  be  hung  up  in  the 
schoolroom.  But  there  is  little  doubt  but  that 
they  had  other  essential  traits,  such  as  reckless 
bravery,  strong  resolution  and  endurance  for 
the  sore  trials  of  their  times  that  made  them 
valuable  factors  in  the  struggles  of  the  fathers. 

Boleyjach. — Another  and  a  different  character 
entirelj-  from  an}'  we  have  attempted  to  por- 
tray in  the  preceding  chapters  was  Bole3Jack, 
sometimes  styled  the  parched  corn,  summer 
preacher.  He  was  a  magnificent  specimen  of 
the  coou  skin  pioneer  exhorter  in  many  re- 
spects. He  lived  hard,  preached  brimstone 
sermons  and  was  paid  his  ministerial  salar}-  in 
old  clothes,  and  at  rare  intervals,  a  full  feed  on 
•'  hog  and  hominy  "  at  a  brother's  or  neighbor's. 
From  his  early  days — the  years  intervening 
between  his  childhood  gambols  and  his  back- 
woods preaching — little  or  nothing  is  known. 
He  was  here — as  to  how,  whence  or  why  he 
came  no  one  asked,  perhaps  no  one  cared.  He 
was  naturally-  pious  and  dirty,  in  fact,  the 
prince  of  dirt  if  not  a  paragon  of  piety.  His 
laziness  was  onl}'  equaled  by  his  tatters  and 
rags.  He  despised  all  manual  labor,  and  dread- 
ed soap  and  water  with  an  intensity  that  kept 
him  preserved  always  in  his  ancient  sweetness 
and  purity.  He  was  the  great  unwashed  sal- 
vation shrieker,  j-et  there  was  within  him  the 


I 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


69 


smoldering  fires  of   a  rough    eloquence   that 
when  once  in  his  pulpit   and   wanned  to  his 
work,  were  soon  fanned   into  fierce  flames    as 
he  drew  frightful  pictures  of  an  angry  God,  or 
the  horrors  of  a  hell  of  literal  fire  and  brim- 
stone.    He  preached  the  Gospel  pure  and  sim- 
ple, as  he  understood  it;  not  for  pelf,  but  sole- 
ly for  the  good  of  mankind,   and  because  he 
was  too  lazy  to  do  an^-thing  else.     Man}-,  who 
have  seen   him  hundreds  of    times,    have    at- 
tempted over  and  over  again  to  describe  him — 
to  draw  in  words  a  picture  so  strong  and  clear 
that  his  true  likeness    would  stand  out  upon 
the  canvas  strong  and  distinct.     It  is  feared 
they  failed  to  that  extent  that  it  will  be  im- 
possible for  us  to  place  him  in  his  deserved 
niche  of  immortality.     In  appearance  he  is  de- 
scribed as  a  man  of  medium  size,  angular,  un- 
couth and  very  ungainl}- ;  swarthj-  complexion, 
large  mouth,  heavy  lips,  long  black,  coarse  un- 
kempt hair,    stooped  shouldered,   sluggish   of 
movement,  and  listless,  careless  air.    His  whole 
features  were  heavy  and  stolid  ;  a  large  under 
jaw  and  a  thickness  of  neck  that  indicated  the 
preponderance  of  the  animal,  the  eye  being  the 
only  feature  that  bespoke  talent  of  any  kind. 
He  was  a  summer  preacher  mostlj',   and  his 
dress  was  not  of  royal  ermine  or  purple  silk 
and  fine  linen.     It  was  coarse,  home-made  tow 
linen,  and  consisted  of  shirt  and  "  breeches,  " 
the  breeches  foxed  with  buckskin  in  front  and 
rear,  and  a  coon-skin  cap,  and  as  a  rule  bare- 
foot, but  on  great  occasions  he  wore  a  shock- 
ing pair  of  shoes — no  socks.     His  shoes  never 
fit,  and  he  stuck  his  toes  into  the  vamp  while 
his  heels  braved  the  wind  and  weather.  The  shoe 
and  foot  were  kept  together  by  hickory  bark 
strings.     There  was  a  mile  of  shin  between  the 
"  breeches  "  and  shoes  exposed  to  the  elements. 
This  exposure  bad  given  them  much  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  young  shell-bark  hickory.     To 
make  up  for  the  shortness  at  the  bottom  of  his 
"  breeches,"  they  were  drawn  up    nearly  to  the 
neck  by  a  single  hickory  bark  "  gallus  '  which 


was  fastened  by  goodly  sized  wooden  pegs  in 
lieu  of  buttons. 

Such  was  Boleyjack,  and,  such  as  he  was,  he 
never  seemed    to  tire  of   proclaiming  to   the 
world  that  he  was  not  "ashamed  to  own   his 
Lord  and  Master."     ^Yhether  this  compliment 
was  returned  or  not  is  not  material  to  this  in- 
quiry.    Boleyjack  was  no  sunshine,  band-box 
dandy.     He  was  not  a  Beecher,  a  Talmage,  a 
mountebank  nor  a  monkey'.     He  was  a  humble, 
sincere,  great  pioneer  preacher,  with  fists  like 
a  maul  and  a  voice  like  the  fabled  bull  of  Ban- 
she,  and  thus  arrayed  and  equipped  he  went 
meekly  forth  upon  his  mission,  and  waked  the 
echoes  of  the  primeval  forests,  made  reprobates 
tremble,  women  to  cry  and  shout  aloud,  and 
many  a  tough  old  sinner  to  fall  upon  his  kness 
and  plead  with  Heaven    in  agonizing  groans 
and  sobs.     In  squalor  and  poverty  in  his  floor- 
less  log  cabin  he  dreamed  out  his  indolent  ex- 
istence, tasting  in  a  vague  way,  perhaps,  .some 
of  the  pangs  of  endless  punishment.    Yet  there 
is  no  doubt  he  found  surcease  of  sorrows  in 
his  vivid  imaginings,  which  brought  him  sweet 
foretaste  of  the  eternal  Sundays  in  that   city 
not  built  with  hands,  and  whose  streets  are 
paved  with  gold,  and  whose  rivers  flow  peren- 
nially with  milk  and  honey.     Bole^'jack's  wife 
and  iielpmeet  was  an  instance  of    remarkable 
adaptation  to  a  remarkable  husband.     She  was 
not  too  much  civilized  ;  was  coarse,  rough,  of 
great  phj-sical  strength  and   endurance.     Her 
unadorned  beauties  had  been  materiallj-  aggra- 
vated by  a  savage  hook  in  one  ej-e,  bj-  a  furious    ; 
cow,  which,  while  it  had  not  "  put  out  "  the  eye, 
had  sadly  "  rucked  "  it  up,  and  for  the  balance 
of  its    life    it   dissolved    partnership  with   its 
mate  and  seemed  to  set  up  business  on  its  own 
hook.     A  circumstance  or  two  will  tell  much 
of  her  history.     Not  a  great  while  before  her 
death,  a  railroad  train  killed  her  cow.     The  old 
lady  witnessed  it  all  from  her  cabin  door.    She 
rushed  out,  took  her  position  on  the  track  and 
demanded  pay   for  her  cow  before    the  train 


70 


HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


could  move.  It  was  only  after  much  trouble 
and  some  force  that  she  could  be  gotten  out  of 
the  wa}-  and  the  train  allowed  to  pursue  its 
voj-age.  It  is  said  that  she  regularh-  soaped 
the  track  until  an  agent  was  sent  down,  and  a 
good  round  price  paid  the  old  lady  for  her  cow. 
Not  a  great  while  after  this,  she  was  walking 
along  the  track  of  the  railroad  when  a  train 
came  along.  The  engineer  whistled  and  whis- 
tled, and  slowed  up  and  whistled  and  barked 
and  coughed  but  all  in  vain.  She  gave  it  no 
heed,  never  once  turned  her  head.  Finally, 
when  almost  upon  her,  it  was  stopped,  the  con- 
ductor and  brakeman  rushed  forward,  believing 
they  had  barely  saved  the  life  of  a  poor  deaf 
mute,  and  seized  her  by  the  arms  and  forced 
her  to  one  side.  '•  Oli !"  says  she,  "  you  may 
hoot  and  toot,  and  keep  a  hooten  and  a  tooten. 


but  you  can't  skeer  me,  if  you  did  kill  my 
cow  !"  When  the  good  woman  died  there  were 
strange  whispers  went  abroad,  some  of  them, 
in  short,  charging  absolutely  that  Boleyjack 
had  starved  her  to  death.  He  was  eventually 
taken  to  task  upon  this  charge,  and  asked  to 
explain  it.  He  repelled  the  vile  slander,  and 
confused  his  accusers  by  the  crushing  reply  : 
"  It  is  false,  for  there  was  at  least  a  half-pint 
of  parched  corn  at  her  bedside  when  she  died." 
Bolej-jack  soon  followed  his  companion  to  that 
happy  land,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  where  soap  and 
water  are  an  unknown  necessity,  and  where 
parched  corn  and  hickory  bark  "  galluses  "  are 
not  the  essential  stays  of  life.  In  their  hum- 
ble way  and  in  their  hard  lives  they  found 
their  places  and  filled  them  to  the  best  of  their 
abilitv.     Let  them  sleep  in  peace. 


CHAPTER  y. 


LEGAL  LIFE  OP  THE  COUNTY-LLST  OF   OFFICERS-BOARDS    OF    SUPERVISORS-THEIR  OFFICIAL 
DUTIES-FARMING  AND  STOCK  RAISING-AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETIES,  THEIR  MEET- 
INGS AND  OFFICERS— THE  GOOD  ACCOMPLISHED,  ETC.,   ETC. 

C10METHING  of  the  historv  of  the  legal  life 


C)  of  the  county,  that  is,  its  officials  in  their 
regular  order,  is  the  following  : 

1833— T.  W.  Short,  Isaac  Fancher  and  Will- 
iam J.  Hankins  were  the  first  elected  County 
Commissioners'  Court ;  Joseph  H.  Gillespie, 
County  Clerk  ;  John  C.  Sprigg,  Circuit  Clerk  ; 
Henry  P.  Bailey,  Sherifl' ;  John  Ley,  County 
Treasurer  ;  William  J.  Hankins,  County  Sur- 
veyor ;  William  J.  Hankins,  Probate  Judge. 
Isaac  Fancher  only  served  as  Commissioner  a 
few  months,  and  was  succeeded  in  office  by 
James  Turner. 

183-t— Commissioners'  Court  was  John  Mar- 
tin, William  Freeman  and  Eli  Cook. 

1835— June  term,  William  J.  Hankins  ap- 
pointed County  Clerk ;  Sam  Huston,  Treas- 
urer ;  John  Trapp,  Sheriff. 

1836— William  S.  Clark,  Presley  Funkhous- 


er  and  Isaac  Slover  were  the  County  Commis- 
sioners' Court;  Silas  Barnes,  pro  tern.,  County 
Clerk. 

1837— John  C.  Gilleuwaters,  Treasurer; 
William  Freeman,  Sheriff;  William  J.  Han- 
kins, Circuit  Clerk  ;  John  Funkhauser,  School 
Superintendent. 

1838- Tiiomas  M.  Loy,  Probate  Judge; 
John  Loy,  Treasurer;  T.  J.  Gilleuwaters, 
Presley  Funkhouser  and  Isaac  Slover  elected 
County  Judges.  They  drew  lots,  when  Gilleu- 
waters drew  the  three-year  term,  Funkhouser 
two  years,  and  Slover  one  year.  December, 
1838,  a  vacancy  occurred  in  the  County  Clerk's 
office.  To  fill  the  vacancy,  W.  H.  Blakeley, 
John  C.  Gilleuwaters,  and  Newton  E.  Tarrant 
were  applicants.  The  court  by  vote  appointed 
Newton  E.  Tarrant. 

1839 — Law  provided  for  Commissioners  to 


>HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


71 


appoint  two  Assessors  and  a  Collector  for  the 
county.  Joseph  C.  Wheeler  and  Harrison 
Higgs  were  appointed  Assessors,  Joseph  C 
Wheeler,  Collector. 

1839  — Thomas  M.  Loy,'  County  Clerk; 
Thomas  J.  Ronfro,  Sheriff;  Presley  Funkhous- 
er,  T.  J.  Gilleavvaters  -and  Daniel  Parkhurst, 
Commissioners. 

1840 — Martin,  Parkliurst  and  G-illenwaters, 
Commissioners. 

1841— J.  Martin,  S.  B.  Parks,  X.  E.  Tarrant, 
Commissioners. 

1842 — John  0.  Scott,  School  Superintend- 
ent, and  James  Devore  succeeded  Tarrant  as 
Commissioner.  At  August  term  of  this  year, 
Thomas  M.  Loy  resigned  County  Clerkship 
and  William  J.  Hankins  appointed  to  his  place. 

1843— A.  B.  Kagay  elected  County  Clerk; 
James  Cartwright,  Treasurer  ;  John  0.  Scott, 
Count\-  School  Superintendent. 

1844— Elisha  W.  Parkhurst,  Probate  Judge; 
Daniel  Rinebart,  Count}-  Treasurer;  Jaines  De- 
vore, Isaac  Slover  and  William  Dunham,  Coun- 
ty Commissioners.  Brick  court  house  in  Ew- 
ingtpn  built  this  j^ear. 

1845— Charles  F.  Falley,  County  School 
Superintendent ;  Isaac  Slovev,  W.  E.  Tarrant 
and  Charles  Kelliui;  County  Commissioners. 

1846— S.  B.  Parks,  Sheriff;  A.  B.  Kagay 
County  Clerk  ;  W.  E.  Tarrant,  Thomas  Doute 
and  Isaac  Slover,  Commissioners. 

1847  —  Daniel  Riuchart,  County  Clerk; 
Charles  Kellim,  School  Superintendent ;  James 
Levitt,  Treasurer  ;  Thomas  M.  Loj',  Surveyor. 
1849 — Thomas  Doute,  Isaac  Slover,  Gideon 
Lowder,  Commissioners  ;  W.  J.  Hankins,  Pro- 
bate Judge  ;  John  Broom  and  W.  E.  Tarrant, 
Associate  Judges  ;  Richard  McCranor,  Treas- 
urer ;  John  0.  Scott,  School  Superintendent ; 
John  S.  Kelly,  Circuit  Clerk;  S.  B.  Parks, 
Sheriff. 

1851— T.  J.  Rentfro,  Sheriff. 
1846 — John   M.   Brown,    Superintendent   of 
Schools. 


1850 — John  B.  Carpenter,  Superintendent  of 
Schools. 

1852— S.  B.  Parks,  Sheriff. 

1853— John  S.  Kelly,  Circuit  Clerk  ;  W.  E. 
Tarrant,  County  Judge;  Samuel  H.  PuUin. 
James  Devore,  Associates ;  T.  M.  L03',  Coun- 
ty Clerk  ;  R.  A.  Howard,  County  Surveyor. 

1854— John  G.  Gamble,  Sheriff;  John  M 
Brown,  School  Superintendent. 

1S56— Orville  L.  Kelly,  Sheriff;  John  B. 
Carpenter,  School  Superintendent ;  A.  B.  Ka- 
gay, Treasurer. 

1858— W.  E.  Tarrant,  County  Judge  ;  T.  J. 
Gillenwaters  and  H.  H.  Huels,  Associates  ;  D. 
Rinehart,  County  Clerk. 

1859— Samuel  Winters,  Sheriff. 

1861— John  Trapp,  Circuit  Clerk;  0.  L. 
Kelly,  Sheriff". 

1861 — Robinson  McCann,  School  Superin- 
tendent. Never  served  out  his  term.  Went 
to  the  war,  and  court  declared  bond  insufficient 
and  appointed  Calvin  Kitchell  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

1863— William  Giilmore,  Sheriff. 

1865— S.  B.  Parks,  County  Judge  ;  D.  Rine- 
hart, County  Clerk  ;  J.  C.  Brady,  Circuit  Clerk; 
Jesse  Surrells,  Treasurer ;  AV.  I.  N:  Fisher, 
School  Superintendent ;  A.  S.  Moflit,  Surveyor; 
William  Giilmore,  Sheriff;  T.  G.  Vandever, 
Coroner. 

1869 — Jonathan  Hooks,  County  Judge;  J. 
W.  Filler,  County  Clerk;  Jesse  R.  Surrells, 
Treasurer;  S.  F.  Gilmore,  School  Superintend- 
ent; Calvin  Mitchell,  Surveyor;  L.  J.  Willien, 
Coroner. 

1871— J.  Surrells,  Treasurer;  C.  Mitchell. 
Surveyor. 

1872— W.  C.  Lecrone,  Circuit  Clerk;  W.  C. 
Baty,  Sheriff;  W.  H.  Giilmore,  States  Attorney; 
J.  H.  Kroeger,  Coronef. 

1873 — J.  B.  Jones,  County  Judge ;  J.  W. 
Filler,  County  Clerk;  H.  G.  Habing,  Treasurer; 
Owen  Scott,  School  Superintendent. 

1874— W.  C.  Baty,  Sheriff;  Levi  Rentfro, 
Coroner. 


72 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


1876— W.  C.  Lecrone,  Circuit  Clerk;  W.  H. 
Gillraore,  County  Attorney;  Tliomas  H.  Dobbs, 
Slieriflf;  W.  L.  Goodell,  Coroner. 

1879 — Barney  Werusing,  Treasurer;  C.  A. 
Van  Allen,  Couuty  Surveyor. 

1880— R.  C.  Harrah,  County  Attorney;  W. 
W.Simpson,  Circuit  Clerk;  A.  H.  Kelly,  Sheriff; 
J.  N.  Groves,  Coroner. 

If  to  these  names  he  added  the  various  ones 
of  the  numerous  boards  of  Supervisors  of  the 
county  that  have  assembled  from  time  to  time 
to  guard  the  people's  interests  and  carry  on 
the  business  of  the  county,  then  you  will  have 
a  complete  list  of  the  names  which  bear  the 
honors,  whatever  they  may  be,  of  the  legal  life 
and  doings  of  the  county,  as  well  as  the  names 
of  those  on  whose  shoulders  must  perpetually 
rest  the  foolish,  unwise,  and  positively  injurious 
public  acts,  if  there  have  been  any,  in  the  coun- 
ty's history  to  date. 

To  the  day  of  the  adoption  of  township  or- 
ganization in  the  county,  thei-e  is  but  little,  if 
any,  doubt  that  many  errors  slipped  into  the 
administration  of  county  affairs,  but,  at  worst, 
they  were  venial  and  the  inflictions  that  fol- 
lowed them  were  temporarj-,  and  the  county's 
financial  affairs  never  verged  upon  the  borders 
of  criminal  extravagance.  In  manj-  things  they 
would  now  be  termed  old  fogyish  probably,  and 
they  would  deserve  the  mild  reproach,  but  they 
were  always  rigidly  conservative  and  econom- 
ical in  handling  the  people's  money,  and  but 
precious  little  of  the  public  "  blood  money  " 
(not  a  bad  name  for  all  taxes)  found  its  way, 
under  any  pretext,  into  any  official's  pocket. 

Let  justice  be  rendered  these  plain,  unpre- 
tentious men  in  this  respect.  Their  sterling 
official  honesty  is  now  beautiful  to  behold,  and 
it  is  well  to  constantly  revive  its  cherished 
memory.  True,  temptations  were  not  scat- 
tered along  their  pathway,  but  it  should  be 
borne  in  mind  that  those  officials  who  handle 
and  manage  the  public  funds,  usually  have  the 
making  and  creating  of  their  own  temptations, 


and  it  is  not,  and  should  not  be,  an  answer  to 
say,  "  he  was  sorely  tempted." 

A  few  hundred  dollars  was  all  the  county 
gathered  from  the  people  annually  prior  to 
1860. 

It  is  the  misfortune  of  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors that  it  came  intq  existence  in  the  county 
when  all  the  country  was  in  the  first  throes  of 
the  civil  war.  Communities  had  gone  daft,  and 
madness  and  folly  ruled  everywhere,  and  pretty 
much  all  the  few  remnants  of  sanity  left  in  the 
few  individuals  were  either  ostracized  or  hung 
by  mobs.  The  bloody  carnival  had  commenced, 
the  end  of  the  evils  of  which  will  not  come  in 
our  day  or  generation,  or  in  the  day  and  gen- 
eration of  our  immediate  children's  children. 
When  a  great  people  have  been  completely  de- 
moralized, it  is  not  yet  a  fact  demonstrated  by 
either  ancient  or  modern  history,  that  the 
plague  can  ever  be  cleansed  from  the  blood, 
and  real  health  restored.  National  demoraliza- 
tion, when  it  honeycombs  the  body  politic  and 
penetrates  every  hamlet  and  home  in  the  land 
is  leprosj' — incurable  and  loathsome. 

For  the  year  1882,  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
calls  for  the  sum  of  $17,000  for  county  revenue 
only. 

This  is  not  so  high  as  it  has  been  in  some 
years,  and  it  is  higher  than  it  has  been  in  some 
years. 

In  1881,  it  was  $14,623.74;  in  1869,  §14,758; 
in  1878,  $20,561.99;  in  1877,  $24,379.50. 

To  explain  these  extraordinary  levys,  it 
should  be  borne  in  mind  that  they  were  caused 
by  the  large  defaults  made  by  many  tax  payers. 

The  call  for  $17,000  this  year  will  all  be  col- 
lected, so  that  this  may  be  put  down  as  the 
true  expense  for  the  year  1882  of  the  county. 
This  is  the  county's  money,  for  couuty  pur- 
poses, county  expenses. 

Schools,  roads  and  bridges,  townships,  rail- 
roads. State  and  about  every  other  of  the  in- 
numerable taxes  piled  on  our  people,  are  ex- 
cluded from  this  $17,000  the  couuty  wants  and 


HISTORY  OF  EFFIKGHAM  COUNTY. 


73 


will  get.  The  Poor  Farm  and  the  pay  of  the 
county  officers  are,  so  far  as  the  public  may 
see,  the  only  places  where  this  money  is  des- 
tined to  go.  A  part  of  this  money  may  be 
used  necessarily  in  the  matter  of  the  county's 
tax  sale  latelj',  where  the  county  bid  off  the 
land,  and  holds  the  certificates  of  purchase. 
Other  portions,  judging  by  the  past,  may  be 
appropriated  b}'  the  board  to  aid  in  the  build- 
ing of  certain  much  needed  bridges  in  the 
county,  and  thus  all  this  sum  of  money  may 
be  both  justly  and  judiciouslj-  expended,  and 
the  people  have,  not  only  no  cause  to  complain, 
but  much  to  commend  most  heartily. 

In  the  way  the  county's  book-keeping  is  done 
it  is  very  difficult,  next  to  impossible,  for  a 
tax  payer  to  go  there  and  tell  how  much  of 
the  money  has  been  used  for  county  purposes, 
and  how  much  for  count}'  expenses  in  the  dis- 
charge of  the  county's  business.  In  this  the 
board  gives  the  people  just  ground  for  some  of 
the  complaints  against  it. 

The  county  has,  at  one  time  or  another, 
employed  experts  to  in\'estigate  nearly  ever}' 
officer  in  the  county,  except  the  Board  of  Su- 
pervisors. There  is  a  fine  vein  of  irony  run- 
ning through  all  tliis  employment  of  experts 
(the  qualification  necessary  being  the  ability  to 
keep  a  set  of  books)  to  come  in  on  every  emer- 
gency and  explain  to  the  board  its  own  busi- 
ness. It  is  on  a  par  with  the  appointment  of 
Postmasters  that  cannot  read  and  write. 

A  generation  ago  the  County  Commissioners 
built  bridges  that  were  very  regularly  washed 
away,  and  this  heroic  work  is  patiently  going 
on  in  the  same  wa}-  to-day.  It  was  once  said 
that  somebod}-  never  learned  and  never  forgot 
anything.  That  probable  somebody  has  come 
to  Effingham  to  superintend  the  public  works 
across  the  streams  of  the  count}-. 

It  is  said  that  one  direct,  and,  which  ought 
to  be  fatal,  evil  flowing  out  of  this  township  law 
as  it  has  heretofore  worked,  has  been  this: 
Whenever  a  man  was  elected  Supervisor,  he  at 


once  became  a  candidate  for  some  county  office, 
and  commenced  to  form  his  ring  in  the  board 
to  help  him  carr}'  out  his  purpose.  If  this  was 
ever  done,  that  instant  the  man  and  his  asso- 
ciates in  the  infamy  were  fullblown  scoundrels; 
and  it  is  using  mild  terms. to  call  him  a  scoun- 
drel. 

If  the  Legislature  would  onlj-  pass  a  law 
that  no  Supervisor  could  for  at  least  two  years 
after  going  out  of  office,  be  elected  to  a  county 
office,  it  would  not  harm  the  people;  it  would 
not  deprive  them  of  the  only  chance  they  might 
have  of  getting  good,  competent  and  honest  men. 

All  democratic  governments  are  menaced 
by  things  that  are  equally  dangerous,  and 
equally  certain  to  be  an  indiginoas  and  spon- 
taneous production,  to  wit,  demagogues  and 
over-legislation. 

The  fool  in  his  heart  has  said  that  much  vot- 
ing is  much  liberty  and  greatness.  The  cun- 
ning demagogue  has  educated  his  long-eared 
constituents  into  the  knowledge  that  many 
, laws  make  much  freedom. 

And  when  the  school  convention  meets  it 
has  never  yet  whispered  a  word  of  war  upon 
this  wide-spread  and  criminal  ignorance  upon 
which  the  public  is  fattening  .and  battening 
from  year  to  year. 

Na}',  naj',  dear  simple  Simon,  we  are  born  to 
war  upon  men's  pockets,  not  their  ignorance. 

The  legislative  acts  of  the  county  and  its 
self  government  are  no  more  the  creation  of  the 
public  idea  that  prevails  as  to  what  is  a  good 
Government,  than  are  the  schools  the  founders 
and  progenitors  of  the  enlightment  and  civili- 
zation we  have. 

The  public  officials,  the  good  or  bad  we  have 
evolved  from  our  self-government  are  the  reflex 
picture,  as  are  the  schools,  public  morals, 
and  about  everything  else  we  have,  the  result 
of  that  pul)lie  that  breathes  the  breath  of  life 
into  them  all.  They  are  all  the  effects  of 
causes,  of  which  they  have  had  no  lot  or  par- 
cel in  forming  or  directing. 


/ 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


Agricultural  Societies. — Following  naturally 
upon  the  official  life  of  the  county,  comes  the 
acts  and  official  doings  of  the  different  and  suc- 
cessive agricultural  societies,  that  had  their  rise 
in  Ewington  May  5, 1865,  in  a  public  meeting  of 
the  leading  men  of  the  county,  called  together 
for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  county  agricult- 
ural society.  The  book  is  thus  formally  dedi- 
cated on  the  title  page. 

"  This  book  is  to  contain  the  constitution 
and  hy-la;vvsof  this  society;  the  names  of  mem- 
bers belonging  thereto,  also  a  true  and  faithful 
record  of  all  the  official  business  and  proceed- 
ings of  the  same." 

Then  follows  a  constitution  and  by-laws 
elaborate  and  ponderous  enough  for  the  ship 
of  State  to  ride  upon  in  safety.  This  constitu- 
tion and  by-laws  are  better  explained  by  the 
very  full  minutes  of  a  meeting  that  is  given  in 
full  on  the  next  page,  "  held  by  the  citizens  of 
Effingham  County,  at  Ewington,  on  5th  day  of 
May,  1856."  Meeting  organized  by  electing 
Dr.  J.  H.  Robinson,  Chairman,  and  Greenbury 
Wright,  Secretary.  Constitution  and  by-laws 
read  and  unanimously  adopted  on  motion  of  P. 
Funkhouser. 

J.  H.  Robinson  was  elected  President  of  the 
Agricultural  Society,  Presley  Funkhauser, 
Vice  President,  Greenbury  Wright,  Secretary, 
and  J.  M.  Long,  Treasurer. 

On  motion,  P.  Funkhauser,  the  Secretary, 
was  "  ordered  to  furnish  each  officer  of  the 
society  with  a  certificate  of  his  election,  accom- 
panied by  a  synopsis  of  his  duty.' 

I.  L.  Leith  moved  that  the  "  Treasurer  pur- 
chase a  book  for  each  officer  to  record  all  the 
business  of  the  society." 

George  Wright,  S.  F.  Hankins  and  J.  J. 
Funkhouser  were  elected  Executive  Committee 
in  Town  8,  Range  5  ;  Elijah  Henry,  I.  L.  Leith 
and  Morgan  Wright,  Town  6,  Range  5  ;  J.  B. 
Carpenter,  J.  W.  Parkhurst  and  A.  H.  Wood, 
Town  7,  Range  5  ;  John  F.  Waschfort,  Town 
8,  Range  6 ;  John  Billingsly,  Town  7,  Range 


4 ;  A.  W.  Callard  and  C.  B.  Kitchel,  Town  9, 
Range  5  ;  G.  W.  Merry,  Town  6,  Range  7  ;  J. 
S.  Wilson,  Town  6,  Range  6  ;  John  Marble  and 
Robert  Phillipps,  Town  8,  Range  7. 

At  the  next  meeting  in  July  following,  Joiiu 

F.  Kroeger  and  H.  H.  Huels,  John  Hipsher, 
James  Woodruff,  Addison  Webb,  George  W. 
Barkley,  L.  J.  Field,  M.  K.  Robinson,  A.  JIc- 

CuUough, Newbanks,  Luke  R.  McMurry, 

Thomas  Patterson,  E.  Howard,  T.  D.  Tennery, 

G.  W.  Holmes,  S.  D.  Lorton,  Jackson  Gillmore, 
Isaac  Mahon,  G.  AV.  Nelson,  H.  Cronk,  R.  Mc- 
Cann,  M.  B.  Reed,  J.  F.  Meyer,  A.  Johnston 
and  R.  Dust  were  added  to  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee. 

On  the  21st  of  October,  1857,  the  Effingham 
County  Agricultural  Society  met  again  at 
Ewington,  where  Isaac  L.  Leith  was  elected 
President,  Daniel  Rinehart,  Vice  President. 
John  S.  Kelly,  Secretary,  Presley  Funkhouser, 
Treasurer. 

A  full  list  of  awarding  committees  were 
appointed  at  this  meeting. 

It  was  resolved  that  each  member  desiring 
to  continue  his  membership  should  pay  50 
cents  to  the  Treasurer.  Fifty-seven  names 
were  then  enrolled  as  the  membership  of  the 
society. 

At  the  county  fair,  October,  1857,  premiums 
were  offered  to  the  amount  of  $40.  Including 
best  stallion,  $3  ;  best  bulls,  $2.50  ;  best  yoke 
of  oxen,  $2  ;  best  span  of  mules,  $1.50  ;  best 
brood  mare,  $2 ;  best  butter,  25  cents  ;  best 
cheese,  $1. 

The  next  meeting  was  in  June,  1859,  when 
it  was  resolved  to  hold  the  fair  in  October  next. 

The  new  Executive  Committee  elected  was 
David  Leith,  W.  H.  Blakely,  Hamilton  Boggs, 
John  W.  Parkhurst,  I.  B.  Humes,  G.  C.  Van 
Mien,  J.  B.  Carpenter,  John  Frazey,  Robert 
McCann,  D.  Rinehart,  A.  B.  Kagay  and  John 
J.  Funkhouser.  This  meeting,  by  motion, 
ordered  its  proceedings  published  in  the  Effing- 
ham Pioneer. 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


75 


Dr.  William  Mathews  then  delivered  an 
address  to  the  meeting  (supposed  to  have  been 
on  the  subject  of  agriculture).  On  the  21st 
and  22d  of  October,  1859,  the  second  county 
fair  was  held  at  Ewington.  The  societj'  had 
Bnlarged  and  fenced  its  grounds,  and  from  the 
long  list  of  premiums  awarded  and  paid  it  is 
evident  this  meeting  was  a  great  success  in 
every  respect.  Ninety-three  dollars  and  fifty 
cents  were  paid  in  premiums,  including  S2  paid 
IMiss  Elizabeth  Fleming,  best  lady  equestrian, 
and  $1  paid  Mary  Fleming,  2d  best  ditto. 

In  October,  1860,  "the  Secretary  records  a 
new  list  of  the  members,  and  this  shows  the 
membership  had  increased  to  fifty -eight. 

Another  successful  meeting  of  the  county 
fair  occurred  October  18  and  19,  18fi0. 

In  March,  18G1,  new  officers  of  the  society 
were  elected  as  follows  :  R.  H.  McCann,  Presi- 
dent ;  D.  Rinehart,  Vice  President ;  Sam  Mof- 
fitt,  Secretary  ;  J.J.  Funkhouser,  Treasurer. 

Nine  persons  were  elected  as  Executive  Com- 
mittee as  follows  :  William  Gillmore,  W.  D. 
Moore,  A.  Tipsword,  Lorenza  Turner,  J.  B. 
Carpenter,  W.  H.  Blakely,  M.  K.  Robinson,  A. 
J.  Parks,  John  H.  Kroger,  G.  H.  Scoles  and 
Dan  Merry.  A  levy  of  50  cents  on  each 
member  and  a  new  list  enrolled  shows  only 
twenty-eight  names  now  remained  as  members. 

At  the  annual  fair,  10th,  11th  and  12th  of 
October,  1861,  SS-t  were  distributed  in  pre- 
miums. March,  1862,  new  officers  were  elected 
as  follows:  W.  H.  Blakely,  President;  R.  H. 
McCann,  Vice  President ;  Sam  Moffitt,  Secre- 
tary, and  D.  Rinehart,  Treasurer. 

In  1862,  a  new  list  of  members  is  recorded, 
and  it  gives  115  names.  This  was  the  largest 
list  the  society  had  ever  obtained,  and,  one 
would  think  it  betokened  prosperity  and  long 
life.  But,  in  fact,  it  was  the  vigor  of  dying 
spasms.  The  energj-  and  judgment  of  the  men 
at  the  head  of  the  movement  had  been  com- 
mendably  seconded  bj'  the  people,  and  some 
most  encouraging  fairs  had  been  held,  but,  in 


1862,  Ewington  began  the  song  of  the  dying 
swan;  and  the  roar  of  the  battle  throughout  the 
land,  and  the  "  smell  of  the  draft "  from  afar 
put  other  thoughts  in  the  heads  of  the  war-like 
men  of  the  county  than  that  of  the  peaceful 
pumpkin.  The  admirable  Secretary,  Sam  Mof- 
fitt, wrote  out  the  new  list  of  membership, 
folded  the  records  and  put  up  his  pen  to  rust, 
when,  with  about  everj'  other  able-bodied  young 
man  on  the  list,  he  went  to  the  front,  where 
bayonets,  not  pens,  were  writing  in  blood  the 
country's  history.  It  was  well  for  the  mild-eyed, 
fair-faced  society  of  agriculture  to  hide  awaj' 
and  sleep  in  peace,  while  war  and  his  wrinkled 
front  held  sway.  In  fact,  the  first  Effingham 
County  Agricultural  Society  ceased  to  e.xist 
after  its  annual  fair  in  1861. 

After  the  lapse  of  eleven  years,  and  on  the 
24th  day  of  August,  1872,  there  was  a  meeting 
in  the  city  of  Effingham  for  the  purpose  of 
organizing  the  Effingham  County  Agricultural, 
Horticultural  and  iNIechanical  Society. 

This  starts  out  with  regular  articles  of  asso- 
ciation, preamble  and  constitution  and  by-laws, 
and  is  incorporated  under  the  general  incorpo- 
ration laws  of  the  State,  and  J.  J.  Worman, 
Circuit  Clerk,  certifies  the  instrument  was  filed 
and  recorded  in  his  office  on  the  28th  day  of 
August,  1872. 

These  articles  of  association  are  signed  by 
102  names,  including  nearly  every  leading 
farmer  and  business  man  in  the  county,  each 
subscriber  taking  shares  of  stock,  and  paying 
In  cash  a  certain  proportion  thereof  at  the  time 
of  subscribing. 

The  organization  was  completed  by  the 
election  of  William  Gillmore,  President ;  T.  L. 
Sexton,  Vice  President ;  E.  H.  Bishop,  Secre- 
tary, and  the  following  Board  of  Directors  :  M. 
V.  Parks,  Eli  Kelly,  William  C.  Wright,  I.  L. 
Leith  and  W.  H.  Blakely. 

The  society  purchased  the  northwest  quarter 
of  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  29j  Town- 
ship 8,   Range   6  east.     This  corners  with  the 


76 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


southeast  corner  of  the  citj'  corporation  of  the 
city  of  Effingham. 

Lumber  was  purchased,  the  grounds  elegant- 
ly inclosed,  an  amphitheater  and  numerous 
halls,  sheds,  and  stock  pens  put  up  and  the 
preparations  for  a  great  county  fair  rapidly 
pushed  forward. 

December  10,  1872,  in  order  to  comply  with 
the  act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of 
Illinois,  the  name  of  the  society  was  changed 
to  the  "  EtBngham  County  Agricultural  Board." 

A  fair  was  ordered  to  be  held  commencing 
September  30  and  October  1,  2  and  3,  1873, 
and  Thomas  H.  Dobbs  was  put  in  charge  of 
the  fair  grounds. 

June  18th,  an  assessment  of  an  additional 
twent}'  per  cent  was  ordered  on  all  stock.  John 
H.  Duffy  was  appointed  Marshal. 

The  Secretary's  books  only  incidentall3'  men- 
tion the  fact  that  any  fair  was  held  at  all.  It 
appears  there  was  one  in  1872  and  in  1873, 
and  the  following  entries  tell  better  what  suc- 
cess attended  each  than  anything  we  can  say  : 

Received  for  the  fair  1872 |1,110  1.5. 

For  the  horse  fair 2o  00. 

State  appropriation 100  00. 

Received  for  the  fair  1S73 1,384  05. 

The  books  show  that  the  land  cost  $2,160. 
Including  this  item,  thesocietj'  paid  out  for  the 
two  years  of  1872  and  1873,  the  sum  of 
$6,379.20,  leaving  a  balance  unpaid  of  $2,- 
262.23. 

For  the  year  1873,  $1,000  were  paid  for 
premiums  and  assistance  on  the  grounds 
for  the  Secretary. 

In  1873,  the  officers  were  S.  Hardin,  Presi- 
dent; Eli  Kelly,  Jake  Khodes,  E.  Avery  and 
Samuel  Campbell,  Directors.  A  fair  was 
ordered  to  be  held  October  6,  7,  8  and  9,  1874. 

The  records  now  .show  a  determination  to 
draw  or  "  bust,"  as  there  is  a  recorded  resolu- 
tion authorizing  the  President  to  close  the 
bargain  for  a  walking  exhibition  by  E.  P. 
Weston  (he  didn't  walk),  but  the  fair  must  have 


been  quite  a  fair  success  as  the  following  ac- 
counts indicate. 

Stall  rent $  32  50. 

Permits  during  fair 419  25. 

Tickets,  first  day 23  05. 

Tickets,  second  day 165  80. 

Tickets,  third  day 551  25. 

Tickets,  fourth  day 309  75. 

Tickets,  titth  day 33  00. 

Season  ticliets 71  00. 

Rent  amphitheater 5  00. 

Discount  on  orders 116  00. 

Entree  fees,  speed  rinj; 88  00. 

Total .f  1,699  36. 

The  association  paid  out  this  year  altogether 
$4,916.28,  leaving  a  balance  unpaid  of  $2,875.76. 

November  17,  1874,  there  was  a  meeting  for 
the  purpose  of  electing  officers,  with  following 
result. 

J.  L.  Gillmoro,  President. 

Samuel  Campbell,  Vice  President. 

Henry  G.  Habing,  Treasurer. 

James  C.  Bradj',  Secretary. 

Directors,  M.  O'Donnell,  Frank  Kreke,  John 
G-.  James,  Thomas  H.  Dobbs  and  I.  B.  Humes. 

This  was  the  heyday  and  acme  of  the  glory 
of  our  count}'  fairs.  It  began  to  decline  after 
1874,  and  although  most  energetic  efforts  were 
made  by  the  officers — all  good  and  competent 
men,  too,  j'et  there  was  and  has  been  to  date 
a  continuous  diminution  of  interest  in  the 
county  fairs.  The  new  board  of  1874  ap- 
pointed Albert  Gravenhorst  Superintendent  of 
Grounds. 

In  1875,  a  fair  was  held  on  the  5th,  6th,  7th 
and  8th  of  October.  This  board  commenced  the 
struggle  to  pay  off  the  debts  of  the  society,  and 
by  this  time  the  whole  countr)'  was  suffering 
from  the  general  stagnation  and  depression  of 
the  panic  of  1873-78. 

Total  receipts  1875,  including  $100  received 
from  State,  $779.90,  Paid  out  for  this  year 
$577.60.  Balance  in  treasury  $202.30.  This 
was  deposited  in  Habiug's  bank,  and  when  the 
bank  suspended  this  was  all  lost. 


HISTORY  OF  EFJ'INGHAM  COUNTY. 


77 


The  association  liad  purchased  the  ground 
and  given  a  mortgage  upon  the  same  for  the 
balance  due  thereon.  This  mortgage  was  fore- 
closed in  1874,  and  the  ground  sold  to  pay  the 
the  debt,  and  this  was  the  final  act  in  the 
second  fiiiluro  to  have  an  agricultural  societj' 
in  Effingham. 

It  slept  the  sleep  of  the  just  for  another 
term  of  years. 

Finally  in  ISSO,  another  meeting  of  the  citi- 
zens resulted  in  a  new  County  Agricultural 
society.  They  leased  the  ground  the  society 
had  once  owned,  for  five  j'ears,  at  a  rental  of 
860  per  j-ear.  And  a  fair  was  held  that  season, 
E.  H.  Bishop,  President;  G.  M.  Lecrone,  Secre- 
tary, J.  J.  Funkhouser,  Superintendent  and  A. 
Gravenhorst,  Treasurer;  T.  H.  Dobbs,  Marshal. 
About  $500  was  the  receipts  for  this  year's  ex- 


hibition, including  the  $100  from  the  State. 
There  had  been  about  $500  subscribed  by  citi- 
zens, and  this  was  expended  in  repairs  upon 
the  grounds  and  new  accommodations  for  stock. 
In  1881,  another  fair,  and  a  moderate  success 
attended  it.  This  year  (1882)  much  ellbrt  and 
elaborate  preparations  were  made,  and  $1,000 
were  expended,  and  $916  receipts  were  taken 
in  at  the  gate  and  for  other  privileges.  The 
attendance  was  ver}'  flattering — there  being 
over  $500  received  as  gate  money.  This  year 
W.  C.  Wright  was  President. 

The  friends  of  this  county  institution  now 
feel  assured  that  it  is  placed  pormanentlj-  upon 
its  feet  and  that  it  may  continue  with  us  for 
many  jears  to  benefit  and  improve  the  county 
as  it  will  do  if  properly  carried  on,  is  the  prayer 
and  wish  of  all  our  people. 


CHAPTER   VI. 


POPULATION,  FARM  PRODUCTS  AND  OTHER  STATISTICS  —  FOREIGNERS  — OUR  OWN  PEOPLE  AND 
THEIR    POLITICS— HUSH    MONEY— HOW    KEPT    AND    HOW    INVESTED— REMOVAL    OF 
COUNTY-SEAT— TOWNSHIP    ORGANIZATION— RICH    MINES  — "GOLD,    YEA, 
.MUCH  FINE  GOLD"— THE  "WAY-BILL,"   AND  WHERE  IT  LEU- 
SALT  CREEK  SILVER— THE  DESERTED  CABIN,  ETC. 

"De  omnibus  rebus  et  quibusdam  aliis." 


IN  the  order  of  States  when  Effingham  County 
was  brought  into  existence,  Illinois  ranked 
as  the  twentieth  State  in  the  Union,  with  a 
population  of  157,445.  In  1840,  the  State  was 
number  fourteen,  with  a  population  of  476,183. 
In  1850,  it  numbered  eleven,  with  a  population 
of  851,470.  In  1860,  it  ranked  as  fourth,  popu- 
lation 1,711,951.  In  1870,  it  was  still  the 
fourth  State,  with  2,539,819  of  people.  In  the 
census  of  1880,  it  was  still  the  fourth  State,but 
pressed  so  closely  upon  Oiiio  that  it  was  not 
until  every  precinct  was  counted  that  it  could 
be  told  whether  Illinois  or  Ohio  was  going  to 
be  the  third  State  in  the  Union.     Ohio  won  by 


a  few  thousand  only  in  the  matter  of  popula. 
tion.  While  in  many  things  Illinois  is  the  first 
State  in  the  Union.  In  farm  products,  cattle 
and  wheat  she  stands  pre-eminent  and  alone  ; 
in  producing  regularl3-  the  largest  wheat  crops 
of  any  State  in  the  Union:  in  the  matter  of 
miles  of  railroad  she  is  without  a  rival,  and  the 
past  year  more  miles  of  new  railroad,  and  more 
roads  have  been  projected  and  in  the  process  of 
building  than  any  other  State. 

The  population  of  Effingham  County  in  1840 
had  grown  to  be  1,675.  In  1850,3,799.  In 
1860,  to  7,816.  In  1870,  to  15,653.  In  1840, 
with  only  1,675  people  in  the  county,  it  was  a 
dreary  desert  waste  yet,  and  but  few  who  looked 


78 


HISTORY  OF  EFFIISrGHAM  COUNTY. 


over  the  wide  prairies  ever  supposed  the}' 
would  become  inhabitalile  for  man  or  brought 
under  the  control  of  the  farmer  and  to  the  pres- 
ent progressive  state  of  improvement. 

In  1850,  the  number  here  was  3,799,  and  in 
1860  it  had  more  than  doubled,  and  was  7,816, 
and,  in  1870,  15,653,  and  in  1880  it  was  18,- 
858,  an  increase  of  onl^*  3,205  in  the  last  ten 
years  to  1880.  This  census  shows  the  curious 
fact  that  there  was  a  decrease  in  population  in 
three  townships,  to  wit :  Mason,  70;  Watson, 
54;  Teutopolis,  91. 

This  decrease  of  the  numbers  in  tliese  town- 
ships may  and  probabl}'  is  fullj-  accounted  for 
bj-  the  fact  that,  in  1 870,  the  work  was  being 
rapidly  pushed  to  completion  on  the  "  Van " 
Railroad. 

In  1870,  the  chief  productions  of  the  county 
were — wheat,  195,793  bushels  ;  rye,  19,759  ; 
corn,  620,247  ;  oats,  386,073  ;  potatoes,  54,671; 
hay,  11,361  tons;  butter,  210,155  pounds; 
wool,  35,650.  There  were  4,907  horses,  4,316 
milch  cows,  and  other  cattle  5,833;  sheep,  13,- 
228;  swine,  17,259;  flour-mills,  8;  saw-mills, 
12,  and  five  manufactories  of  saddler}',  and  two 
of  woolen  goods. 

In  1880,  Joseph  Rhodes,  of  Mound  Township, 
is  reported  one  hundred  j-ears  old.  Richard 
and  Elizabeth  Geotke,  of  Bishop,  are  reported 
the  oldest  married  couple  in  the  county — aged 
eightj'-seven  j'ears.  Cyntha  Rentfro  is  reported 
ninety-three  years  old.  David  Davis  and  Aug. 
Grobenheiser  same  age,  and  Dedrick  Stumbach 
and  Adam  Hany  each  eight3'-nine  years  old. 

In  1882,  b}-  official  reports,  the  county  pos- 
sessed horses,  5,039;  cattle,  9,435;  mules,  810; 
sheep,  6,530;  hogs,  10,325;  steam  engines,  38; 
fire  and  burglar  safes,  38;  billiard  and  bagatelle 
tables,  18;  carriages  and  wagons,  2,625;  watches 
and  clocks,  2,496;  sewing-machines,  1,403; 
pianos,  75;  melodeons  and  organs,  147;  patent 
rights,  1;  household  and  office  furniture,  $51,- 
965;  merchandise  on  hand,  $66,913  ;  manu- 
factured articles,  $2,140 ;    agricultural  imple- 


ments, $32,747.  A  total  personal  property, 
$499,638.  Total  property  assessed,  $2,401 ,395. 
Total  improved  land,  191,710  acres;  unim- 
proved, 90,479.  Acreage  of  wheat,  38,699  ;  of 
corn,  43,525  ;  oats,  27,438 ;  meadow,  24,785  ; 
pastures,  33,686:  orchards,  2,185;  wood  land, 
53,482  acres. 

The  vote  in  1880  was— 

Hancock  (Democrat.) 2,4.53 

Garfield  (Republican) 1,355 

"Weaver  (Greenback) 100 

Total 3,907 

In  1860,  there  were  in  the  county  982  foreign 
born  inhabitants;  in  1870,  there  were  2,795. 
There  were  comparatively  few  foreigners  in  the 
county  except  Germans,  and  the  majority  of 
these  came  here  between  1840  and  1860. 

The  nativit}'  in  the  count}-  in  1870  is  re- 
ported as  follows:  Born  in  the  State,  7,323;  in 
Ohio,  1,783  ;  New  York,  455  ;  Pennsylvania, 
376;  Indiana,  1,377;  Kentucky,  391;  British 
America,  77;  England  and  Wales,  117;  Ire- 
land,228;  Scotland,21;  Germany,2,121;  France, 
58;  Sweden  and  Norway,  63;  Switzerland,  46; 
Bohemia,  1;  Holland,  4;  Denmark,  23.  The 
Tennesseans  are  not  reported.  This  is  to  be 
regretted,  because  all  the  first  settlers  here 
were  from  that  State,  and  for  a  long  time  there 
were  here  comparatively  none  except  Tennes- 
seans and  Ohioans.  And,  as  singular  as  it 
may  now  seem,  at  first  the  people  of  these  two 
States  were  much  inclined  to  hold  aloof  from 
each  other.  The  truth  was,  the  Ohioans 
brought  here  about  the  first  Whig  votes  that 
were  ever  cast  to  disturb  the  peace  and  quiet  of 
the  solid  Hickory  Democrats,  and  sometimes  on 
general  election  days  there  were  mutterings, 
and  a  few  fist  fights  flowed  out  of  this  ripple  in 
the  political  afl'airs  of  the  county.  One  or  two 
of  the  remaining  remnauts  of  those  early  day 
Whigs  can  yet  tell  you  how  they  shouldered 
their  gun  and  marched  up  to  tue  polls  and 
voted  their  viva  voce  vote  against  Gen.  Jack- 
son, and  how  they  had  to  march  up  between  a 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


7« 


row  of  "  by  the  eteraah  "  that  were  struug  out 
on  either  side  and  loolcing  black  thunder  at 
them  all  the  way  up  to  the  ballot  box.  But  no 
attack  was  ever  made  upon  a  voter  as  he  ap- 
proached the  polls  or  returned.  It  was  only 
after  tiie  brave  Whig  had  triumphantly  voted 
and  returned  to  the  convenient  doggery  to  treat 
his  victory,  that  a  row  or  a  fight  ever  was 
precipitated.  But  these  Ohioans  were  young, 
stout,  fearless  fellows,  and  their  pluck  and  hard 
fists  soon  conquered  a  truce,  a  peace  and  amity, 
and  so  much  was  this  so,  indeed,  that  scarcelj' 
any  of  them,  that  lived  to  survive  the  dissolu- 
tion of  the  Whig  party,  but  that  in  the  end  be- 
came as  strong  Democrats  as  ever  had  been  the 
originals. 

The  two  things  that  were  marked  eras  in  the 
history  of  the  county  were  the  constructing  of 
the  Cumberland  Road  and  the  Central  Road. 
The  work  on  the  Cumberland  practically 
brought  the  first  settlers  here,  and  it  left  here 
some  of  the  most  marked  characters  that  the 
early  county  ever  had. 

The  work  was  commenced  in  1829  in  this 
county,  and  the  cutting  out  of  the  timber  on 
the  line  of  road  was  completed  in  the  winter  of 
1830-31.  The  work  was  pushed  to  practical 
completion  a  short  distance  west  of  Ewington, 
and  then  with  scattering  work  at  the  streams  as 
far  west  as  Vandalia,  such  as  a  levee  across  the 
Okaw  Bottom,  and  three  bridges  at  that  place, 
had  exhausted  the  appropriations  of  Congress, 
and  the  people  of  Illinois,  becoming  crazed  over 
the  foolish  State  policy,  were  divided  in  senti- 
ment to  the  extent  (some  wanted  it  to  go  to 
Alton  and  others  to  St.  Louis)  that  no  further 
approptiations  were  procured,  and  the  great 
work  was  stopped.  To  this  count}'  it  was  a 
most  important  public  work.  It  gave  the  people 
access  to  the  outside  world,  where  before  they 
had  been  pent  up  by  almost  impossible  obsta- 
cles. People  could  go  to  Terre  Haute  and  St. 
Louis,  and  thus  reach  markets  and  sell  the  little 
portable  stuff  they  had,  and  buy  such  things  as 


their  necessities  demanded  and  haul  thorn  home. 
But  the  growth  of  county  improvements  was 
slow  indeed.  The  county,  like  the  people  gen- 
erally-, was  poor,  and  while  thc3'  made  com- 
mendable efforts,  yet  often  the  money  was 
wasted  through  being  expended  by  inexperi- 
enced or  ignorant  men. 

Hush  Moneij. — February  17,  1837,  the  State 
had  gone  daft  on  the  subject  of  internal  im- 
provements, and  it  had  passed  a  law  that  it 
supposed  vyould  fill  up  the  State  with  railroads 
and  canals,  and  in  order  to  "  inttoonce  "  the  vote 
of  counties  that  were  not  provided  for  with  any 
such  improvement,  it  voted  a  fund  of  $200,000 
to  be  given  pro  rata  to  such  counties  as  a  bonus. 
Thus,  all  were  made  happy.  "  Take  a  railroad, 
a  canal  or  the  money,"  and  go  th}'  way  rejoic- 
ing. 

This  county  got  neitlicr  a  road  nor  canal,  and 
hence 'at  the  November  (1837)  term  of  the 
County  Commissioners'  Court  tlie  following  pro- 
ceedings were  had: 

Whereas,  On  Februaiy  17,  1837,  the  State  of  Il- 
linois appropriated  .1300,000  of  the  lirst  money  that 
shall  be  obtained  under  this  aot,  to  be  drawn  by  the 
several  counties  in  a  ratable  proportion  to  the  cen- 
sus last  made  through  which  no  railroad  or  "Can- 
nell"  is  provided,  to  be  made  at  the  expense  and 
cost  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  which  said  money  shall 
be  expended  in  the  improvement  of  roads,  construct- 
ing bridges  and  other  public  works;  and, 

Whereas,  The  county  of  Effingham  has  none  of 
the  aforementioned  railroads  or  "Cannells,"  and 
thereby  is  entitled  to  its  proportionate  share  of  the 
aforesaid  appropriation  for  the  better  securing  of 
the  county  in  its  equitable  rights. 

John  Funkhouser  was  appointed  a  Special 
County  Commissioner  to  proceed  at  once  and 
secure,  "  by  all  lawful  means,"  the  money,  and 
deliver  the  same  to  the  county. 

Funkhouser  did  the  best  he  could,  but  failed 
to  get  the  money.  In  about  a  year  afterward, 
Loy  was  appointed  in  Fuukhouser's  place,  and 
got  from  the  State  $2,037.50  as  Etfingham's 
share  of  the  public  money. 

The  Commissioners'  Court,  consisting  of  Gil- 


80 


HISTORY  or  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


lenwaters,  Funkhouser  and  Parkhiirst,  together 
with  the  Count}-  Treasurer,  were  in  the  greatest 
distress  over  having  the  money  which  they  had 
struggled  so  hard  to  get.  Where  could  they 
put  it?  Would  it  be  stolen?  The  County 
Treasurer  declared  he  could  not  sit  up  all  the 
time  to  guard  it,  and  to  go  to  sleep  threatened 
a  total  loss.  A  council  was  called,  when  one 
of  the  Judges,  after  an  oath  of  secrecj^  from  the 
others,  took  it  in  charge,  carried  it  home,  and 
while  all  the  world  slept,  he  took  down  his 
wife's  big  reticule,  made  to  hold  bean  seed,  and 
hung  by  a  string  from  a  cross-beam  above  the 
bed,  and  took  out  the  old  lady's  treasure  and 
put  that  of  the  county's  in  its  place,  and  re- 
turned it,  and  there  it  hung,  looking  as  inno- 
cent as  anj'  old  woman's  seed-bag  in  the  county. 
There  was  much  talk  and  excitement  among  all 
the  people  when  this  large  amount  of  money 
came  to  the  countv.  Some  would  havelikfed  to 
have  seen  it,  but  most  were  content  to  hear, 
from  morn  till  night,  the  story  of  its  really  be- 
ing here,  and  spread  their  e3-es  at  the  marvel- 
ous rehearsal. 

What  will  we  do  with  it?  was  the  prevailing 
question.  J  udge  Gillenwater's  idea  was  to  loan 
it  out  to  "  squatters  "  to  enter  their  improve- 
ments with,  and  then  take  the  land  for  security; 
give  a  low  interest,  and  thus  create  a  perpetual 
count}'  improvement  fund.  Evidently  this  was 
a  good  idea.  The  court  overruled  it,  however, 
and  the  money  was  devoted  to  building  bridges 
for  the  county.  As  soon  as  the  bridges  could 
be  located,  they  were  built,  and  the  nest  spring 
the  freshets  washed  them  all  away. 

This  was  the  end  of  the  great  hush  monej- 
scheme,  and  while  it  is  certainlj'  ridiculous 
enough,  it  is  no  more  so  than  was  the  experi- 
ence of  many  other  counties  which  took  rail- 
roads in  their  share  of  the  boot}-. 

In  1859  the  question  of  tlie  removal  of  the 
county  seat  from  Ewingtoo  to  Effingham,  which 
had  been  agitated  for  a  short  time,  came  before 
the  people  in  the  form  of  a  general  election. 


the  Legislature  having  passed  an  act  authoriz- 
ing the  election  and  the  removal,  in  case  a  ma- 
jority so  voted. 

The  campaign  was  short  and  warm.  Effing- 
ham was  nothing  but  a  hamlet,  while  Ewington 
had  about  200  people  in  it;  but  the  former  had 
the  advantage  of  being  on  the  railroad,  and 
Ewington  was  over  three  miles  away.  The 
friends  of  the  latter  contended  that  it  would  be 
on  a  railroad  as  soon  as  the  "  Brough  "  road 
was  built;  but  the  complete  repl}-  to  tbis  was 
that  when  the  "  Brough  "  was  built  Effingham 
would  have  two  roads — be  at  a  crossing,  and, 
better  than  all,  at  a  crossing  of  two  of  tlie  best 
railroads  in  the  State.  By  a  small  majority, 
Effingham  carried  the  day,  and  great  was  the 
rejoicing  here  of  the  few  people  who  were  then 
its  inhabitants. 

At  the  April  term  (1860)  of  the  County  Court, 
the  following  proceedings  were  had: 

Whereas,  By  act  of  the  Legislature,  April  18, 
1859,  "  aa  act  to  re-locate  the  county  seat  of  Effing- 
ham," an  election  was  held  in  the  county  on  the  first 
Monday  of  September,  18.59,  and  a  majority  voted  to 
remove  the  county  seat  from  Ewington  to  Effing- 
ham; and, 

"Wliereas,  Samuel  W.  Little  and  David  B.  Alex- 
ander are  the  owners  of  tlie  block  known  as  the  Old 
Square  in  the  town  of  Broughton  (now  Effingham), 
and  have  offered  to  deed  the  same  free  of  expense 
to  the  county;  and, 

"  Whereas,  S.  W.  Little,  John  M.  Mette,  George 
Wright,  George  H.  Scoles.  John  J.  Funkhouser  and 
W.  B.  Cooper  have  entered  into  a  bond  to  erect 
thereon  a  court-house,  as  specified  in  said  bond,  free 
of  expense  to  the  county,  in  case  said  block  shall  be 
selected  by  the  County  Court." 

It  was  ordered  by  the  court  to  accept  said 
block,  and  approve  the  bond  offered,  and  to 
permit  said  S.  W.  Little  and  others  to  proceed 
at  once  to  the  erection  of  said  court  house. 

Thus  was  officially  sealed  the  fate  of  the 
once  ambitious  and  high-minded  little  town  of 
Ewington.  As  matters  turned  out  it  was  truly 
saying  to  it  "over  the  hills  to  the  poor-house." 

At  the  general  election  of  1860  the  question 


:->^^^- 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


83 


of  township  organizatiou  was  submitted  to  the 
people,  and  was  carried  in  tavor  of  such  ar- 
rangement. Men  voted  for  and  against  the 
project,  knowing  very  little  about  it,  and  it  is 
now  onh"  after  twenty  years  of  trial  are  they 
able  to  impartially  judge  whether  it  is  a  good 
or  a  bad  thing.  There  is  no  certainty  that  it 
will  ever  be  voted  down,  yet  there  is  no  ques- 
tion in  the  minds  of  many — many,  too,  of  the 
best  informed  men  in  the  count}-,  that  it  is  a 
public  calamity.  To  this  it  is  easy  to  reply. 
If  so,  whj-  is  it  not  voted  down  ?  This  objec- 
tion is  not  unanswcralile.  Tbe  American  peo- 
ple have  a  general  itch  for  otHce,  and  as  this 
township  organization  creates  innumerable 
petty  offices  all  over  the  count}' — so  multiplies 
and  divides  them  up,  as  to  open  a  promise  to 
nearlj-  everj*  voter,  that  the  average  voter 
will  not  vote  away  from  himself  even  the  dim- 
mest hope  and  prospect  for  a  place,  and,  there- 
fore, it  is  immaterial  to  him  whether  he  is  vot- 
ing for  the  good  or  bad,  he  will  vote  for  him- 
self anyhow  and  at  all  hazards.  The  history 
of  the  county,  since  under  the  care  and  man- 
agement of  a  Board  of  Supervisors,  in  many 
transactions  would  not  invite  a  rigid  scrutiny. 
It  is  unnatural  to  expect  sixteen  men,  each 
representing  a  little  imaginary  subdivision  of 
the  county,  with  eacli  of  these  heated  up  with 
a  still  more  imaginarv  interest,  in  direct  oppo- 
sition to  all  the  remainder  of  the  county,  to 
get  together  and  exercise  either  much  judg- 
ment or  discretion  on  any  important  question. 
The  foundation  idea  of  such  government  is  a 
broad  and  radical  mistake,  and  now  that  we 
have  this  deeply  disguised  blessing,  it  is  idle 
and  vain  for  the  people  to  mutter  and  grumble. 
In  thoughtless  ignorance  they  have  made  the 
bed  that  they  must  lie  upon. 

On  the  22d  day  of  April,  1861,  the  first 
County  Board  of  Supervisors  met  and  organ- 
ized, by  the  election  of  David  Leith  as  chair- 
man for  the  year.  The  following  are  the  town- 
ships and  their  Supervisors  : 


West,  William  Gillmore  ;  Moccasin,  Ashliy 
Tipsword  ;  Liberty,  Thomas  D.  Tennery  ;  Ma- 
son, David  Leith  ;  Jackson,  Jethro  Herald  ; 
Summit.  U.  C.  Webb ;  Union,  Calvin  Zimmer- 
man ;  Watson,  John  Mundy  ;  Mound.  William 
D.  Doore  ;  Douglas,  John  P.  Kroeger  ;  Lucas, 
William  D.  Lake  ;  Bishop,  James  Beard  ;  St. 
Francis,  John  J.  Worman  ;  City  of  Effingham, 
John  J.  Funkhouser. 

Golcondas. — From  the  earliest-  settlements 
there  has  been  a  widespread  belief  in  the  ex- 
istence in  the  county  of  all  kinds  of  mines  of 
the  precious  ores,  especially  silver.  Tbose 
stories  doubtless  came  from  the  idlest  Indian 
stories  and  traditions.  To  start  with,  it  is 
most  probable  that  in  fact  the  first  men  here 
in  their  dreams  of  wealth  and  luxury  would 
meet  the  Indians,  about  whom  thej-  all  held  a 
silly  superstition  that  the  red  men  were  lucas 
in  hidden  wealth— that  they  prowled  around  in 
wind  and  storms,  starved  .all  this  week  and 
gorged  one  day  next  week — that  they  loved  to 
do  this  because  the}'  were  Indians,  and  because 
the}'  loved  to  keep  sacred  the  secret  of  their 
immeasurable  wealth  in  gold  and  silver  mines, 
that  they  kept  hid  and  covered  away  from  the 
white  man  as  the  religion  of  their  lives.  Filled 
to  the  hat  band  with  those  foolish  traditions 
and  stories,  the  pioneer  followed  often  the 
promptings  of  this  dream,  when  he  plunged 
into  the  deep  woods,  seeking  the  association 
and  companionship  of  the  savage,  in  the  hope 
of  winning  his  good  graces,  and  at  the  same 
time  his  secrets  of  hidden,  precious  mines. 
Thus  prepared  beforehand,  he  was  ready  to  lis- 
ten most  eagerl}'  to  any  silly  story  he  could 
extort,  and  the  cunning  savage,  perceiving  here 
was  an  opportunity  to  gull  his  white  victim, 
poured  into  his  ear,  in  good  Indian  style,  tbat 
is,  in  very  cunning  and  remarkable  parables 
that  were  so  distinguishing  of  the  race  who 
were 

"Born  in  tlie  wildwood — rocked  on  the  wave," 
and  the  more  incomprehensible  they  were,  the 

E 


84 


HISTORY   OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


more  extravagant  the  figures,  the  wilder  and 
more  dimly  the  language  in  which  the  great 
secret  was  couched,  the  more  convincing  was 
the  stor^-  to  the  credulous  hunter. 

This  singular  and  incurable  faith  in  a  quasi- 
superhuman  species  of  power  and  knowledge  is 
one  of  the  most  unaccountable  phases  of  the  white 
man's  ignorant  credulity.     In  the  quack  adver- 
tised "  Indian  doctors"  and  the  yet  baser  stories 
of  some  wonderful  cure-all  that  a  certain  mission 
ary  who  had  spent  his  life  among  the  savages, 
and  had  wormed  the  great  secret  from  them, 
and  then,  feeling  the  fate  and  perennially  re- 
newed life  of  all  mankind  had  fallen  upon  him 
like  a  mantle,  had   stolen  away  from  his  red 
children,  with  his   purloined  secret,  and  been  i 
followed,  pursued  and  tracked  by  the  relentless  , 
barbarian,  who  would  rather  die  than  give  up  j' 
his  secret.     But  the   Christian  hero  and  thief  j' 
fled  on  and  on  and  on,  turning  gray  every  time  \j 
he  looked  back  at  the   pursuing  villains,  and 
turning  white  every  time  he  saw  the  sharp,  | 
gleaming  scalping  knife  ;  yet  on   he  sped  like 
the  wind.     And  how  he  jumped  on  the  back  of 
the  flying  butfalo,  and  stood  there  like  ada- 
mant, shooting  down  millions  of  howling,,  pur- 
suing savages,  and  then  from  sheer  hunger  de- 
vouring the  frightened  buffalo  belore  he  had 
time  to  stop  and  lie  down  and  die  like  a  com- 
mon buffalo — how  he  scaled  mountains,  swam 
rivers,  fought  wild  cats,  killed  panthers  and 
fled  on  and  on,  bearing  his  great  secret,  and 
finally  how  he  ran  exhausted  into  the  arms  of 
a  Samaritan,  and  gasped  out  his  great  secret 
and  died  ;  and  hence.  Dr.  Pillgarlic  advertises, 
solely  out  of  charity,  for  all  to  buy  his  great 
Indian  remedy,  and  live  forever  witliout  ache 
or  pain.     The  hundreds  that  flock  to  the  Indian 
doctor,  and  the  thousands  who  gulp  down  the 
great  Indian   remedy  are   the  evidences  that 
these  ignorant  superstitions  still  course  in  the 
veins  of  the  descendants  of  not  only  the  pio- 
neers, but  of  nearly  all   men.     How  pitifully 
ignorant  these  poor  dupes  must  be  not  to  know 


that  a  wild  Indian  not  onlj'  knew  nothing 
about  medicine,  but  was  so  ignorant  of  all  dis- 
eases and  their  cures  that  some  tribes  were 
almost  annihilated  by  the  small-pox  from 
jumping  into  the  river  to  cool  ofi"  the  hot  fever 
of  that  terrible  disease. 

These  stories  of  wealth  floated  around  among 
the  earlj-  settlers,  and  they  are  floating  yet. 
Some  of  the  most  implicit  believers  deny  now 
that  the}'  ever  believed,  yet  could  you  unwind 
their  secret  confidence,  30U  would  there  find  a 
faith,  like  an  Eastern  devotee — that  if  they  only 
had  a  ball  made  of  all  precious  metals,  it  would 
point  out  to  them  where  the  secrets  are  hidden. 
The  writer  has  talked  to  more  than  one  of  these 
men,  and  kept  his  face  duly  sober  while  they 
related  to  him  the  glories  and  virtues  of  this 
precious  ''  ball " — the  key  that  infallibly  un- 
locks the  earth's  treasures.  When  asked  how 
the  ball  was  made,  who  made  it  and  what  was 
its  secret  of  knowledge,  the}'  could  give  no  ex- 
planation, except  that  it  was  composed  in  some 
curious,  occult  way,  by  some  man  magician 
unknown  ;  it  possessed  parts  of  all  the  precious 
metals  in  the  world,  and,  therefore,  it  had  a 
sympathy-  and  love  for  its  kind,  and  upon  the 
presumption  it  was  gregarious,  like  a  cow,  so 
that  when  carried  over  the  surface,  where  the 
riches  lay  beneath,  in  some  way,  they  could 
not  explain  how,  it  told  its  secret  to  the  bearer, 
and  then  he  dug  down  and  found  the  precious 
fellow  metals.  When  one  of  these  "  ball ''  faith 
fellows  was  asked  how  many  kinds  of  precious 
metals  there  were  in  the  World,  he  replied, 
with  much  contempt  for  the  ignorance  that  the 
question  implied  :  "  Why,  gold,  silver,  diamonds 
and  lead,  of  course  !  " 

In  the  south  part  of  our  count}',  there  are 
yet  many  living  who  can  tell  you  all  about  the 
story  of  the  "  way-bill,"  which  is  so  unique  that 
it  should  not  be  allowed  to  be  forgotten. 

A  great  many  years  ago,  two  Frenchmen, 
impelled,  perhaps,  by  inspiration,  followed  some 
sign    in   the    heavens    and    their    noses,    and 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


85 


through  flood  and  field,  and  begirt  by  dangers, 
and  kept  alive  b}-  constant  miracles,  they  pui'- 
sued  their  journey',  determined  to  find  the  rich- 
est and  greatest  silver  mines  in  the  world,  and 
finally  the}*  landed  on  the  classic  bluffs  of 
Salt  Creek,  or  on  the  Wabash,  and  commenced 
the  work  of  digging  as  directed.  The  belief 
was  that  they  only  went  down  a  few  inches,  or 
feet,  at  most,  when  they  began  to  uncover  their 
treasure.  Thej'  were  as  secret  as  death  in  all 
their  movements,  3-et  tlie  Indian  found  them 
out,  and  warned  them  upon  peril  of  their  lives 
to  leave.  Thej'  set  about  hiding  their  tracks, 
and  when  this  was  thoroughlj-  done  they  stole 
out  in  the  darkness  and  started  for  New  Or- 
leans. On  the  way  to  the  Mississippi  River, 
the}'  cautiously  blazed  or  marked  their  route 
and  kept  a  clear  and  correct  record  that  would 
enable  them  to  find  their  way  back  some  time 
or  other.  They  eventuallj-  found  their  way  to 
New  Orleans.  The  description  of  the  route  as 
the}'  traveled  was  the  "  way-bill." 

All  our  people  had  heard  of  this  way-bill, 
and  one  of  Effingham's  most  ambitious  men 
went  to  New  Orleans  on  the  hunt  of  these 
Frenchmen,  or  at  least  to  get  the  inestimable 
wa^'-biU.  Three  long,  toilsome,  disappointing 
years  were  spent  in  this  hunt,  and  no  traces 
were  found  of  either  the  men  or  the  precious 
document. 

Finally,  when  hope  had  fled  and  despair  had 
come,  and  the  baflled  seeker  was  about  to  re- 
trace his  sad  and  disappointed  steps  back  to 
Effingham,  chance,  strange  chance,  the  jade  that 
plays  so  man}-  pranks  in  this  world,  found  our 
hero  at  a  cheap  Irish  boarding-house  in  New 
Orleans,  preparatory  to  a  start,  as  deck  passen- 
ger, on  a  cheap  stern-wheel  boat  the  next  morn- 
ing for  St.  Louis  and  home.  With  a  -heav}- 
heart  and  a  light  pocket- Ijook,  he  went  to  bed, 
purchance  to  sleep,  if  the  fleas  and  the  other 
regular  boarders  that  never  missed  a  meal  nor 
paid  a  cent,  happened  to  be  out.  But  there 
was  none  of  the  chance  above  spoken  of  here, 


and  the  "  solitary  might  have  been,"  but  wasn't, 
by  a  heavy  plurality,  sleeping,  but  he  tossed 
like  a  pup  in  high  rye,  and  scratched  like  a 
civil  service  reformer.  He  might  have  thus 
perished  alive,  but  a  French  groan  from  a  lowly 
cot  about  ten  feet  from  his  regal  bunk  aroused 
his  attention.  The  groan  was  repeated  in 
l)roken  English,  and  our  hero  understood  this 
so  well  that  he  passed  over,  like  a  gazelle  in 
deshabille,  or — or  like  a  deshabille  in  a  gazelle  or, 
or  somehow,  he  found  himself  at  the  sickman's 
disconsolate  bedside,  when  he  kicked  up  his 
heels,  and  with  an  expiring  ha  !  ha  !  iianded 
our  hero  a  brown  crumpled  paper  that  had  a 
Salt  Creek- Wabash-Effingham  look  about  it. 

The  Way-bill !  the  Way-bill  !  cried  the 
Efflnghammer,  and  the  dead  man  said  nothing. 
Thus  man  proposes  and  Heaven  disposes;  our 
hero  was  rich  enough  next  morning  to  take  his 
breakfast  at  his  boarding-house,  and  two 
bracers  for  his  appetite,  and  this  enabled  him 
to  work  his  passage  to  St.  Louis. 

He  leisurel}'  walked  out  home  from  St.  Louis 
after  night,  and  early  the  next  morning,  with 
three  or  four  trusted  friends,  commenced  to  fol- 
low the  signs  pointed  out  by  the  way-bill.  They 
were  led  by  it  down  into  the  deepest  woods,  and 
most  rugged  hills  of  the  Wabash,  where  they 
discovered  a  cabin.  Attempting  to  approach 
this,  a  man  met  them,  and  with  cocked  rifle  to 
his  shoulder,  warned  them  not  to  trespass  on 
his  demesne  or  he  would  shoot.  They  heroic- 
ally retreated,  and  the  news  spread  like  wild- 
fire all  over  the  count}'  that  the  silver  was 
found,  and  it  was  in  the  possession  of  an  armed 
Gorgon.  Never  was  a  county  so  shaken  with 
excitement.  A  place  of  rendezvous  was  ap- 
pointed a  short  distance  below  Ewington,  and 
the  earliest  dawn  of  the  appointed  day  wit- 
nessed the  squad  and  the  lone  horseman,  re- 
pairing to  the  appointed  place,  each  supplied 
with  the  family  meal-sack  to  carry  home  his 
anticipated  silver.  The  army  of  invasion  was 
duly   organized,    and   commanders  appointed, 


86 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


and  tramp,  tramp,  tramp  the  squadrons  with 
meal  sack  and  grubbing-hoes  and  flint-locks 
advanced. 

The  serried  columns  and  serious  cohorts 
moved  across  the  virgin  prairie,  rousing  up  the 
sleeping  "  greenheads "  and  disturbing  the 
matins  of  the  prairie  frogs.  Not  a  drum  was 
heard,  not  a  funeral  nor  a  bank  note  disturbed 
their  happy  hearts  until  they  had  reached  the 
fated  woods,  when,  bj'  common  consent,  they 
breathed  softer  and  softer.  When  very  near 
the  delicious  spot  a  short  halt  was  called,  and 
three  of  the  best  and  bravest  set  forward  to  re- 
connoiter  and  parley  with  the  shooting  possessor. 
Forward  went  these  brave  fellows,  when  the3' 
soon  came  within  sight  of  the  cabin.  They 
rode  slower  and  slower,  peering  in  everj-  direc- 
tion for  the  man  they  wanted  and  dreaded  to 
see;  when  suddenly,  just  as  they  had  settled 
in  the  glorious  hope  he  had  vanished  and  gone, 
like  a  phantom  he  stood  before  them,  looking 
along  his  gun  and  ordering,  "  Halt  !  The  man 
that  crosses  that  line,"  pointing  to  a  log,  "  is  a 
dead  man."  These  three  leaders  were  Samuel 
Fortney,  Sam  Fleming  and  Brockett. 

The  horse  of  one  of  tlie  three  had  just  put 
his  fore  feet  over  the  log,  and  the  now  fright- 
ened animal  wanted  to  get  over,  and  the  worse 
frightened  rider  wanted  to  get  back,  because, 
as  he  afterward  said,  he  was  looking  into  the 
mouth  of  the  fellow's  gun,  and  it  "  looked  big 


enough  to  crawl  into,"  and  he  knew  if  the 
horse's  hind  feet  passed  over  the  log,  he  would 
be,  in  the  words  of  man  in  front  of  him,  '•  a 
dead  man." 

The  three  retreated,  and  reported  with  chat- 
tering teeth  to  their  reserve  armj-  what  they 
had  met.  A  council  was  held,  and  a  pell-mell 
retreat  was  in  full  order  instantlj-. 

'*  Pallida  mors  fquo  pede  puhat.^' 

In  after  years,  some  boys  who  had  grown  up 
in  ignorance  of  this  dangerous  spot,  wandering 
tiirough  the  woods,  came  upon  a  deserted  cabin, 
and  they  rumaged  the  premises,  finding  many 
curious  things,  furnace,  melting  pots,  etc.,  etc. 
The3'  reported  what  they  had  found  and 
people  repaired  to  the  place,  and  it  was  finally 
developed  that  here  had  been  the  home  of  a 
man  who  followed  the  enterprising  business  of 
making  counterfeit  mone}-.  The  little  improve- 
ments had  been  made,  it  is  believed,  b}-  a  man 
named  Wallace,  and  he  did  not  intend  his 
1  privacy  to  be  imposed  upon  by  too  many  curi- 
ous and  prying  ej'es.  This  visiting  armj-  had 
probabl}'  warned  him  to  pack  up  and  quietly 
leave  the  country,  which,  it  seems,  he  did. 
How  long  he  had  been  gone,  before  it  was 
known^  that  the  mines  were  open  to  the  pub- 
lic, is  not  known.  But  one  thing  all  admit,  no 
member  of  the  invading  army  has  ever  yet 
ventured  to  the  spot  that  he,  years  ago,  left  in 
such  precipitate  disgust. 


HISTOllY   OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


87 


CHAPTER   VII. 


WAR  HISTORY— OUR  STRUGGLE  WITH  MEXICO— 

EFFIXGHAMS  PART    IN  IT— I'flE  PRI«S— ' 

—OTHER  NEWSPAPERS    AND    THEIR 

"  Is  the  Pen  mighiier  than  the  Sword?" 
'T^HE  spirit  of  war,  the  admiration  for  tlie 
-1-  "loud  alarums,"  the  martial  music  of  fife 
and  drum,  the  love  of  battle's  magnificent  stern 
tirraj-  have  marked  all  the  history  of  the  people 
of  this  count}'.  In  another  place  we  have  no- 
ticed the  fact,  that  a  full  representation  were  in 
the  Black  Hawk  war,  in  1832,  even  before  the 
young  county  had  a  completed  organized  exist- 
ence. 

On  the  14th  day  of  May,  18-17,  under  the 
second  call  for  Illinois  volunteers  to  go  to 
Mexico,  the  following  soldiers  left  Effingham 
for  the  rendezvous  at  Alton,  namely  ; 

W.  J.  Hankins,  Samuel  Hankins,  Dennis 
Kelly.  George  Zears,  Jonathan  Tucker,  James 
Tucker,  James  Porter,  Andrew  J.  Parks,  Will- 
iam Parks,  Samuel  Parks,  T.  D.  Reynolds,  D. 
C.  Loy,  Emanuel  Cronk,  David  Perkins,  Stephen 
Coy,  William  Ashlej^,  Samuel  Fortney,  James 
Martin,  James  Green,  Joseph  Harris,  Huram 

Maxfield,  Dr.   Shindle,  Mat.  H.  Gillespie, 

Duncan,  T.  J.  Gilleuwaters,  James  Gillenwaters, 
Dennis  Elder,  Tillman  Clark,  William  Bryant, 
Reed  Funk,  Mathias  Lecrone,  John  L.  Baker, 
Henry  Phillipps, Browning.  J.  W.  Lee. 

These  thirty-six  men  were  added  to  Capt. 
Harvey  Lee's  Company,  of  Fayette  County,  H. 
W.  Goode,  First  Lieutenant,  and  William  J. 
Hankins,  Second  Lieutenant.  This  company 
formed  a  part  of  the  Ninth  Regiment,  under 
command  of  Col.  Collins.  On  the  3d  day  of 
April,  1848,  they  started  for  Mexico,  and  went 
via  New  Orleans  to  Tampico,  from   there  to 


SOLDIERS  FURNISHED— THE  GREAT  REBELLION— 
'EFFINGHAM   PIONEER"— THE  "REGISTER" 
SUCCESS  AND   INFLUENCE,  ETC.,  ETC. 

Vera  Cruz,  and  from  thence  to  the  City  of  Mex- 
ico. They  were,  unfortunately,  attached  to 
that  part  of  the  army  under  Gen.  Scott  that 
was  restricted  to  camp  duty  almost  entirely, 
not  being  in  a  single  battle,  and  were  practically 
deprived  of  partaking  in  any  field  operations. 
To  this,  probably,  was  due  the  great  amount  of 
sickness  that  atHicted  the  men  during  their  en- 
tire service.  Andrew  J.  Parks  and  Samuel 
Parks  died  of  sickness  at  Puebla.  When  we 
asked  the  old  Sergeant  of  the  company,  Sam 
Fortne_y,  to  again,  as  he  had  in  the  long  3'ears 
ago,  call  the  morning  roll;  out  of  the  thirty-six, 
except  Samuel  Hankins,  Jonathan  Tucker, 
James  Tucker,  D.  C.  Loy.  E.  Kronk,  David 
Perkins,  Stephen  Coy,  William  Ashley,  Samuel 
Fortney,  James  Martin,  M.  H.  Gillispie,  T.  J. 
Gillenwaters,  Reed  Funk,  Mathias  Lecrone  and 
J.  W.  Lee,  are  all  that  are  living.  The  others 
have  passed  life's  fitful  fever,  and  gone  to  an- 
swer roll-call  at  the  high  court  of  God. 

The  command  returned  to  their  homes,  the 
war  being  over  in  Julj',  1849. 

The  Civil  War. — Twelve  years  after  the  close 
of  the  Mexican,  the  clouds  of  battle  again  gath- 
ered over  the  unhappy  country;  unhappy,  in- 
deed, in  this  war,  because  it  was  a  civil  war, 
called  civil,  probably,  because  such  wars  are 
always  marked  with  unusual  fierceness  and 
atrocit}-.  A  family  quarrel  is,  as  a  rule,  the 
most  unreasonable  and  vindictive,  the  feud 
more  difficult  to  forget,  and  the  bone  of  conten- 
tion more  trifling  than  any  other  species  of 
diflftculties. 


88 


HISTORY  or  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


In  1861,  the  great  rebellion  had  assumed  its 
portentous  shape.  Fort  Sumter  was  fired 
upon,  and  a  flying  trip  from  Mobile  or  New 
Orleans,  to  St.  Paul  or  any  other  Northern  city, 
was  accompanied  along  the  entire  route  night 
and  daj%  with  one  continuous  strain  of  marshal 
music.  In  the  South  in  every  breeze,  from 
every  house-top,  flag  pole  or  steeple,  fluttered 
the  confederate  flags.  In  the  North,  the  same 
shrill  fife  and  beating  drum  was  heard,  but  the 
flag  of  the  Union  floated  everywhere;  the  peo- 
ple had,  with  apparenth-  one  impulse,  left  their 
houses  and  wandered  upon  the  streets  and 
highways.  The  children  laughed  and  shouted 
their  pleasure  in  uncontrolled  delight;  strong 
men  buckled  on  their  armor  and  cheered  the 
flag,  and  exultant  shouts  of  patriotism  rang  out 
upon  the  air.  In  a  night  the  spirit  of  slaughter 
had  been  turned  loose.  The  country  called 
to  arms,  and  there  were  hasty  partings  of  dis- 
tress, and  tears,  and  sighs,  and  aching  hearts, 
and  war,  fatricidal  war  was  upon  us.  Twenty- 
one  years  have  passed  away  since  then;  nearl3' 
a  life  time,  with  healing  wings,  has  come  with 
its  ministerings  to  the  scars  of  war — the  great 
red  gaps  of  battle.  A  new  generation  has 
arisen,  and  "rebel"  and  "yank"  are, mostly 
sleeping  peacefully  in  their  windowless  tombs, 
side  b}-  side  often,  and  j"et  the  evils  of  that 
hour  of  bad  passions  awakened  are  not  all 
gone,  and  who  can  tell  when  the  happj'  ending 
will  come.  It  is  no  purpose  of  this  chapter  to 
write  the  history  of  that  bloody  and  cruel  war, 
or  of  the  why  and  wherefore  of  its  horrid  vis- 
itation, but,  upon  tlie  contrar3',  to  say  a  few 
words  of  what  the  people  of  the  count}'  did  do 
in  the  trying  ordeal  that  came  without  any  vo- 
lition from  them. 

During  the  war,  Illinois  furnished  the  army 
225,300  men,  of  itself  a  great  army.  There  are 
102  counties  in  the  State,  and  this  would  be  an 
average  to  the  county  of  a  fraction  less  than 
2,000  men.  Although  Effingham  was  among 
the  smallest  of  the  counties,  jet  there  is  no 


doubt  she  furnished  fully  2,000  soldiei-s,  from 
first  to  last,  and  j-et  her  people  did-  not  escape 
the  draft.  The  county  furnished  twelve  regu- 
larly organized  full  companies,  besides  several 
squads  of  men,  and  quite  a  large  number  that 
were  taken  in  small  squads  to  diff'erent  camps 
in  this  State  and  Missouri,  and  there  were  scat- 
tered among  regiments  from  nearly  all  the 
States.  The  largest  of  any  one  body  of  these, 
which  maj-  be  determined  descriptively  as 
stragglers,  were  about  400,  taken  to  Missouri 
by  Charley  Kinsey  and  Sam  Winters. 

The  news  that  actual  war  had  commenced 
and  the  Government  published  its  call  for  75,- 
000  soldiers,  had  reached  Effingham  on  a  cer- 
tain Friday  in  April,  1861.  Col.  J.  W.  Filler 
and  John  L.  Wilson  talked  the  matter  over, 
and  Filler  closed  his  printing  office,  and  he 
and  Wilson  commenced  to  raise  a  company. 
Saturday-  morning  thej-  had  two  men  and  then 
telegraphad  Gov.  Yates  that  their  company  was 
ready  and  awaiting  orders.  On  the  following 
Tuesday  the  company,  102  strong,  started  for 
Springfield.  Filler,  Captain,  J.  H.  Lacy,  First 
and  George  W.  Parks,  Second  Lieutenants.  In 
the  language  of  Col.  Filler,  "  everj-  one  of  them 
a  Democrat."  The  company  was  literally  re- 
cruited in  a  day,  and  was  the  finest  looking  lot 
of  soldiers  that  ever  left  the  county.  A  meet- 
ing of  the  citizens  was  held  at  the  court  house 
on  Monday  before  the  company  was  to  start, 
the  house  was  packed  with  people,  speeches, 
songs,  drums  and  fifes  added  to  the  sudden 
outburst  of  enthusiasm  of  all  the  people.  Dur- 
ing the  meeting  a  suggestion  was  made  to  pass 
the  hat  and  raise  money  to  subsist  the  coun- 
try's defenders  on  their  way  to  Springfield.  It 
was  carried  around  and  &H  cents  was  the  gross 
proceeds  thereof,  whereupon  Filler  spoke  just  a 
minute,  the  substance  being  that  if  there  was 
a  man  in  his  companj-  that  he  knew  would  be 
as  bashful  in  facing  the  enemy  as  that  crowd 
was  in  facing  the  "  saucer"  he  would  then  and 
there  shoot  him  dead.  This  brought  out  Lowry 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


89 


Leith  with  the  response,  "  Filler,  that  is  worth 
$10!"  and  in  five  minutes  SGO  or  $70  was  raised, 
and  happily  and  with  plenty  to  eat  on  the  road, 
the  company  went  to  Springfield  and  went  into 
camp  in  a  briek-yard.  These  were  ninety-day 
men  and  among  the  first  that  were  on  the 
ground.  From  Springfield  they  were  sent  to 
Bird's  Point,  Mo.,  where  they  served  out  their 
terra.  Capt.  Lucius  M.  Rose  succeeded  Filler 
as  Captain  upon  his  promotion  to  Lieutenant 
Colonel. 

After  this,  in  the  next  call  for  troops,  three 
companies  were  raised,  as  follows:  Col.  Funk- 
houser,  Capt.  0.  L.  Kelly  and  Capt.  McCracken, 
each  a  company  that  went  in  the  Ninety -eighth 
Illinois  Regiment  of  Infantry.  This  might  be 
called  the  Etfiingham  Regiment.  The  field 
and  staff  were  John  J.  Funkhouser,  Colonel; 
W.  B.  Cooper,  Major;  J.  H.  J.  Lacy,  Adjutant. 
William  McCracken,  Company  C,  with  Stephen 
I.  Williams,  First,  and  John  P.  Powell,  Second 
Lieutenants.  Williams  resigned  in  18G2;  De- 
cember 19,  when  Powell  was  promoted  to  First 
and  Henr}'  S.  Watson  made  Second  Lieutenant. 
In  Company  B,  David D.  Marquis  was  Captain, 
AMVj-LecrQJiej  Captain  Company  F.  Capt, 
O.  L.  Kelly  was  killed  September  8,  1862,  and 
A.  S.  Moffitt  became  Captain,  and  William 
Tarrant  First  Lieutenant.  Capt.  Dobbs  raised 
a  full  company-  and  joined  the  Thirtj'-fifth 
Illinois  Infautrj',  Col.  G.  A.  Smith.  Ilis  Lieu- 
'  tenants  were  Jesse  D.  Jennings  and  Nelson 
Staats.  Capt.  Dobbs  was  severel}-  wounded 
and  resigned  October  14,  1862,  when  Jennings 
became  Captain  and  Joseph  Moore  First  Lieu- 
tenant. In  1862,  Capt.  Presley  B.  O'Dear, 
Merritt  Redden,  First,  and  John  F.  Barkley. 
Second,  Lieutenants,  I'ecruited  a  companj-  and 
joined  the  Fiftj'-fourth  Regiment,  Illinois  In- 
fantry. Capt.  J,  P.  31,  Howard,  D,  P,  Murphy. 
First,  and  John  Loj-,  Second,  and  Capt,  D.  L. 
Horn  and  Capt.  David  Young  each  entered  the 
service  with  a  company  of  men  for  the  100 
da}-s'  service. 


Col.  Funkhouser's  Company  had  S.  A.  New- 
comb  First  LieuttMiant  and  D.  P.  IMurphy  Sec- 
ond. This  companj-  was  apart  of  the  Twenty- 
sixth  Illinois  Infantrj-,  Col.  Loomis.  The  regi- 
ment were  at  Camp  Yates,  and  were  sent  to 
Palmyra,  Mo.,  which  place  they  guarded  two 
weeks  before  they  got  guns,  and  in  this  time 
they  used  cliibs  as  a  substitute.  From  this 
service  Funkhouser  returned  and  raised  the 
Ninety-eighth  Regiment, 

Capt.  H,  D.  Caldwell  raised  the  first  and 
only  cavalry  company  in  the  county.  It  was 
made  a  part  of  the  Fifth  Illinois  Cavalry.  This 
company  was  mustered  into  the  service  in 
September,  1861.  The  company  went  to  Ben- 
ton Barracks,  Pilot  Knob,  Greenville,  Reeves 
Station,  Pocahontas  and  Smithville,  Ark.  At 
Davison  they  were  in  the  field  skirmish,  and  in 
the  next  brush,  at  Strawborrj-  River,  Ark,, 
JIarion  Welker  was  killed  and  Sylvester  Nye 
wounded.  Next  at  Greenville,  and  Cherokee 
Bay,  Mo.,  they  were  in  two  brisk  little  fights. 
This  company  were  at  the  siege  of  Vicksburg, 
and  then  had  a  long  and  dangerous  march, 
with  skirmishing  all  the  way  to  Champion  Hill 
and  return. 

.  When  Capt.  Dobbs  had  sufficiently  recovered 
from  his  wound,  he  raised  a  companj-  of  100- 
day  men,  and  this  company  served  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth  Regiment,  when  the 
Captain  returned  home  and  raised  a  companj- 
for  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty -fifth  Regiment. 
Thus  this  one  man  put  in  the  service  over  300 
soldiers,  and  although  badly  wounded  at  Pea 
Ridge  battle,  he  served  in  the  ranks  during 
nearlj-  the  entire  war. 

Our  county  was  almost  depopulated  of  its 
j'oung  and  able-bodied  men,  the  people  who 
remained  at  home  earnestlj-  and  literallj- 
aided  and  encouraged  those  who  were  in  the 
field.  The  Board  of  Supervisors  made  liberal 
and  generous  donations  from  the  Countj-  Treas- 
ury for  bounty  money  to  be  paid  those  who 
volunteered.     And  the  State   laws  show   that, 


90 


HISTORY   OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


while  the  board  in  several  cases  acted  without 
authority,  yet  tlie  Legislature  promptly  ratified 
and  legalized  everything  that  looked  toward 
promoting  the  war.  The  people  and  county 
were  true  to  those  strong  characteristics  that 
have  marked  them  from  the  foundation  of  the 
count}-,  namely,  to  vote  the  Democratic  ticket 
straight,  and  fight   upon   the  slightest  pretext. 

When  the  cruel  war  was  over,  this  great 
body  of  men  that  were  left  alive,  returned  to 
their  homes,  and  the  better  occupations  of 
peace,  and  resumed  their  places  among  the 
leading  and  best  citizens  of  the  county.  And 
this  may  well  be  said  to  their  great  credit. 
Our  count}-  suffered  less,  although  it  had  fur- 
nished so  proprotionatel}-  large  a  number  of  men 
from  the  war,  demoralization  and  dissipation, 
and  venality  than  probably  any  other  county  in 
the  State.  It  has  been  said  that  the  invention 
of  gunpowder  was  one  of  the  strong  forces  in 
the  march  of  the  human  mind  toward 
civilization.  This  is  true;  and  it  may  be 
said  for  the  people  of  Effingham  Count}-  the 
late  unfortunate  war  was  a  great  school  for 
many  of  our  people.  It  taught  them  something 
of  the  geogi'aphy  and  greatness  of  their  own 
country;  it  placed  them  in  direct  contact  with 
men  from  every  section  of  the  Union — from 
nearly  every  State  and  county.  To  the  time 
of  the  breaking-out  of  the  war  the  ignorant 
Yankee  looked  upon  the  people  of  Southern 
Illinois  as  but  little  above  the  brute,  and  the 
people  returned  the  compliment  in  full,  not  for 
a  moment  dreaming  that  a  stupid  Yankee  was 
a  human  being  in  any  respect.  They  very  well 
averaged  in  their  mutual  respect  and  ignorance 
of  each  other. 

It  is  now  nearly  eighteen  years  since  the 
war  closed.  We  are  told  by  those  who  have 
revisited  some  of  the  terrible,  bloody  battle- 
fields, that  kind  nature  has  there  been  busy  cov- 
ering over,  and  hiding  away  from  sight  the" 
signs  and  marks  of  the  fell  strife  and  slaugh- 
ter.    Even  the  long,  slim  trenches,  where  were 


buried  the  killed,  as  they  were  put  away  sim- 
ply wrapped  in  their  blankets,  are  now  hard  to 
trace.  Let  the  white  robed  angel  of  peace 
drop  a  tear  upon  all  memories  of  the  unfortu- 
nate civil  war,  and  blot  them  out  forever. 

The  Press.  —  The  record  of  the  newspaper 
press  of  a  count}-,  if  it  has  happened  to  fall 
into  the  hands  of  men  competent  to  make  it 
fully  discharge  its  duty,  ought  to  be  the  one 
most  important  page  in  the  county's  history. 
One  of  the  first  and  greatest  things  that  al- 
ways could  be  said  of  our  nation,  was  it  has  a 
free  press.  No  man  has  to  be  licensed  or  se- 
lected by  a  paternal  Government,  either  to 
\  print  a  book  or  publish  a  paper.  It  has  been 
circumscribed  by  no  law  except  natural  selec- 
tion. Any  one  who  wishes  could  start  a  paper, 
anywhere  and  at  any  time,  and  say  anything 
on  earth  he  desired  to  say,  barring  only  an  occa- 
sional heavy  boot-toe  and  the  law  of  libel.  If 
he  chose  not  to  be  suppressed,  there  was  no 
power  to  suppress  him.  If  he  was  persecuted 
or  thrashed  by  some  outraged  citizen,  it  is 
not  certain  but  that  he  always  got  the  best  of 
the  difficulty,  especially  when  he  would  begin 
to  prate  about  the  ■'  palladium  of  American  lib- 
erties."  The  wisest  act  of  our  Government  in 
all  its  history  was  the  unbridling  the  press. 
It  was  the  seed  planted  in  good  soil  for  its  own 
perpetuity,  and  the  happiness  and  welfare  of  its 
people.  To  make  the  press  absolutely  free, 
especially  after  the  centuries  of  vile  censorship 
over  it,  was  an  act  of  wisdom  transcending  in 
importance  the  original  invention  of  movable 
types.  A  free  press  makes,  without  so  much 
as  the  saying  of  it,  free  speech,  free  schools, 
free  intelligence  and  freedom,  and  when  the 
storms  of  State  come,  and  the  mad  waves  of 
popular  ignorance  and  passion  beat  the  ship  of 
State,  then,  indeed,  is  a  free  press  the  beacon 
light  shining  out  upon  the  troubled  waters. 

The  coming  of  the  Bohemian — that  sphynx 
of  the  black  letter,  the  -  stick,"  the  ink-pot, 
"  pi  '■  and  the  •■  devil,"  in  other  words  the  prin- 


HISTORV  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


91 


ter,  is  an  era  alwa3-s.  anywliere  and  among  anj' 
people;  in  young  and  fast-growing  coinmuui- 
ties,  it  is  an  event  of  great  portent  to  its  future, 
for  here,  above  any  and  all  other  institutions, 
are  incalculable  possibilities  for  good,  and  some- 
times well  grounded  fears  for  evil.  A  free  press 
in  the  hands  of  a  man  aware  of  the  great  re- 
sponsibilities resting  upon  him.  is  a  blessing, 
like  the  discoveries  and  inventions  of  genius 
that  are  immortal.  In  the  dingy  printing 
office  is  the  epitome  of  the  world  of  action  and 
of  thought — the  best  school  in  Christendom — 
the  best  church.  Here  is  where  genius  perches 
and  pauses  before  those  loftj^  flights  that  awe 
and  attract  mankind — here  are  kindled  the  fires 
of  genius  that  blaze  aud  dazzle  like  the  central 
sun,  and  that  penetrate,  and  warm  and  ripen 
the  rich  fruitage  of  benign  civilization.  The 
press  is  the  drudge  and  the  pack-horse,  as  well 
as  crowned  king  of  all  mankind.  The  gentle 
click  of  its  tj-pe  is  heard  around  all  the  world; 
they  go  sounding  down  the  tide  of  time,  bear- 
ing upon  their  gentle  waves  the  destinies  of 
civilization,  and  the  immortal  smiles  of  the  pale 
children  of  thought  as  the}-  troop  across  the 
fair  face  of  the  earth  in  their  entrances,  and  ex- 
ists from  the  unknown  to  the  unknown,  scat- 
tering here  and  there,  immortal  blessings  that 
the  dull,  blind  types  patieutlv  gather,  and  place 
them  where  tliej-  will  ever  live.  It  is  the  earth's 
symphonj-  which  endures;  which  transcends  that 
of  the  "  morning  when  the  stars  sang  together." 
And  when  its  chords  are  swept  by  the  fingers 
of  the  immortals,  it  is  the  echoes  of  those  an- 
thems that  float  up  forever  to  the  throne  of 
God.  Of  all  that  man  can  have  in  this  world 
it  is  the  one  blessing,  whose  rose  has  no  thorn, 
whose  sweet  has  no  bitter.  It  is  fraught  with 
man's  good,  his  joy,  his  happiness,  and  the 
blessings  of  civilization.  By  means  of  the  press 
the  humblest  cabin  in  the  laud  may  bid  enter 
and  become  a  part  <jf  the  feniily  circle,  such  as 
the  immortal  and  sweet  singing  bard  of  Scot- 
land— Bobby  Burns,  the  God  like  Shakespeare, 


or  Byron,  "  who  touched  his  harp,  and  nation's 
heard  entranced."  Here  Lord  Macauley  will 
lay  aside  his  title  aud  dignity,  and  with  the 
timid  children  even  hold  sweetconverse  in  those 
rich  resounding  sentences  that  flow  on  forever 
like  a  great  and  rapid  river.  Here  Gray  will 
sing  his  angelic  pastoral  as  ''  the  lowing  herd 
winds  slowly-  o'er  the  lea,  and  leaves  the  world 
to  solitude  and  me,"  and  Charles  Lamb,  whose 
sweet,  sad,  witty  life  may  mix  the  laugh  with 
the  sigh  of  sympathy,  may  set  the  children  in 
a  roar  as  he  tells  the  stor}'  of  the  "  invention  of 
the  roast  pig."  And  that  human  bear,  John- 
son, his  roughness  and  boorishness  all  gone 
now  as  in  trenchant  sentences  he  pours  out  his 
jeweled  thoughts  to  eager  ears;  and  the  state- 
ly JNIilton,  blind  but  sweet  and  sublime,  and 
Pope  telling  the  story  of  "  man's  inhumanity 
to  man  "  in  stately  measure,  and  poor,  poor, 
delightful,  gifted  Poe,  with  his  bird  of  evil  omen, 
"  perched  upon  the  pallid  bust  of  Pallas,"  and 
Shelly  and  Keats,  and  Dickens,  aud  Thackaraj' 
and  Saxe,  and  Scott  and  Hood  and  Elliott,  and 
Demosthenes  and  Homer,  aud  Webster  and  Claj', 
and  all  of  earth's  greatest,  sweetest  and  best, 
are  at  the  beck  and  call  of  mankind,  where  they 
will  spread  their  bounties  and  beauties  before 
the  humblest  outcast  as  munificently  us  at  the 
feet  of  royal  courts  or  kings. 

But,  begging  the  reader's  pardon,  and  hop- 
ing that  he  has  skipped  this  mild  and  diffident 
invocation,  we  will  proceed  with  the  story  of 
the  press  in  Ellingiiam  County — the  Country 
Press,  whose  editor,  printer,  compositor,  job- 
man,  foreman  and  force,  proof-reader,,  poet 
and  sweep,  are  the  alpha  aud  the  omega 
of  tiie  wondrous  establishment.  Where  the 
village  editor  vies  with  the  lone  schoolmas- 
ter in  carrying  that  "little  head"  that  "con- 
tained all  he  knew."  There  is  nothing  in  cre- 
ation the  equal  in  modesty  and  diffidence  to 
the  very  first  pioneer  paper — the  scream  of  the 
first  locomotive  in  the  wilderness,  stampeding 
the  buffiiloes,  wild  cats  and  Indians,  is  tame 


92 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


and  commonplace  compared  to  the  first  paper 
— the  Vol.  I,  No.  1  ;  Jefferson  Brick,  proprie- 
tor ;  the  Hon.  Jeflforson  Brick,  chief  editor  ; 
J.  Brick,  local  editor ;  Mr.  Brick,  compositor  ; 
the  great  name  set  in  fat  faced  ten-line  caps  on 
everj-  page.  How  grandlj'  he  talks  about "  AVE 
oursclf;"  about  the  Sanctum  Sanctorum,  where 
is  edited  those  brilliant  Sheriff  sales  and  lying 
funeral  notices,  and  those  sonorous  sentences 
about  the  Hon.  Timothy  Tugmuttou,  Esq., 
having  with  such  public  spirit  erected  a  pala- 
tial pig  pen,  and  thus  the  march  of  empire 
bo's  westward  like  a  stra}'  cat  in  a  strange 
back-3'ard  when  the  boj's  and  dog  of  the  house 
get  up  for  the  day's  business. 

In  1855,  W.  B.  Cooper  had  been  two  j-ears 
in  Ewiugton  practicing  law,  and  conceiving 
that  he  could  add  other  things  to  his  large  law 
practice,  he  went  to  Vandalia  and  purchased  a 
printing  office  of  Tevis  Greathouse,  and  at 
once  transferred  it  to  Ewington  and  issued  the 
first  paper  in  the  count3- — the  EJjingham  Pion- 
eer. The  old  hand-press  of  this  office  w,as 
probably  the  first  ever  brought  to  Illinois.  It 
had  been  brought  from  Kentuckj-  by  Col.  E. 
C.  Berr}',  the  first  State  Auditor  of  Illinois,  and 
it  had  followed  the  seat  of  government  from 
Kaskaskia  to  Vandalia.  It  had  been  in  two 
fires,  but  there  was  much  iron  and  great  soli- 
ditj-  about  it,  and,  while  a  cumliersome  con- 
cern, it  was  alwaj-s  read}-  to  do  fair  work  in  the 
hands  of  a  stout  pressman.  Mr.  Cooper,  not 
being  a  printer,  brought  with  his  office  a  man 
named  Burton,  who  set  up  and  worked  off  the 
paper,  and  was  Postmaster  at  the  same  time. 
Burton  left  the  office,  and  the  paper  floundered 
as  best  it  could  upon  chance  printers,  until 
McManis  and  Orrin  Hoddy  were  put  to  work, 
and  the  publication  went  forward  regularly 
from  that  time.  In  October,  1857,  Col.  J.  W. 
Filler  entered  the  office  as  printer,  and  in  a 
short  time  a  joint-stock  company  was  formed, 
when  Cooper  retired  and  he  became  sole  pro- 
prietor.    Filler's  description  of  the  office  when 


he  first  entered  it  and  looked  around,  is  graphic 
and  interesting.  It  was  in  a  log  cabin,  and  a 
pile  of  "pi"  lay  in  the  center  of  the  room. 
The  patient  printers  often  had  to  go  to  this 
pile  and  hunt  out,  by  scratching,  much  after  the 
fashion  of  the  industrious  old  hen  and  chickens, 
to  find  a  needed  letter  that  could  be  found  no- 
where else.  The  general  appearance  of  things 
was  in  keeping  with  the  "  pi  pile."  The  paper 
was  a  six-column  folio,  sometimes  a  little 
dingy  and  the  worse-for-wear  appearance  about 
it.  It  was  running  a  serial  story — a  chapter  a 
week — entitled  '■  The  Sea  Lion,"  and  when  the 
outside  had  been  worked  off  the  printers  would 
take  out  letters  here  and  there  from  the  Sea 
Lion,  and  chew  paper  wads  to  fill  the  holes. 
This  gave  the  Lion,  as  well  as  the  forms,  a  sin- 
gularly motle}'  and  spotted  appearance.  Filler 
most  unceremoniouslj'  killed  Off  the  Sea  Lion, 
and  to  this  day  the  readers  of  the  Pioneer  have 
never  ceased  to  regret  this  untimely  end  of 
their  hero.  / 

Filler  continued  the  publication  of  the  paper 
in  Ewington  until  the  fall  of  ISGO,  when  it  was 
transferred  to  the  county  seat,  Effingham.  It 
now  began  to  put  on  considerable  newspaper 
airs,  and  was  paying  the  one  man  who,  with  the 
help  of  a  roller  boy  a  half  day  each  week,  did 
everything  from  chopping  his  own  wood  as  well 
as  all  other  work  or  business  about  the  office. 
The  paper  moved  along  in  quiet  content  until 
April,  1861,  when  Col.  Filler  laid  down  his 
stick  and  went  soldiering,  leaving  the  office  in 
the  hands  of  Dr.  T.  G.  Vandever,  who  pur- 
chased the  Gazette,  a  paper  started  by  L.  M. 
Rose  in  the  spring  of  1860,  as  a  Republican 
organ,  and  was  run  by  Rose  until  he,  too,  went 
to  the  war  in  April,  1861.  Vandever  purchased 
the  Gazette,  upon  which  there  was  a  mortgage, 
and  moved  it  into  the  Pioneer  office,  and  when 
the  two  were  consolidated  the  publication 
ceased.  In  October,  1861,  Filler  &  Vandever, 
in  the  consolidated  office,  commenced  the  pub- 
lication  of  the    Unionist.     They   issued    three 


HISTORY   OF   EFFIXGHAM  COUNTY. 


93 


numbers  only  when  Filler  again  went  to  the 
war  and  Vandever  was  again  left  alone.  In 
the  earl}-  part  of  1862,  tiie  mortgagee  of  the  old 
defunct  Gazette,  by  virtue  of  his  lien,  took 
charge  of  the  office,  and  sold  the  same  to  John 
Hoen3',  who  at  once  revived  the  publication  of 
the  Gazette,  and,  in  a  short  time  after  this, 
Hoen^'  purchased  the  Pioneer  office  of  Filler, 
and  moved  the  entire  concern  into  a  new  two- 
stor}-  frame  building,  on  the  east  side  of  the 
public  square,  and  this  was  burned  to  the 
ground  in  July,  1862.  Here  was  not  only  a 
total  loss  of  everything  in  the  office,  and  no  in- 
surance, but  there  was  a  goodly  part  of  it  not  paid 
for.  The  County  Treasurer,  Barcus,  advanced 
Hoeny  SI 00  on  the  future  ta.x;  list,  and  with  this 
he  went  to  Chicago  and  purchased  a  lot  of  old 
tj'pe  of  the  Times  and  returned.  He  had  the 
old  Pioneer  press,  which  fortunately  stood  in 
the  yard  at  the  time  of  the  fire,  and  had  it  re- 
paired, and  moved  into  a  building  in  the  north- 
east corner  of  the  public  square  and  com- 
menced the  publication  of  his  paper.  The  office 
continued  here  until  a  new  one-storj-  office  was 
erected  on  the  old  stand,  and  the  office  went 
there  .igain.  In  1866,  L.  Hommes  was  asso- 
ciated with  Hoen}-,  and  thej*  made  the  paper 
one  side  German  and  the  other  p]nglish,  and 
this  continued  for  six  months,  when  Hommes 
retired  and  went  to  Chicago.  In  1865,  Hoeny 
sold  to  Hays  &  Bowen,  and  retired.  These 
men  changed  the  name  immediately  to  the 
Effingham  County  Democrat.  They  soon  let 
the  concern  run  down,  and  b}-  this  time,  in  the 
latter  part  of  1865,  Col.  Filler  had  returned 
from  the  war,  and  the  securities  of  Bowen  had 
to  take  the  paper;  they  placed  Filler  in  control. 
He  continued  the  publication  until  September, 
1868,  when  H.  C.  Bradsby  purchased  the  office. 
He  eliminated  the  word  "  County "  from  the 
name,  and  it  became  the  Effingham  Democrat, 
as  it  lias  remained  ever  since.  In  April,  1870, 
Bradsby  sold  to  J.  C.  Brady,  who  associated 
with  himself  John   Hoeny,  and  on  the  7th  of 


June  of  the  same  year  Brady  sold  his  interest 
to  Hoenj-,  and  thus  he  again  became  the  sole 
proprietor.  In  August,  1878,  Hoeny  sold  a 
one-half  interest  to  George  M.  Le  Crone.  Oc- 
tober 1,  1880,  Hoeny  sold  his  remaining  in- 
terest to  Owen  Scott,  and  the  firm  then  became 
Le  Crone  &  Scott.  October  13,  1881,  George 
M.  Le  Crone  sold  his  interest  to  Scott,  and  the 
property  became  the  possession  of  Owen  Scott, 
and  is  so  published  at  this  time. 

Thus,  full  of  changes  beset  with  trials,  per- 
ishing sometimes  from  famine  and  sometimes 
from  flames,  it  has  had  always  vigor  and  vital- 
ity. A  remarkable  coincidence  is  that  every 
man,  we  believe,  except  Martin  Hoeny.  that 
has  been  connected  with  it  as  part  propricstor 
is  still  living  to  watch  the  career  of  their  hope- 
ful prodigy.  It  has  always  been  Democratic 
in  politics,  and  at  times  has  lashed  without 
mercy  its  political  opponents,  and  it  has  been 
one  of  the  secrets  of  the  county  always  com- 
ing to  the  front  with  its  overwhelming  Demo- 
cratic majorities.  We  would  be  much  pleased 
to  go  over  its  list  of  writers  and  contril)utors 
who  have  filled  its  columns  for  so  many  ^ears, 
with  a  running  review  of  each  one.  with  an 
opinion  of  their  different  merits.  But,  as  they 
are  all  alive,  and  modesty  is  our  besetting  sin, 
we  forbear,  content  with  expressing  the  hope 
that  it  may  live  long  and  prosper. 

The  Register. — Maj.  William  Haddock  issued 
the  first  number  of  the  Effingham  Register 
November  14,  1864,  and  for  eight  years,  with- 
out interruption,  continued  its  publication. 
Maj.  Haddock  had  just  returned  from  the 
army  to  his  home  in  Butler  Center,  Iowa,  when 
he  concluded  to  come  South  and  open  a  fruit 
farm.  He  came  to  Effingham,  and,  being  a 
strong  Republican,  he  fell  into  the  hands  of 
Wood  &  Avery,  attorneys  of  this  place,  and 
thej-  persuaded  him  to  start  a  Republican  pa- 
per here.  He  was  a  law^'er,  printer  and  expe- 
rienced journalist.  In  1852,  he  commenced 
and  published   the   Anamosa  News    in  Jones 


94 


HISTORY    OF   EFFINGHAM   COUNTY. 


Count}-,  Iowa,  for  three  years.  Here  and  at 
this  time  he  was  elected  State's  Attornej', 
which  office  he  filled  ably  and  well  for  two 
3'ears.  He  published  the  loica  State  Register 
in  Waterloo,  Iowa,  a  non-political  paper,  de- 
voted to  the  interests  of  Iowa.  In  1859,  he 
published  the  Jeffersonian,  a  vigorous  Repub- 
lican paper,  in  the  same  place.  Haddock  was  a 
man  most  admirabl}-  adapted  to  come  here, 
and  under  the  adverse  and  trying  circum- 
stances successfully  establish  a  Republican 
paper.  He  had  ability,  experience,  untiring 
energy,  and  was  a  skilled  workman  in  the 
printer's  art.  He  published  a  paper  that  was 
500  per  cent  better  than  its  best  patronage 
ever  justified.  His  economy  was  astounding, 
his  energ}-  tireless,  his  ambition  boundless. 
He  warmed  with  life  the  Republican  party  in 
this  county — made  it  much,  if  not  all,  that  it 
was,  and  in  return  received  the  usual  pay  that 
prett}-  much  all  parties  award  their  patient  and 
humble  organs.  Tliey  are  generally  expected 
to  do  all  the  party  work  and  take  their  pay  in 
sneers  and  kicks,  while  the  hangers-on  take 
the  fat  ofBces  and  chuckle  over  their  own 
greatness,  forgetting  that  the  starving  editor 
was  their  architect  and  builder. 

Maj.  Haddock  was  a  journalist  who  had 
learned  his  lessons  from  Horace  Grefele}'.  In 
1872,  when  his  loved  and  venerated  preceptor 
became  a  candidate  for  President  of  the  Unit- 
ed States,  he  dared  to  support  him.  The  pen- 
alt}'  he  paid  for  this  manly  independence  was 
the  suspension  of  his  paper,  which  occurred 
on  the  1st  of  October,  1872.  A  few  weeks 
after  the  suspension  of  the  Register,  he  moved 
his  office  to  Champaign.  111.,  where  he  com- 
menced the  publication  of  the  Champaign 
Times,  an  able  and  vigorous  Democratic  paper. 
Here  he  struggled  and  toiled  until  the  27th  of 
February,  1879,  in  the  fifty-seventh  year  of  his 
age,  when  the  busy,  restless,  heroic  life  went  to 
sleep  in  death. 

The  Effingham  Republican  came  in  .\ugust, 


1872,  published  by  Martin  Bros.,  of  the  Shel- 
bj'ville  Union.  The  firm  was  composed  of  M. 
B.  Martin  and  Elgin  Martin.  Some  of  the 
leading  Republicans  of  this  city  withdrew  their 
support  from  the  Register  in  consequence  of  its 
leaning  ^toward  Horace  Greeley,  and  put  up 
their  money  in  private  subscriptions  to  the 
amount  of  $400  or  $500,  and  induced  Martin 
Bros,  to  purchase  material  and  start  a  thor- 
oughgoing Republican  organ.  The  Martin 
Bros,  started  a  neat  and  lively  little  seven- 
column  paper,  but  they  found  it  difficult,  if 
not  impossible,  to  make  the  concern  pay  ex- 
penses.    They  kept  it  alive   until  October  1, 

1873,  when  thej'  sold  out  to  H.  C.  Painter,  the 
present  proprietor,  a  practical  printer,  and  a 
man  of  first-class  business  and  financial  educa- 
tion. Its  prosperit}'  and  complete  success 
dates  from  the  daj-  Mr.  Painter  took  the  con- 
trol of  its  aflfairs.  The  proof  of  this  is  the 
fact  that  he  has  doubled  the  circulation  and 
more  than  doubled  the  job  work  of  the  office, 
and  it  is  now  upon  a  secure  and  solid  founda- 
tion. It  has  been  editorially  mild  and  con- 
servative, devoting  much  of  its  columns  to 
local  and  society  news.  When  the  new,  re- 
vised, enlarged  and  complete  "  History  of 
Effingham  County,"  bearing  date  of  197G  is 
made,  may  the  R-fpuhh'can  be  here  to  see,  and 
tell  the  stor}'  from  daj'  to  da}-  of  the  progress 
of  the  work  by  those  future  historians  and 
workers  that  are  to  be  born  after  more  than 
fifty  years  from  this  day  and  date  have  elapsed. 

As  a  closing  paragraph  upon  this  subject, 
the  writer  of  these  lines,  connected  with  no 
paper  and  not  being  a  politician  nor  never  an 
office-holder,  may  be  permitted  to  lecture  all 
parties  a  little  in  their  treatment  of  their  pub- 
lishers and  writers — that  is,  the  neglect  of 
these  men  when  comfortable  positions  are  to  be 
given  out.  It  is  too  common  a  fault  of  all 
parties  to  neglect  them  and  bestow  thejr  smiles 
and  favors  upon  ward  bummers  or  compara- 
tive strangers  to  the  party  work. 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


95 


The  Effingham  Volkshlatt — a  German  paper 
— by  A.  Gravenhorst — a  ten-column  folio — was 
issued  for  the  first  time  June  17,  187S.  Until 
now  (October,  1882)  it  has  been  printed  in  Mil- 
waukee, but  type  and  material  with  which  to 
print  one  side  of  the  paper  here  at  home  are 
now  secured,  and  office  room  is  secured  in  the 
Times  Building,  where  the  press-work  will  be 
done.  It  will  now  be  made  a  six-column 
quarto. 

The  Times. — When  Mr.  John  Hoeny  had 
sold  his  entire  interest  in  the  Democrat,  he 
temporarily  moved  to  Chicago.  On  Friday, 
January  27,  1882,  be  had  returned,  and  issued 
the  first  number  of  the  Eflingham  Times,  pub- 
lished b}-  John  Hoeny  &  Son  ;  John  Hoeny, 
Sr.,  editor,  and  John  Hoeny,  Jr.,  local  editor,  a 
sprightly  and  able  Democratic,  eight-column 
paper,  that  from  the  first  issue  took  rank 
among  the  best  papers  ever  issued  in  the 
count}'.  It  started  with  a  large  subscription 
list,  and  week  by  week  this  has  steadil}-  grown. 
Its  job  department,  under  the  control  of  John 
Hoeny,  Jr.,  has  built  up  an  extensive  business. 

Mr.  Hoeny's  long  residence  in  Effingham 
County  and  his  extensive  experience  in  the 
newspaper  business  here  made  the  Times  a 
successful  enterprise  from  its  first  issue.  It 
merits  all  the  encouragement  it  has  received, 
and  even  more,  because  of  its  ability,  integrity 
and  fearless  advocacj^  of  the  right  and  bold 
denunciation  of  the  wrong  wherever  found. 

This  is  the  record  of  the  press  in  the  city  of 
Kffingham.  While  it  has  developed  no  very 
brilliant  writers  of  genius  to  spread  and  ex- 
tend its  name  and  fame,  yet  it  has  been  gener- 
ally in  the  care  of  men  who  have  exercised 
good  sense  and  sound  discretion.  The  large 
majority  of  them  have  been  practical  printers, 
wlio  received  their  training  as  journalists  and 
writers  after  thej'  had  become  proprietors. 
Some  of  them  were  lawj-ers,  some  politicians, 
some  farmer  boys  and  some  school  teachers, 
who  knew  nothing  of  a  printing  office  before 


they  took  charge.  Haddock  and  Bradsby  were 
the  onh'  professional  journalists  ever  connected 
with  the  press  of  our  city. 

We  are  indebted  to  C.  F.  Coleman,  of  the  Al- 
taniont  ]^^eivs,  for  the  following  brief  history  of 
the  press  in  Altamont.  "  The  first  paper  was 
started  in  May,  1873,  by  G.  W.  Grove,  of  Kin- 
mundy.  It  was  the  Altamont  Courier.  The 
office  was  over  Hillcman's  store.  It  was  pub- 
lished in  Altamont  until  the  following  November, 
when  it  was  moved  to  Virginia.  The  town  was 
then  without  a  paper  until  March,  1876,  when 
the  firm  Loofbarrow  &  Humble — the  former 
from  Alma  and  the  latter  from  Fairfield — start- 
ed the  Altamont  Telegram.  Their  office  was 
over  C.  M.  Wright  &  Co.'s  bank.  This  firm  was 
soon  changed  by  the  retirement  of  Humble, 
and  the  accession  of  Hale  Johnson.  The  new 
firm  employed  Mit.  A.  Bates,  as  printer  and 
editor.  This  arrangement  continued  until 
June,  1877,  when  the  concern  passed,  by  pur- 
chase, to  the  sole  control  of  C.  M.  King,  of 
Lexington,  111.,  who  at  once  sold  out  all  the 
old  material  to  A.  M.  Anderson,  who  took  it  to 
Stewardson  and  commenced  the  publication  of 
a  paper.  King  refurnished  the  Altamont  office 
with  a  new  and  elegant  outfit,  among  other 
things  a  Campbell  power  press,  the  first  ever 
in  the  count}',  and  he  published  the  Telegram 
until  August,  1881,  when  he  stopped  the  pub- 
lication of  his  paper,  and  removed  the  entire 
office  to  Gardner,  111. 

On  the  9th  of  December,  1881,  C.  F.  Cole- 
man and  G.  M.  Le  Crone  purchased  a  new  office 
and  commenced  the  publication  of  the  Alta- 
mont News.  That  l>ids  fair  to  live  long  and 
prosper. 

None  of  the  Altamont  papers  had  an}'  poli- 
tics. 

The  Loi/alist. — This  was  the  only  paper  ever 
published  in  the  town  of  Mason,  in  this  count}'. 
The  interest  that  now  attaches  to  this  publica- 
tion arises  chiefly  from  the  fact  that  it  is  a 
relic  of  some  of  the  wild  craze  that  possessed 


90 


HISTORY  0¥  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


man}-  men  during  the  late  war.  Those  dark 
and  terrible  daj-.s  when  a  modioum  of  humanity 
and  a  spark  of  common  sense  were  apt  to  be 
ranked  as  disloj^alt>',  if  not  rank  treason  itself. 

Dr.  J.  N.  Mathews  of  Mason,  who  was  an 
office  boy  in  the  Loyalist  during  its  entire  pub- 
lication, furnishes  the  following  interesting  ac- 
count of  its  brief  existence  :  "  In  the  month 
of  April,  1863,  the  first  number  of  the  Loyalist, 
edited  and  published  by  George  Brewster, 
made  its  appearance  at  Mason.  It  was  a  neat- 
ly printed,  seven-column  folio,  and  a  rank  ex- 
ponent of  Abolitionism.  Its  motto  was  '  Union 
and  Liberty,  now  and  forever,  one  and  insepa- 
rable.' The  office  was  in  Stephen  Hardin's 
building.  It  was  the  scene  of  many  an  excit- 
ing caucus  and  political  jamboree  during  the 
few  fierce  months  of  its  existence.  The  paper 
was  made  up  chiefly  of  war  news,  soldiers'  let- 
ters, and  rampant  editorials.  Every  man  in 
the  neighborhood  who  could  use  a  pen  gave 
vent  to  his  views  through  its  columns,  with 
unbridled  boldness. 

"  The   editor  was  a  man  of  great  learning 


and  talent,  but  of  a  phlegmatic  temperament 
which  led  liim  from  one  extreme  to  another. 
His  leaders  were  pith}-  and  to  the  point.  His 
numerous  tirades  against  deserters  and  others 
frequently  brought  him  face  to  face  with  dan- 
gers from  which  a  man  of  less  courage  would 
have  cowered.  His  office  was  threatened  with 
destruction,  j-et  he  continued  to  pour  forth  his 
sentiments  with  unflinching  force.  The  office 
force  was  supplied  with  arms  and  ordered  to 
use  them  in  case  of  an  attack.  But  fortunate- 
l}-  no  such  occasion  presented  itself.  Those 
immediatel3-  connected  with  the  office  were  his 
four  sons — Frank,  Da  Shiel.  Willis  and  Rich- 
mond— and  J.  N.  Matthews. 

"  After  a  turljulent  career  of  nine  months, 
the  Loyidist  failed  financially  and  was  moved 
to  Salem,  111.,  where  it  was  shortly  afterward 
discontinued. 

"  Mr.  Brewster  was  the  author  of  a  work  en- 
titled 'The  Philosophy  of  Matter.'  As  an  ed- 
itor, he  was  too  eccentric  and  impulsive.  He 
died  shortly  after  the  close  of  the  war,  in  Ma- 
son, at  an  advanced  age." 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


tNTERNAL  IMTROVEMENTS— THE  ILLINOIS    CENTRAL    RAILROAD— ITS  GREAT   IMPORTANCE  AS  A 

HIGH  WAV  — HOLBROOK    CHARTERS  — THE    PART    TAKEN    IN    THE    ROAD    BY   JUDGE 

BREESE  AND    JUDGE     DOUGLAS— COMPLETION  OF  THE  ROAD— BROUGH'S 

FAILURES— VANDALIA  LINE— ITS  CONSTRUCTION— OPENED  FOR 

BUSINESS— OTHER  RAILROADS,   ETC.,  ETC. 


■'  Harness  me  down  with  your  iron  bands, 
Be  sure  of  your  curb  and  rein  ; 
I  scorn  the  strength  of  your  puny  arm, 
As  the  tempest  scorns  a  chain." — Steam. 

IN  another  part  of  this  work  we  remarked 
that  there  were  two  things  in  the  history  of 
the  county,  that  were  eras.  The  first  one  of 
these  was  the  building  of  the  Cumberland  road 
through  the  county,  the  other  was  the  building 
of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad. 

We  know  of  nothing  in  the  history  of  the 


county  that  at  all  compares  with  the  last  named 
in  importance.  All  other  things  are  merely 
events;  some  of  them  of  great  importance,  and 
others  of  less  importance,  but  all  placed  together 
are  insignificant  to  this. 

In  the  history  of  the  State  of  Illinois  even, 
this  great  and  beneficent  work  stands  most 
prominenth',  if  not  pre-eminently  above  all  else. 

One  of  the  State  historians  was  justified  in 
his  remarks  when  he  said  its  building  "  marks 
an  era  in  the  progress  of  the  whole  State." 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


97 


The  grand  scheme  of  connecting,  b}-  means 
of  iron  bands  of  commerce,  Lake  Michigan 
with  the  great  water  highway  of  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley  at  the  confluence  of  the  Ohio,  had 
long  been  a  desideratum  with  our  people.  It 
had  constituted  a  part  of  the  State  internal  im- 
provement system  of  1S37,  and  some  work  on 
the  line  was  actually  done,  but  was  abandoned 
with  the  collapse  of  that  system.  The  Central 
Railroad,  from  the  southern  terminus  of  the 
canal  to  Cairo,  was  subsequently  revived  by 
legislation,  procured  by  scheming  brains  with 
an  eye  to  the  future,  but  the  whole  subject 
lacked  vitality  until  the  passage  of  the  act  of 
Congress  of  1850,  granting  to  the  State  a  mu- 
niflcentdonationofnearly  3.000,000  acres  of  land 
through  the  heart  of  Illinois  in  aid  of  its  com- 
pletion. This  noble  tribute  by  the  nation  had 
its  birth  simultaneously  with  and  amidst  the 
throes  of  the  great  adjustment  measures  of 
1850,  which,  during  that  long  and  extraordi- 
nary session  of  Congress,  shook  the  Union  from 
center  to  circumference.  Twice  before  had  a 
similar  bill  passed  the  Senate,  and  twice  had  it 
failed  in  the  House,  but  now  it  was  a  law,  and 
the  State  possessed  the  means  to  complete  the 
great  work.  The  final  passage  of  the  measure 
was  hailed  with  great  demonstrations  of  joy  by 
the  people  and  press  of  the  State;  Senators 
Douglas  and  Shields,  and  Congressmen  Mc- 
Clernand,  Harris,  Wentworth,  Young.  Richard- 
son, Bissell  and  Baker,  the  then  delegation  in 
Washington  from  Illinois,  were  tendered  a  pub- 
lic dinner  and  reception  upon  their  return  in 
Chicago  in  honor  of  the  event. 

The  entire  amount  of  railroad  in  the  State  at 
that  time  consisted  of  a  section  of  the  Northern 
Cross  Railroad,  from  Meredosia  and  Naples,  on 
the  Illinois  River,  to  Springfield;  the  Chicago 
&  Galena,  from  the  former  cjty  as  far  as  Elgin, 
and  a  six  mile  track  across  the  American  bot- 
tom from  opposite  St.  Louis  to  the  mines  in 
the  blufls. 

The  act  granted  the  right  of  way  throusih 


the' public  lands  of  the  width  of  200  feet,  from 
the  southern  terminus  of  the  Illinois  &  Mich- 
igan Canal  to  a  point  at  or  near  the  junction  of 
the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  Rivers,  and  for  a  branch 
to  Chicago  and  Galena  ;  also  the  privilege  to 
take  from  them  materials  of  earth,  stone  and 
timber  for  its  construction.  But  the  main 
grant  to  the  State  was  the  alternate  sections  of 
land  designated  bj-  even  numbers  for  six  sec- 
tions deep  on  each  side  of  its  track  and 
branches  ;  for  the  lands  sold  or  pre-empted 
within  this  12-mile  belt  or  area,  enough  might 
be  selected  from  even  numbered  sections  to  the 
distance  of  fifteen  miles  on  either  side  of  the 
tracks  equal  in  quantity  to  them.  The  con- 
struction of  the  road  was  to  be  simultaneously 
commenced  at  its  northern  and  southern  ter- 
mini, and  when  completed  the  branches  were 
to  be  constructed.  It  was  to  be  comj^leted 
within  ten  years,  in  default  of  which  the  unsold 
lands  were  to  revert  to  the  United  States,  and 
for  those  sold  the  State  was  to  pay  the  Govern- 
ment price.  The  minimum  price  of  the  alter- 
nate or  odd  sections  of  the  Government  land 
was  raised  from  $1.25  to  $2.50  per  acre.  While 
the  public  lands  were  thus  by  the  prospect  of 
building  this  road  rendered  more  salable  at 
double  price,  it  followed  that  the  General  Gov- 
ernment not  only  lost  nothing  in  dollars  and 
cents,  but  in  point  of  fivct  was  actually  the 
gainer  b}-  this  splendid  gift.  The  land  was 
taken  out  of  the  market  for  two  years,  and 
when  restored  in  the  fall  of  1852,  it,  in  fact, 
brought  an  average  of  .S5  per  acre.  The  grant 
was  subject  to  the  disposal  of  the  Legislature, 
for  the  purpose  specified,  and  the  road  and 
branches  were  to  be  and  remain  a  public  high- 
way for  the  use  of  the  Government  of  the 
United  States,  free  from  all  tolls  either  for  the 
transportation  of  anj-  troops,  munitions  or  other 
property  of  the  General  Government.  This 
provision,  had  it  applied  to  the  rolling  stock  as 
well  as  the  use  of  the  rads,  would  doubtless 
have  saved  the  General  Government,  during  the 


i)8 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


rebellion,  manj'  hundreds  of  thousands  o9  dol- 
lars ;  but  it  has  been  construed  adversely  to 
the  rights  of  the  Government  in  this  particular. 

Upon  the  passage  of  the  bill,  Mr.  Douglas 
immediately  prepared  a  petition  signed  by  the 
Congressional  delegation  of  all  the  States  along 
the  route  of  the  road  from  ^lobile  north,  de- 
scribing the  probable  location  of  the  road  and 
its  branches  through  Illinois  ;  and  requesting 
of  the  President  the  suspension  of  land  sales 
along  the  lines  designated,  which  was  immedi- 
ately done. 

The  act  of  Congress  threw  upon  the  Legislat- 
ure of  Illinois  the  entire  dut3-  of  mailing  a  pru- 
dent, wise  and  satisfactory  disposition  of  the 
magnificent  grant.  The  point  of  departure  of 
the  Chicago  branch  of  the  main  track  was  not 
iixed  by  the  act,  and  this  delicate  duty  the  Leg- 
islature, it  was  generall}'  expected,  would  take 
in  hand.  Before  the  meeting  of  that  body,  in 
January,  1851,  much  contention  pervaded  the 
press  of  the  State  regarding  the  location  of  the 
main  track,  and  particularlj'  the  routes  of  the 
branches.  Manj-  worthy  and  ambitious  towns 
were  arrayed  against  each  other.  The  La  Salle 
interests  wanted  the  Chicago  branch  taken  off 
at  that  point.  Bloomington,  looking  to  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  Alton  &  Sangamon  road  (now 
the  Chicago  &  Alton)  to  that  place,  wanted  the 
Chicago  branch  to  connect  her  with  the  lake. 
Shelbyville,  which  was  a  point  on  the  old  line 
of  the  Illinois  Central,  not  dreaming  but  that 
she  would  have  the  main  track,  was  grasping 
for  the  departure  thence  of  the  Chicago  branch 
also,  and  lost  both.  Another  route,  which 
ought  to  have  commanded  great  strength,  was 
proposed  on  the  most  direct  line  from  Cairo, 
making  the  point  of  connection  in  Pulaski 
Count}',  taking  otf  the  Galena  branch  at  Mount 
Vernon,  thence  through  Carlyle,  Greenville, 
Hillsboro,  Springfield.  Peoria,  Galena  and  on 
to  Dubuque.  But,  of  course,  it  was  to  the  in- 
terests of  tlie  company  to  make  tlie  location 
where  there  was  the  largest  amount  of  vacant 


land  that  could  be  brought  within  the  belt  of 
fifteen  miles  on  either  side  of  the  road.  And 
this  proved  the  controlling  influence  ultimatel}-, 
both  in  the  location  of  the  main  track  and  its 
branches. 

Hnlhrook  Charters. — One  of  the  phantoms 
which  loomed  into  public  recognition,  casting 
its  shadow  across  the  path  of  bright  promise 
for  the  State,  was  what  was  known  as  the 
"  Holbrook  Charters,"  whose  incorporators,  it 
was  feared,  would  step  in  and  swallow  up  the 
Congressional  grant  of  land  under  the  broad 
terms  of  their  franchise. 

The  interest  of  the  people  of  Illinois  is  now 
deepl}'  concerned  in  the  history  of  these  •■  Hol- 
brook Charters,"  owing  to  the  extraordinary 
discussion  that  arose  in  the  last  3'ears  of  the 
lives  of  those  two  men,  Sidney  Breese  and 
Stephen  A.  Douglas,  in  regard  to  the  paternitj' 
of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  Letters  ad- 
dressed to  the  public  through  the  press  of  the 
country  were  written  by  each  of  these  men  on 
the  subject,  and  the  people  are  3-et  undecided 
as  to  where  the  paternity  of  this  enterprise  be- 
longs. It  is  the  widespread  and  profound 
interest  among  all  our  readers  in  anything  that 
concerned  these  two  eminent  Illinoisans  that  is 
our  apology  for  giving  the  history  of  the  "  Hol- 
brook Charters  "  at  length. 

"  The  Cairo  City  Canal  Company  was  orig- 
inally incorporated  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
structing dykes,  levees  or  embankments,  to 
secure  and  preserve  Cairo  City  and  adjacent 
lands  against  the  freshets  of  the  rivers.  The 
cutting  of  the  canal  to  unite  the  Mississippi 
with  the  Ohio  through  Cache  Eiver  was  also 
authorized.  In  the  fall  of  1835,  the  Hon. 
Sidney  Breese,  through  i  well-constructed 
published  letter,  had  first  en  lied  attention  to 
the  plan  of  a    central    rf  :,    connecting 

the  southern  terminus  c  ihe  Illinois  & 
Michigan  Canal  at  Peru  with  the  con- 
fluence of  the  Ohio  and  M'saissippi  Rivers 
at  Cairo.     An  effort  was  mi   .e,  r*^  the  special 


•J 


If 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


101 


session  of  1835-36,  to  iiuite  this  project 
■with  the  canal,  for  which  an  approjiria- 
tion  of  $500,000  was  granted.  This  fail- 
ing, a  charter  for  the  railroad  was  grant- 
ed, supplementing  this  project  with  the 
Cairo  City  Company,  the  corporators  being 
Darius  B.  Holbrook  (who  was  ^also  President 
of  the  company)  and  others.  Application 
was  then  first  made  to  Congress  for  aid  by 
pre-emption.  One  year  later,  the  State  en- 
tered upon  the  great  internal  improvement  sys- 
tem, and,  unwilling  to  brook  a  rival,  applied 
to  the  Cairo  Company  to  surrender  the  charter 
for  the  building  of  this  railroad  through  the 
center  of  the  State,  which  was  complied  with 
on  condition  that  the  State  build  the  road  on 
a  route  leading  from  Cairo  through  Vandalia, 
Sholbyville,  Decatiu",  Bloomington,  Peru, 
and  via  Dixon  to  Galena.  The  State  ex- 
pended more  than  a  million  dollars,  it  is 
said,  on  this  route,  before  the  "grand  system" 
collapsed  in  1840.  Subsequently,  by  act  of 
March  6,  1843,  the  road,  in  the  condition  that 
it  was  abandoned,  was  restored  to  the  Cairo 
Cornpany,^  under  the  title  of  the  Great  West- 
ern Railway  Company,  with  a  power  to  con- 
struct the  road  from  Cairo  by  the  places 
named  to  a  point  at  or  near  the  southern  ter- 
minus of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  in 
such  manner  as  they  might  deem  most  expe- 
dient. The  Cairo  Company  was  vested  with 
the  title  and  effects  of  the  old  Central  Rail- 
road. All  the  usual  fi'anchises  were  sfrant- 
ed  to  the  Great  Western  Company  as  part  of 
the  Cairo  Company,  and  in  Section  18  it  was 
added  that  '  all  lands  that  may  come  in  pos- 
session of  said  company,  whether  by  dona- 
tion or  purchase,'  were  pledged  and  mort- 
gaged in  advance,  as  security  for  payments 
of  bonds  and  obligations  of  the  company,  au- 
thorized to  b"  issued  and  contracted  under 
the  provisions  of  the  charter.  By  act  of 
March  3,    1845,    the   charter   of   this   Great 


Western  Company  was  repealed;  but,  by  act 
of  February  10, 1849,  it  was  received  for  bene 
fit  of  Cairo  City  &  Canal  Company,  with  the 
addition  of  some  thirty  names  as  incorpora- 
tors, taken  from  all  parts  of  the  State,  many 
of  whom  ivere  well-known  politicians.  The 
company  thus  revived  was  authorized  in  the 
construction  of  the  Central  Railroad,  to  ex- 
tend it  on  from  the  southern  terminus  of  the 
canal — La  Salle — to  Chicago,  'in  strict  con- 
formity to  all  obligations,  restrictions,  powers 
and  privileges  of  the  act  of  1843.'  The 
Governor  was  empowered  to  hold  in  trust, 
for  the  use  and  benefit  of  said  company, 
whatever  lands  might  be  donated  to  the  State 
by  the  General  Government,  to  aid  in  the 
completion  of  the  Central  or  Great  Western 
Railway,  subject  to  the  conditions  and  pro- 
visions of  the  bill  (then  pending  before  Con- 
gress and  expected  to  become  a  law)  granting 
the  subsidies  of  3,000,000  acres  of  land. 
The  company  was  further  authorized  to  re- 
ceive, hold  and  dispose  of  any  and  all  lands 
secured  to  it  by  donation,  pre-emption  or 
otherwise.  There  were  other  details  of  mi- 
nor importance,  but  these  sufficiently  indi- 
cate the  scheme. " 

Here,  substantially,  is  the  outline  of  the 
final  legislation  that  led  to  the  building  of 
the  Central  Railroad.  And  it  was  this  idea 
of  1835  whereon  Judge  Breese  based  his 
claim  to  the  paternity  of  the  great  work. 

Judge  Douglas  had  charge  of  the  bill  for 
the  road  in  the  United  States  Senate.  He 
was  radically  opjjosed  to  the  whole  Holbrook 
scheme,  because,  as  he  warmly  contended,  it 
was  a  private  scheme  of  speculation,  if  not 
peculation,  and  he  frankly  informed  the  cor- 
porators of  the  Great  Western  Railway  that, 
unless  they  wholly  stepped  down  and  out, 
sm-rendered  everything  that  had  been  granted 
them  by  the  State,  he  would  not  press  his 
bill    to  a  final  passage  in  the    Senate,    but 

F 


102 


HISTORY  OV  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


would  not  even  vote  for  it.  Here  the  whole 
matter  rested  in  uncertainty  and  doubt  for 
some  time,  and  the  public  press  poured  out 
charges  and  counter-charges,  and  negotia- 
tions looking  to  an  adjustment  satisfactory 
to  all  parties  were  frequently  instituted,  and 
as  often  came  to  naught.  Judge  Douglas 
would  accept  no  terms  except  an  absolute  and 
total  suiTender  of  everything  that  had  been 
granted  the  Holbrook  corporators,  and  he 
broadly  based  his  action  on  the  grounds  that 
it  was  better  for  the  country  that  the  whole 
scheme  should  perish  rather  than  go  into 
the  hands  of  irresponsible  private  schem- 
ers. His  great  mind  must  have  fully  realized 
that  he  was  taking  immeasurable  responsi- 
bilities— that  he  was  called  upon  to  act,  in 
the  face,  too,  of  the  opposition  of  many  and 
powerful  political  friends,  in  the  most  im- 
portant and  vital  matter  to  the  country  that 
concerned  his  whole  political  life.  He  must 
have  realized  that,  while  this  was  on  its  face 
local  legislation  to  some  extent,  yet  it  was  a 
part  of  the  legislation  unparalleled  in  its 
great  and  far-reaching  consequences.  Had 
Douglas  been  a  mere  demagogue,  as  has 
been  charged  by  his  enemies,  he  could  have 
here,  by  a  mere  negative  assent,  had  easy 
sailing  in  smooth  waters,  and  at  the  same 
time  given  the  country  the  great  railroad, 
with  all  its  advantages.  But  here  was  exact- 
ly where  he  rose  to  the  emergency — where 
his  mind  forecast  the  long  future,  and  would 
not  be  corrupted.  He  could  easily  have 
dropped  into  this  first  attempt  (if  his  judg- 
ment was  right  about  it)  to  put  on  its  feet  a 
similar  great  scheme  of  national  robbery  and 
disgrace  to  that  of  the  Union  Pacific  Eail- 
road.  Had  he  been  a  dishonest  man,  he 
would  have  done  so.  There  is  one  thing  cer- 
tain— he  had  his  own  way  in  everything, 
without  compromising  one  jot  or  tittle  of  his 
judgment   or    conviction,    and   he   gave  the 


country  one  of  the  wisest  and  greatest  leg- 
islative enactments  that  can  be  found  in  the 
law  books  of  our  continent.  Millions  of 
people  are  to-day  reaping  the  fruits  of  his 
work  that  he  gave  them  without  robbing 
them  of  a  cent  or  a  drop  of  blood.  Peace  hath 
her  victories  as  well  as  war.  Indeed,  war 
has  none.  Revolutions  that  strike  off  the 
heads  of  oppressors  may  have — often  do.  A 
free  people  that  go  into  battles  to  repel  in- 
vaders that  come  to  enslave  may  be  sacred 
men,  treading  upon  sacred  ground,  but  if  it 
is  an  enslaved  people,  and  the  invaders  prom- 
ise even  a  modicum  of  relief  fi-om  their  home 
oppressors,  then  it  is  pretty  much  like  all 
war — a  barbarous  calamity,  and  a  by-word  of 
reproach  to  any  one  above  a  mere  cannibal 
savage. 

The  Holbrook  party  had  the  ear  "and  confi- 
dence of  the  Illinois  Legislature,  but  Doug- 
las was  master  of  Illinois'  interests  in  the 
United  States  Senate.  At  the  special  session 
of  the  Legislature  of  1849,  he  delivered  a 
speech  to  that  body,  in  which  he  attempted 
to  demonstrate  to  it  that  a  fraud  had  been 
practiced  upon  it,  and  frankly  tcjld  them  that 
the  important  bill  had  been  delayed  and  post- 
poned in  Congress  on  account  of  the  action 
of  the  Illinois  Legislature.  He  further  told 
them  that  Congress  had  an  insuperable  ob- 
jection to  making  the  grant  for  the  benefit  of 
a  private  corporation. 

To  obviate  the  objection  of  Judge  Doug- 
las, Holbrook,  on  December  15,  1849,  execut- 
ed a  promise  of  release  to  the  Governor,  a 
duplicate  of  which  was  transmitted  to  Doug- 
las at  Washington.  But  he  refused  to  ac- 
cept this  as  a  valid  and  binding  document 
upon  the  company,  because,  as  he  said,  it 
was  without  the  sanction  or  authority  of  the 
stockholders,  or  even  the  Board  of  Directors. 
While  he  did  not  impute  such  cunning  de- 
signs to  any  one,  yet  he  believed  this  release 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


103 


left  it  in  the  condition  which  would  enable 
it  to  take  all  the  lands  granted,  divide  them 
among  its  stockholders,  and  retain  its  char- 
tered privileges  without  building  the  road. 
He  would  not  give  his  approval  to  any  scheme 
by  which  the  State  could  possibly  be  deprived 
of  any  of  the  benetite  resulting  from  the  ex- 
pected grant.  For  the  protection  of  the 
State,  and  as  an  assurance  to  Congress,  the 
execution  of  a  full  and  complete  release  of 
all  rights  and  privileges,  and  a  surrender  of 
the  charters,  and  all  acts  or  parcels  of  acts 
supplemental  or  amendatory  thereof  or  relat- 
ing in  anywise  to  the  Central  Railroad, 
so  as  to  leave  the  State,  through  its  Legis- 
lature, free  to  make  such  dispositions  of  the 
lands,  and  such  arrangement  for  the  con- 
struction of  the  road,  as  might  be  deemed 
best,  was  demanded. 

This  absolute  release  was  executed,  and 
one  copy  furnished  the  Governor  and  the 
other  to  Judge  Douglas  at  Washington.  Judge 
Douglas  was  satisfied  with  this  release,  and 
he  pressed  the  bill  to  an  immediate   passage. 

After  the  passage  of  the  bill  granting  the 
land  by  Congress,  there  arose  many  doubts 
and  misgiving  in  the  minds  of  the  people  of 
Illinois  as  to  the  sufficiency  of  the  release, 
and  the  matter  was  freely  canvassed  pending 
the  election  of  the  Legislature,  which  was  to 
dispose  of  the  splendid  donation  of  the  best 
interests  of  the  State,  regardless  of  local  con- 
siderations or  sectional  desires.  The  claim 
was  set  up  that  the  Cairo  Company  could  and 
would  repudiate  the  relinquishment  of  its 
charters,  or  use  some  expedient  to  induce  the 
General  Assembly  to  fail  in  accepting  it  ac- 
cording to  its  second  stipulation,  which  would 
enable  that  concern  to  resume  its  former  po- 
sition, and  grasp  the  large  grant  of  land  un- 
der the  provisions  of  its  charter  of  1S49.  On 
September  25,  1850,  D.  B.  Holbrook,  from 
New  York,  wrote  a  curious  and  pu22zling  let- 


ter on  the  subject,  which  was  published  in 
tin  Illinois  paper  and  floated  through  the 
press  for  some  time.  This  letter  gave  color 
to  the  fears  of  the  people,  particularly  the 
0[>eniug  sentence  of  it.  "  I  can  truly  say 
that  I  am  under  obligations  to  those  who, 
with  Gov.  Casey,  prevented  the  repeal  of  the 
charter  of  the  Great  Western  Railway  Com- 
pany.    It  was  granted  in    good    faith,    and 

under  no  other  that  the  State  can  now  grant. 
*     *     *     *     -^p  gyg  jjQ^y  g^j.g  (-jjj^j.  ii^g  road 

from  Cairo  to  Peru,  Galena  and  Chicago  will 
be  built.  I  am  now  organizing  the  company, 
to  commence  the  work  this  fall,  and  to  put  a 
large  part  of  the  road  under  contract  as  early 
as  possible.  We  shall  make  the  road  on  the 
old  line  of  the  Central  route,  through  Vanda- 
lia,  ShelbyvilJe,  Decatur  and  Bloomington. 
I  rejoice  with  the  people  of  Illinois  that  this 
important  road  to  the  whole  State  will  now  be 
made. " 

This  singular  letter  was  as  a  fire- bell  at 
night  to  many  a  voter  in  the  State.  It  was 
construed  as  a  pretension  on  the  part  of  the 
President  of  the  old  Holbrook  charter  that 
the  State  could  not  grant  any  other  charter 
than  that  which  this  company  already  owned. 
Many  read  the  letter  as  an  open  repudiation 
of  the  release,  and  believed  it  had  been  writ 
ten  and  published  for  the  sole  piu-jiose  of 
warning  the  people  of  their  intentions. 
Here,  too,  was  a  claim  to  a  share  in  the  glory 
of  procuring  the  grant  from  Congi-ess,  and 
the  assertion  that  his  company  was  ready  to 
resume  the  work  (mentioning  the  old  route 
of  the  road),  bordered  closely  upon  the  as- 
sertion that  the  Cairo  Company  deemed  itself 
master  of  the  situation. 

Another  straw  indicating  the  shiftins- 
winds  was  a  vile  and  coarse  attack  upon 
Judge  Douglas  in  a  Chicago  paper  published 
in  the  Holbrook  interest,  as  follows: 

"  Judge   Douglas  has  declared  the  first  re- 


104 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


lease  of  the  Cairo  Company  illegal  and  de- 
fective, but  that  he  obtained  a  second  one 
that  was  legal  before  he  would  vote  for  the 
grant  of  land.  That  will  likely  be  found 
equally  so  (that  is,  defective  as  the  tirst). 
For,  although  he  is  an  ex-Judge,  it  is  doubt- 
ed if  he  knows  enough  law  to  either  dictate 
or  draw  a  legal  release  in  such  a  case,  and  his 
whole  concern  in  the  matter  may  be  looked 
upon  as  much  a  piece  of  political  trickery  as 
his  braarging  about  it  is  bombastic,  and  that 
he  had  no  more  influence  in  procuring  the 
grant  than  the  barking  of  a  poodle  dog.  *  * 
The  Cairo  Company  has  never  asked  any- 
thing of  the  State  but  the  privilege  to  ex- 
pend their  owoi  money  in  it,  which  would 
never  injure,  but  do  much  good,  to  the  State. 
*  *  *  If  Breese  and  Casey  and  Holbrook 
can  be  killed  off  by  the  politicians  of  Illi- 
nois, look  out  for  more  pkinder. " 

These  pretensions  plainly  show  that  the 
apprehensions  of  the  people  were  not  ground- 
less, particularly  when  it  is  remembered  that 
there  is  to  this  day  no  positive  evidence  that 
the  release  executed  in  New  York  had  ever 
been  signed  or  duly  authorized  by  tlie  Illi- 
nois corporators,  and  when  the  Legislature 
did  meet,  it  was  soon  manifest  that  the 
Cairo  Companies  had  secured  friends  in  that 
body.  But,  when  baffled  at  every  turn  by 
Douglas,  a  new  and  a  yet  bolder  scheme  was 
inaugm-ated  and  presented  to  the  Legislature. 
When  the  Legislature  met  to  jaass  the  Cen- 
tral chai'ter,  one  of  ;he  iirst  things  that  met 
the  members  was  a  voluminoiis  printed  bill 
for  a  charter,  which  was  simply  a  proposition 
to  place  this  grand  enterprise  into  the  hands 
of  the  State  bondholders  with  a  wild-cat 
bank  added  to  the  scheme.  It  was  known  as 
the  bondholder's  plan.  The  provisions  of  this 
extraordinary  bill  contained  about  as  hard  a 
bargain  as  "creditor  ever  offered  bondsman," 
or  as  Credit  Mobilier  ever  offered  the  Govern- 


ment of  the  United  States.  It  was  coolly 
proposed,  among  the  provisions,  that  the 
State  appoint  Commissioners  to  locate  the 
road,  survey  the  route  for  the  main  stem  and 
branches,  and  select  the  lands  granted  by 
Congress,  all  at  the  expense  of  the  State; 
agents  were  further  to  be  appointed  by  the 
Governor  to  apply  to  land-holders  along  the 
routes  who  might  be  benefited  by  the  road, 
for  subscriptions,  also  at  the  expense  of  the 
State;  any  person  subscribing  money  shall  be 
entitled  to  draw  interest  upon  the  amount  at 
—  per  cent  per  annum  from  the  day  of  said 
advance,  and  shall  be  entitled  to  designate 
and  register  an  amount  of  "New  Internal  Im- 
provement Stock  of  this  State"  equal  to  four 
times  the  amount  subscribed,  or  of  stock  of 
this  State  known  as  "Interest  Bonds"  equal  to 
three  times  the  money  so  advanced;  and  stock 
so  subscribed  may  be  registered  at  the  agency 
of  the  State  of  Illinois,  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  by  the  party  subscribfng,  or  by  any 
other  person  to  whom  they  may  assign  the 
right,  at  any  time  after  paying  the  subscrip- 
tion, in  proportion  to  the  amount  paid;  and 
said  stock  shall  be  indorsed,  registered  and 
signed  by  the  agent  appointed  by  the  Gov- 
ernor for  the  purpose,  and  a  copy  of  said 
register  shall  be  filed  in  the  office  of  Auditor 
of  Public  Accounts,  as  evidence  to  show  the 
particular  stock  secured,  or  as  herein  pro- 
vided for. 

The  lands  were  to  be  conveyed  by  the 
State  to  the  managers  of  the  road;  to  be  by 
them  offered  for  sale  upon  the  completion  of 
sections  of  sixty  miles,  expenses  to  be  paid 
by  the  State;  the  money  was  to  go  to  the 
managers,  but  the  State  was  to  receive  cer- 
tificates of  stock  for  the  same.  They  ap- 
pointed their  own  managers,  and  the  State 
was  to  pay  two  of  them  $2,500  a  year  each, 
and  all  the  others  were  to  get  SI. 500  a  year 
each.     These  were  very  big  salaries  for  those 


HISTORY   OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


105 


days  of  democratic  simplicity.  The  company, 
with  the  sanction  of  the  Governor,  was  to 
purchase  iron,  etc.,  pledging  the  road  for 
payment;  and  the  road  stock  and  property  to 
be  exempt  from  all  taxation.  To  this  ad- 
mirable scheme  of  plunder  were  added  pro- 
visions for  a  bank  attachment  to  the  concern, 
to  be  organized  under  the  general  banking 
law  of  the  State,  to  be  adop'ed  at  the  session 
of  the  Legislature  granting  the  charter.  It 
wound  up  with  the  magnificent  proviso, 
if  the  constitution  was  changed  or  amended, 
such  as  was  pending  (it  failed,  however,  to 
carry),  changing  the  2  per  cent  mill  tax  to  a 
sinking  fund  to  be  generally  applied  in  re- 
demption of  the  State  debt,  that  then  the 
stock  registered  in  this  act  should  also  par- 
ticipate in  the  proceeds  thereof. 

Such  were  the  salient  points  in  the  bond- 
holders' magnificent  scheme  of  robbery.  For 
boldness  and  unblushing  impudence  it  has 
never  been  excelled,  and  it  has  only  been 
equaled  in  this  respect  by  its  stupid  frank- 
ness in  admitting  and  proclaiming  its  own 
venality  and  rascality.  It  was  a  bold  and 
daring  attempt  to  fasten  upon  the  State  a 
horde  of  high-salaried  officials  to  eat  out  the 
sustenance  of  the  people,  empowering  the 
company  to  increase  at  pleasure  its  officials, 
and  fix  their  compensation;  and  to  holders  of 
interest  bonds — then  worth  but  little  in  the 
market — it  offered  the  control  of  the  road  to 
four  times  their  actual  outlay;  to  mortgage 
it  for  iron,  attach  a  wild-cat  bank  to  the  en- 
terprise and  strangle  it.  It  bore  the  brands 
of  its  own  infamy  upon  its  face,  and  to  the 
eternal  good  fortune  of  the  people  of  the 
West,  so  plainly  was  this  seen  by  all  that  it 
was  unceremoniously  scotched  and  killed. 

Perhaps,  from  all  these  things  combined, 
and  the  further  fact  that,  as  the  people  dis- 
cussed the  measure,  the  magnitude  of  the 
gift  by  the  Government  was  so  overpowering 


to  the  minds  of  many  that  an  opi^osition  arose 
to  turning  over  to  any  private  corporation 
this  golden  fountain.  There  was  that  foolish 
chimera  of  the  State  policy  also  ready  to  step 
to  the  front  upon  the  slightest  pretext,  al- 
though its  career  had  already  nearly  stran- 
gled and  maimed  the  young  State  of  Illinois, 
and  spread  only  bankruptcy  and  desolation 
along  its  entire  path,  and  all  over  the  State 
it  had  its  unconvincible  followers  and  prose- 
lytes. These,  too,  were  besieging  the  Legis- 
lature with  their  Utopian  schemes.  They 
argued  that  the  State  should  alone  act,  and, 
keeping  everything  within  itself,  build  the 
700  miles  of  railroad,  pay  off  the  public  debt 
of  many  millions,  and,  by  wise  State  man- 
agement, make  all  its  own  people  rich.  Mr, 
John  S.  Wright,  of  Chicago,  published  a 
pamphlet,  insisting  that  the  State  would  be 
everlastingly  dishonored  if  the  Legislature 
did  not  devise  laws  to  build  the  road,  and 
disenthrall  the  State  of  its  enormous  debt  out 
of  the  avails  of  the  land  grant. 

It  was  soon  a  developed  fact  in  the  Legis- 
lature that  efforts  on  the  part  of  the  Holbrook 
influence  for  delay  were  being  strenuously 
put  forth,  in  the  hope  that  this  might  revive 
the  Cairo  charter.  To  this  end,  a  resolution 
was  offered  in  the  Senate  instructing  the 
Committee  on  Internal  Improvements  to  pre- 
pare and  bring  in  a  bill  providing  for  the  ap. 
pointment  of  agents  to  locate  the  road,  with 
the  view  to  further  construction,  and  to  select 
the  lands  Tinder  the  grant  of  Congress. 

These  were  some  of  the  obstacles  and  as- 
saults that  were  made  upon  the  enterprise 
when  it  was  in  its  budding  state,  and  which 
Judge  Douglas  was  called  upon  to  guard  and 
defend  it  against,  and  to  all  these  were  added 
the  jealousies  and  bickerings  that  were  raised 
at  every  stage  of  the  work,  by  genuine  and 
by  false  claimants,  to  a  part  of  the  credit  of 
the  idea.     It  is  to  be  regretted  that   Judge 


106 


HISTORY  or  effijSgham  county. 


Breese  and  Judge  Douglas  were  ever  driven 
into  any  controversy  in  reference  thereto. 
And  it  is  only  now  that  they  have  both  gone, 
when  they  are  silent  forever,  and  their  works 
alone  may  speak  for  them,  that  men  may  dis- 
passionately look  into  the  merits  of  that  con- 
troversy of  paternity.  It  is  highly  probable, 
from  quotations  and  facts  already  given,  that 
Judge  Breese  had  formulated  in  his  own 
mind — partly  his  own  and  probably  partly 
other  ideas — what  resulted  and  was  event- 
ually the  Central  Railroad.  And  when  he  was 
in  the  United  States  Senate,  he  did  all  he 
could  to  hasten  the  good  work.  There  is 
but  little  doubt  but  that  he  and  other  men 
were  not  only  di'eaming  dreams  that  were  to 
become  a  real  road  some  day,  but  they  were 
moving  forward  in  the  actual  work.  But  it 
is  doubtful  that,  without  Judge  Douglas,  we 
would  ever  have  had  the  Central  road  as  we 
row  have  it — the  richest  jewel,  to  be  un- 
tainted with  corruption — that  ever  came  from 
a  national  or  State  legislation.  The  two 
great  and  invaluable  ideas  that  are  unques- 
tionably due  to  Judge  Douglas  are  the  idea 
of  giving  each  alternate  section  of  land  and 
doubling  the  Government  price  of  the  re- 
mainder, and  the  watchful  and  rigid  exclu- 
sion of  all  jobbery  from  the  enterprise, 
These  are  his.  Let  the  others  be  awarded  to 
the  memory  of  Judge  Breese.  Thus  are  di- 
vided and  abundant  honors  for  both. 

In  the  2>erpetually  increasing  grandeur  and 
glory  of  this  master-work  of  modern  time, 
there  is  so  much,  so  rich  a  legacy  of  respect 
and  gratitude,  flowing  like  the  ever -gather- 
ing river,  bearing  immeasm-able  tributes  of 
wealth,  hajjpiness  and  gratitude  to  the  mill- 
ions of  people  in  the  Mississippi  Valley,  that 
Illinois  may  well  say  to  her  two  noble  and 
ambitious  sons,  peace  and  amity,  "  for  in  thy 
Father's  house  there  is  enough  and  to  spare." 

There  was  nothingr  in  the  lives  of  the  two 


men — Douglas  and  Breese — that  those  who 
have  in  keeping  their  memories  should  ever 
permit  to  clash  and  jar  the  one  against  the 
other.  Breese  was  a  great  and  pure  jurist, 
and  it  was  here  he  toiled,  and  his  genius 
built  his  enduring  monument.  Douglas  was 
a  statesman — the  most  difficult  place  in  life 
for  genius  to  properly  assert  itself  and  rear 
its  tenement  among  the  immortals.  It  has 
been  said  by  a  great  philosopher  that  state- 
craft, in  its  whole  nature  and  conditions,  is 
an  inferior  plane  of  life,  from  whence  it  is 
nest  to  impossible  for  true  greatness  to  spring 
forth,  that  great  measures  of  law  are  simply 
compromises — temporary  expedients — and  it 
is  of  necessity  their  nature  to  decay,  and 
soon  they  have  passed  away;  that  their 
effects  are  short-lived,  and  at  best  they  are 
merely  the  developed  one-half,  or  part,  at 
least,  of  the  ideal  of  the  statesman.  The 
great  Burke  realized  this  in  his  young  and 
better  days,  to  the  extent  that  it  is  said  to 
have  cast  a  gloom  over  his  life.  But  in  the 
face  of  the  saying  of  the  philosopher,  it  is  a 
truth,  and  will  so  remain  forever,  that  men 
are,  after  all,  dispassionately  judged  at  some 
time  by  their  posterity,  according  to  the  real 
and  true  work  of  their  lives.  When  this  just 
judgment  comes — and  if  it  is  not  here  now, 
it  will  come — Stephen  A.  Douglas  will  take 
his  j)lace,  easily  and  naturally,  as  the  pre- 
eminently great  man  that  Illinois  has  yet 
produced.  This  is  not  prediction;  it  is  the 
assertion  of  a  simple,  palpable  truth.  The 
mob,  "with  stinking  breaths  and  gi-easy  caps," 
may  not  have  run  after  him  shouting  "  Live 
forever!  "  But  of  this  a  just  posteritj'  will 
make  no  inquiry.  They  will  inquire  of  him. 
as  they  will  of  all:  In  life,  what  did  you  do 
for  the  permanent  good  of  men?  And  his- 
tory will  jjoint  to  the  Central  Eailroad,  by 
which  the  greatness  and  glory  of  Illinois — 
more  than  could  all  the  battle-fields  in  history 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


107 


— is  proudly  tixed,  and  the  comfort  and  hap- 
piness of  her  millions  of  people  secured  be- 
yond peradventure.  One  other  act  of  Doug;- 
las'  life  should  and  will  be  placed  by  this  as 
a  companion  piece,  namely:  When  the  Illi- 
nois Legislature,  of  which  Douglas  was  then 
a  member,  had  concluded  to  repudiate  its 
State  debt.  When  Douglas  heard  of  it,  on 
his  sick  bed,  he  had  himself  carried  into  the 
hall  upon  a  stretcher.  The  matter  was  iin- 
dergoing  a  closing  discussion.  He  was  not 
able  to  rise  from  his  sick  couch  and  speak,  as 
he  only  would  or  could  have  spoken,  upon 
such  an  occasion,  so  he  wrote  and  sent  to  the 
Clerk  the  following:  "  Resolved,  That  Illi- 
nois will  be  honest  if  she  never  pays  a  cent." 

And  repudiation  was  instantly  killed  for- 
ever in  Illinois.  Are  not  these  two  acts 
properly  denominated companionpieces?  The 
one  saved  the  honor  and  credit  of  the  State; 
the  other  created  her  wealth,  her  greatness 
and  her  glory. 

When  the  General  Assembly  of  1851  met, 
there  were  wealthy  capitalists  represented 
there,  who  proffered,  in  the  most  equitable 
and  generous  terms,  to  build  the  railroad  and 
its  branches,  as  the  following  memorial  will 
fully  explain: 

To    THE    H()N0U.\BLE,    THE  SENATORS   .\ND   RepRE- 
SENT.\TIVES   OF   THE   St,\TB  OP  IlXlNOIS,   IN    THE 

Gener.\l  Assembly  convened: 

The  mt'iiiorial  of  Robert  Schuyler,  George  Gris- 
wold,  Gouverner  Morris,  Jonathan  Sturgis,  George 
W.  Ludlow  and  John  F.  A.  Sandford,  of  the  city 
of  New  York,  and  David  A.  Neal,  Franklin  Haven 
and  Robert  Rantoul,  Jr.,  of  Boston  and  vicinity, 
respectfully  represent ; 

Having  examined  and  eonsidered  an  act  of  Con- 
gress of  the  United  States,  wliereby  land  is  donated 
for  the  purpose  of  insuring  the  construction  of  a 
railrojwi  from  Cairo,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  to 
Galena  and  northwest  angle  of  the  State  of  Illinois, 
with  a  branch  extending  to  Chicago,  on  Lake  Mich- 
igan, ou  certain  conditions  therein  cxjiressed ;  and 
having  also  examined  the  resources  of  the  tract  of 
country  thi-ough  which  it  is  proposed  that  said  rail- 


road shall  pass,  and  the  amount  of  cost  and  space 
of  time  necessary  to  construct  the  same,  the  sub- 
scribers propose  to  form  a  company,  with  such 
stockholders  as  they  may  associate  with  them,  in- 
cluding among  their  number  persons  of  large  expe- 
rience in  the  construction  of  .several  of  the  principal 
railroads  in  the  United  States,  and  of  means  and 
credit  sutKeient  to  place  beyond  doubt  their  ability 
to  perform  what  they  hereinafter  propo.se,  make  the 
following  offer  to  the  State  of  Illinois  for  their  con- 
sideration : 

The  company  so  formed  by  the  subscribers  will, 
under  the  authority  and  direction  of  the  State  of 
Illinois,  fully  and  faithfully  perform  the  several 
conditions,  and  execute  the  trust  in  the  said  act  of 
Congress  contained.  And  will  build  a  railroad, 
with  branches  between  the  termini  set  forth  in  said 
act.  with  a  single  track,  and  complete  the  same, 
ready  for  merchandise  and  passengers,  on  or  before 
the  4th  day  of  Jul}',  which  will  be  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  1854. 

And  said  railroad  shall  be.  in  all  respects,  as  well 
and  thoroughlj'  built  as  the  railroad  running  from 
Boston  to  Albany,  with  such  improvements  thereon 
as  experience  has  shown  to  be  desirable  and  expe- 
dient, and  shall  be  equipped  in  a  manner  suitable 
to  the  business  to  be  accommodated  thereby. 

And  the  said  company,  from  and  after  the  com- 
pletion of  said  road,  will  pay  to  the  State  of  Illinois, 
annually,  —  per  cent  of  the  gross  earnings  of  said 
ruad.  without  deduction  or  charge  of  expenses,  or 
for  an}-  other  nmtter  or  cause:  Provided,  That  the 
State  of  Illinois  will  grant  to  the  subscribers  a  eh.ar- 
ter  of  incorporation,  with  terms  mutually  advantage- 
ous, with  powers  and  limitations  as  they,  in  their 
wisdom,  may  think  fit,  as  shall  be  accepted  by  said 
company,  and  as  will  sufficiently  remunerate  the 
subscribers  for  their  care,  labor  and  expenditure  in 
that  behalf  incurred,  and  will  enable  them  to  avail 
themselves  of  lands  donated  by  said  act,  to  raise 
the  funds,  or  portion  of  the  funds,  necessary  for  the 
construction  and  equipment  of  said  road. 

Mr.  Eantoul,  one  of  the  memorialists,  was 
the  accredited  agent  of  the  others,  with  full 
power  to  act.  He  attended  personally  at 
Springfield  during  the  sitting  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, and  the  above  projiosition,  coming  from 
gentlemen  of  such  high  financial  standing, 
was  very  favorably  received  from  his  hands, 
particularly  as  it  offered  a  completion  of  the 
road  and  its  branches  in  a  much  shorter  space 


108 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


of  time  than  was  by  any  one  anticipated. 
He  was  willing  to  adjust  the  conditions  of 
the  contract  BO  as  to  render  the  completion  of 
the  road  certain,  and  without  a  possibility  of 
the  misapplication  of  the  lands,  or  the  be- 
stowal of  a  monopoly  upon  the  company, 
which  was  ready  to  give  any  guarantee  that 
might  reasonably  be  asked  to  guard  the  State 
against  loss  from  defalcation,  both  as  respect- 
ed the  prosecution  of  the  work  and  the  ap- 
plication of  the  proceeds  of  the  sales  of  the 
lands. 

These  terms  were  made  the  basis,  ulti- 
mately, of  the  Central  Railroad  charter. 

This  hill,  wise  and  just  as  it  was,  lingered 
in  the  Legislature.  Many  amendments  were 
offered  and  rejected,  such  as  requiring  pay- 
ment for  the  right  of  way  to  pre-emptionisis 
or  settlers  upon  the  Government  land,  the 
same  as  to  actual  owners,  though  their  bene- 
fits and  the  enhanced  value  of  the  land  would 
be  many  hundred  per  cent.  The  point  of  di- 
vergence for  the  Chicago  Branch  was  stren- 
uously attempted  to  be  fixed,  but  was  finally 
left  with  the  company  anywhere  "  north  of 
the  parallel  of  39^  30'  of  north  latitude. 
Much  disciission  was  had  upon  the  location 
of  the  main  line,  what  towns  it  should  touch 
between  the  termini  designated  in  the  Con- 
gressional grant,  hut  all  intermediate  points 
failed  of  being  lixed  in  the  act  except  a  sin- 
gle one — the  northeast  corner  of  Township 
21  west.  Range  2  east.  Third  Principal  Mer- 
idian, from  which  the  road,  in  its  course, 
should  not  vary  more  than  five  miles,  v^hich 
was  effected  by  Gen.  Gridley,  of  the  Senate, 
and  by  which  the  towns  of  Decatiu-,  Clinton 
and  Bloomington  were  assured  the  road. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  the  memorialists, 
in  their  proposition  to  the  Legislature  to  ob- 
tain the  charter,  offered,  among  other  things, 
to  pay  the  State  of  Illinois  annually  a  cer- 
tain per  centum  of   the  gross  earnings  of  the 


road,  without  deduction  for  expense  or  other 
cause.  The  amount  was  left  blank,  to  fix 
which,  however,  became  subsequently  a  mat- 
ter of  no  little  trouble  and  scheming.  In 
the  first  gush  of  desire  to  obtain  the  splen- 
did grant  of  land  from  the  State,  it  is  said 
the  corporators  would  have  readily  consented 
to  till  this  blank  at  10  per  centum  of  the 
gross  earnings.  But  unfortunately  for  the 
people  and  the  treasury,  the  railroad,  it  is 
said,  emj)loyed  W.  H.  Bissell,  then  a  mem- 
ber of  Congress,  as  their  attorney,  and  that 
he  left  his  place  in  Washington  and  attended 
at  Springfield  in  the  capacity  of  a  lobbyist 
for  the  company,  and  the  result  was  the 
State  conceded  a  reduction  of  3  per  cent  from 
that  figure,  the  amount  being  fixed  at  7  per 
centum,  and  that  in  lieu  of  all  taxes.  State  or 
local,  this  7  per  cent  tax  yields  the  State 
about  half  a  million  dollars  annually.  From 
time  to  time,  efforts  have  been  made  by  the 
road  to  get  rid  of  paying  into  the  State 
Treasury  this  7  per  cent  tax,  and  against 
which  the  people  clamored  so  much  that  the 
last  State  Constitixtional  Convention  fixed  the 
matter  irrevocably  in  the  organic  law  of  the 
State,  ^vhich  places  the  suliject  beyond  the 
control  or  meddling  of  the  Legislature. 

In  the  Legislature,  after  procrastinating 
action  until  the  heel  of  the  session,  Mr.  J.  L. 
D.  Morrison,  of  the  Senate,  brought  in  a 
substitute  for  the  pending  bill,  which,  after 
being  amended  in  several  particulars,  was 
finally  passed  with  but  two  dissenting  votes, 
and  at  once  the  House  took  up  the  Senate  bill 
and  passed  it  without  amendment,  also  by 
two  dissenting  votes,  and  it  became  a  law 
February  10,  1851. 

In  the  following  spring,  surveys  were  com- 
menced, and  the  good  people  of  Chicago  were 
at  once  alarmed,  fearing  that  the  branch  road 
would  be  carried  to  the  Indiana  line  to  form 
a  junction  with  the  Michigan  Central,  and 


HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


10!) 


thus  practically  become  an  extension  of  the 
latter  road  to  Cairo,  leaving  Chicago  north- 
ward of  this  thoroughfare  about  twenty  or 
thirty  miles. 

Mr.  Douglas  was  appealed  to;  he  replied 
at  length,  denying  the  power  of  the  company 
to  do  so,  citing  the  language  of  the  charter 
that  the  Chicago  Branch  should  diverge 
"  from  the  main  trunk  at  a  point  north  of  the 
parallel  39'  30'  and  running  by  the  most  eli- 
gible route  into  the  city  of  Chicago."  That 
one  object  of  the  grant  of  land  by  Congress 
was  to  render  salable  the  public  lands  in  Il- 
linois, which  had  been  twenty  or  thirty  jears 
in  the  market,  etc. 

There  was  some  delay  in  the  commence- 
ment of  the  work,  occasioned  by  the  Com- 
missioner of  the  General  Land  office  at 
Washington,  Justin  Butterfield.  The  com- 
pany had  negotiated  a  loan  of  $400,000,  but 
before  it  could  be  consummated  it  was  neces- 
sary that  there  should  be  a  conveyance  of 
land  from  the  Government.  The  Commis- 
sioner, who  was  from  Chicago,  construed  the 
grant  as  entitling  the  company  to  lands  for 
the  branch  on  a  straight  line  to  Chicago, 
which  would  avoid  the  junction  with  the 
Michigan  Central.  But  this  decision  was 
reversed  by  the  President  and  Secretary  of 
the  Interior. 

In  March,  1852,  the  necessary  documents 
of  conveyance  were  finally  secured,  contracts 
were  let  and  the  work  commenced  and  carried 
forward  with  little  or  no  interruption  to  com- 
pletion. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  memorial- 
ists offered  to  complete  the  road  within  three 
years  from  the  time  of  commencement.  They 
kept  their  word,  not  only  in  this,  but  in  every 
respect. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1852,  John  F.  Ber- 
nard, who  had  a  contract  extending  from  near 
Mattoon  to  Centralia,  a  distance  of  seventy- 


five  miles,  commenced  the  work,  and,  as  early 
as  1854,  a  construction  train  roused  up  the 
long  sleeping  silence  of  the  wilderness  with 
its  echoes,  as  it  carried  men  and  materials 
from  point  to  point,  where  the  workmen  were 
engaged  in  large  numbers.  Barnard  and  his 
immediate  emjsloyoa  made  their  temporary 
home  at  Ewington,  and  their  advent  and 
presence  there  was  a  marked  change  in  ;he 
face  of  affairs.  His  large  force  of  workmen 
were  of  course  in  tents,  huts  and  cabins  alonar 
the  line  of  the  road.  He  opened  a  supply 
store  at  Ewington,  and  here  great  crowds  of 
laborers  assembled  on  pay  day,  and  niunerous 
extravagant  frolics  were  sometimes  indulged 
in  by  the  men.  The  police  force  and  regu- 
lations of  the  county  were  so  meager  that,  in 
the  face  of  these  sometimes  boisterous  gather- 
ings, they  could  offer  little  or  no  obstacle  to 
any  exti'avagancies  the  crowd  saw  proper  to 
engage  in.  But  considering  the  large  force 
of  Barnard's  men — men  who  felt  they  were 
only  transient  inhabitants,  who  realized  that 
there  was  little  or  nothing  to  restrain  any 
outbreak  they  might  make,  there  was  in  fact 
little  or  no  serious  lawlessness  among  them. 
For  nearly  three  years  the  force  of  men  in  this 
county  was  from  three  to  six  hundred;  these 
were  scattered  in  squads  through  the  entire 
county,  the  heaviest  force  being  at  what  was 
called  the  "Patch,"  at  the  Little  Wabash 
Crossing,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county. 
When  Effingham  had  grown  to  be  sufficiently 
large  to  furnish  a  doggery  occasionally,  a 
squad  from  the  "  Patch  "  would  come  up  and 
a  few  miscellaneous  street  rows  was  the  result, 
but  just  here  the  early  education  of  the  young 
pioneers  was  of  signal  use  and  value  as  it 
made  short  and  rough  work  of  the  gentlemen 
from  the  "  Patch,"  and  this  probably  had  the 
happy  effect  of  putting  a  check  upon  these 
visitations,  and  those  men  would  only  after- 
ward appear  as  mere  sti-agglers,  who,  when 


110 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


dnmk  enough,  would,  without  complaint,  go 
to  the  lock-up  and  sleep  oflf  tlieir  debauch, 
and  then  pay  their  fine  and  costs  and  quietly 
go  home.  A  goodly  number  boarded  here, 
and  they  were  as  peaceable,  quiet  and  indus- 
trious citizens  as  we  had. 

A  man  by  the  name  of  McNutt  was  a  sub- 
contractor from  Green  Creek,  north,  nearly 
opposite  this  city.  But  a  little  south 
for  a  distance  of  two  miles,  J.  F.  Schwer- 
man  was  the  sub-contractor.  And  the  re- 
markable fact  of  a  man  and  his  family  lit- 
erally building  that  length  of  road  almost 
alone  and  unaided,  was  an  instance  of  toil 
and  labor,  never  excelled  in  the  county,  if 
anywhere.  It  is  said  that  they  literally 
worked  day  and  night,  and  that  the  wife 
would  go  home,  cook  the  food  and  return 
with  it,  and  the  husband  did  much  oi  his 
sleeping  by  sticking  his  spade  in  the  ground 
and  sitting,  leaning  against  it,  slept.  South 
of  Schwerman's  contract,  a  man  named  Whip- 
ple was  the  contractor.  Freeman  and  AVill- 
iam  Williamson,  assisted  by  E.  C.  Van  Horn, 
had  charge  of  the  carpenter  work  pretty  much 
along  Barnard's  entire  line. 
'  In  the  latter  part  of  1855  the  road  was  fin- 
ished and  freierht  trains  commenced  running. 
'  The  first  regular  passenger  train,  on  schedule 
time,  passed  over  the  road  from  Chicago  to 
Cairo.  January  1,  185(3. 

After  the  great  work  had  been  crowned 
with  a  successful  completion  of  the  road,  and 
all  could  begin  to  realize  its  importance  and 
vahie  to  the  whole  country,  different  parties 
came  forward  eager  to  claim  the  paternity 
of  the  original  idea  that  had  borne  such  a  rich 
fruition.  Of  all  these  there  are  none  worthy 
of  notice  here  except  Douglas  and  Breese.  The 
real  facts  are  that,  like  the  engine,  the  spin- 
ning-jenny and  nearly  all  the  the  great  aud 
benign  inventions  that  have  been  given  to  the 
world,  it  was  an  idea  or  discoverv   that  had 


I 


grown  from  gradual  accretions  received  from 
many  different  busy  minds.  In  the  inception, 
too  much  credit  cannot  be  awarded  to  Judge 
Breese  and  his  co-laborers,  and  yet  the  mas- 
ter work  of  putting  it  in  its  present  living 
shape  is  due  almost  exclusively  to  Judge 
Douglas.  As  already  intimated  in  this  chap- 
ter, it  was  in  some  respects  a  misfortune  that 
any  jealousies  should  have  arisen  between 
those  two  eminent  sons  of  Illinois.  In  their 
young  political  lives,  they  had  to  some  extent 
crossed  each  other's  paths,  and  this  no  doubt 
helped  to  pave  the  way  to  some  of  the  spirit 
of  gentle  carping  that  marked  the  newspaper 
squibs  that  passed  between  them  on  this  sub- 
ject, and  we  known  of  no  more  fitting  conclu- 
sion to  this  subject  than  the  following  sub- 
joined synopsis  of  what  passed  between  these 
two  men  upon  the  question  of  the  road's  pa- 
ternity. 

Judge  Breese  had  been  a  Senator  in  Con- 
gress to  March  i,  1849,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  James  Shields.  In  1850,  he  was 
a  member  of  the  Illinois  Legislature.  Under 
date  December  23,  1850,  among  other  things 
iu  reply  to  the  Illinois  State  Register,  re- 
garding his  favoring  the  "  Holbrook  Char- 
ters," he  says: 

"  The  Central  Railroad  has  been  a  control- 
ling object  with  me  for  more  than  fifteen 
years,  and  I  would  sacrifice  all  my  personal 
advantages  to  see  it  made.  These  fellows 
who  are  making  such  an  ado  about  it  now 
have  been  whipped  into  its  support.  They 
are  not  for  it  now,  and  do  not  desire  to  have 
it  made  because  I  get  the  credit  of  it.  This 
is  inevitable.  I  must  have  the  credit  of  it, 
for  I  originated  it  in  1835,  and,  when  in  the 
Senate,  passed  three  different  bills  through 
that  body  to  aid  in  its  construction.  My 
successor  had  an  easy  task,  as  I  had  opened 
the  way  for  him.  It  was  the  argument  con- 
tained in  my  reports  that  silenced   all  oppo- 


HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


HI 


sition  and  made  its  passage  easy.  I  claim 
the  credit  and  no  one  can  take  it  from 
me." 

This  came  to  the  notice  of  Senator  Doug- 
las, at  Washington,  who  took  occasion  to  re- 
ply on  January  5,  1851,  at  length,  giving  a 
detailed  history  of  all  the  efforts  made  in 
Congress  to  procure  pre-emption  rights  for 
the  benefit  of  a  private  company  (the  Hol- 
brook)  and  "  I  was  the  advocate  of  alternate 
sections  to  the  State."  This  letter  is  long 
and  very  interesting  and  may  be  found  in 
the  Illinois  State  Register  of  that  date. 

Judge  Breese  rejoined  under  date  of  Janu- 
ary 25,  1851,  through  the  columns  of  the 
same  paper,  at  great  length,  claiming  that 
besides  seeking  to  obtain  pre-emption  aid,  he 
also  was  first  to  introduce  "  a  bill  for  an  ab- 
solute grant  of  the  alternate  sections  for  the 
Central  and  Northern  Cross  Railroads,"  but 
finding  no  favorable  time  to  call  it  up,  it 
failed.  "  It  was  known  from  my  first  en- 
trance into  Congress  that  I  would  accomplish 
the  measure,  in  some  shape,  if  possible," 
but  the  Illinois  members  of  the  House,  he 
asserts,  took  no  interest  in  the  passage  of  any 
law  for  the  benefit  of  the  Central  road,  either 
by  grant  or  pre-emjjtion.  He  claims  no 
share  in  the  passage  of  the  law  of  1850. 

"  Your  (Douglas)  claim  shall  not,  with  my 
consent,  be  disparaged,  nor  those  of  your  as- 
sociates. I  will  myself  weave  your  chaplet 
and  place  it,  with  no  envious  hands,  upon 
your  brow.  At  the  same  time  you  shall  do  me 
justice.  I  claim  to  have  first  projected  this 
great  road,  in  my  letter  of  1835,  and  in  the 
judgment  of  impartial  and  disinterested  men, 
my  claim  will  be  avowed.  I  have  said  and 
v?ritten  more  in  favor  of  it  than  any  other. 
It  has  been  the  highest  object  to  accomplish 
it,  and  when  my  last  resting-place  shall  be 
marked  with  the  cold  marble  which  gratitude 
or  affection  may  erect,  I  desire  for  it  no  other 


inscription  than  this,  that  "  He  who  sleeps 
beneath  it  projected  the  Central  Railroad." 

In  the  same  communication  he  cited  his 
letter  of  October  16,  1835,  to  John  Y.  Saw- 
yer, in  which  the  plan  of  the  Central  Rail- 
raod  was  first  ever  shadowed,  which  letter 
opens  as  follows:  "Having  some  leisure  from 
the  labor  of  my  circuit,  I  am  induced  to  de- 
vote portion  of  it  in  giving  to  the  public  a 
plan,  the  outline  of  which  was  suggested  to 
me  by  an  intelligent  friend  in  Bond  County, 
a  few  days  since."  It  is  supposed  that  this 
was  Hon.  W.  S.  Wait. 

To  this  Douglas,  under  date  of  Washing- 
ton, February  22,  1851,  surrejoins  at  con- 
siderable length,  and  in  reference  to  this 
opening  sentence  in  the  Sawyer  letter,  he  ex- 
claims: "How  is  this!  The  father  of  the 
Central  Railroad,  with  a  Christian  meekness 
worthy  of  all  praise,  kindly  consents  to  be 
the  reputed  parent  of  a  hopeful  son  begotten 
for  him  by  an  intelligent  friend  in  a  neigh- 
boring county.  I  forbear  pushing  this  in- 
quiry further.  It  involves  a  question  of  mor- 
als too  nice,  of  domestic  relations  too  delicate 
for  me  to  expose  to  the  public  gaze.  Inas- 
much, however,  as  you  have  furnished  me 
with  becoming  gravity,  the  epitaph  you  de- 
sire engrossed  upon  your  tomb,  when  called 
upon  to  pay  the  last  debt  of  nature,  you  will 
allow  me  to  suggest  that  as  such  an  inscrip- 
tion is  a  solemn  and  a  sacred  thing,  and 
truth  its  essential  ingredient,  would  it  not 
be  well  to  make  a  slight  modification,  so  as 
to  correspond  with  the  facts  as  stated  in  your 
letter  to  Sawyer,  which  would  make  it  read 
thus,  in  your  letter  to  me: 

"  '  It  has  been  the  highest  object  of  my  am- 
bition to  accomplish  the  Central  Railroad, 
and  when  my  last  resting-place  shall  be 
marked  by  the  cold  marble  which  gratitude 
or  affection  may  erect,  I  desire  for  it  no 
other  inscription  than  this:   "  He  who  sleeps 


112 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


beneath  this  stone  voluntarily  consented  to 
become  the  putative  father  of  a  lovely  child, 
called  the  Central  Railroad,  and  begotten  for 
him  by  an  intelligent  friend  in  the  county  of 
Bond."" 

Here    all    correspondence    seems   to    have 
stopped. 

The  Vandalia  Line. — One  of  Bond  Coun- 
ty's oldest  and  most  respected  citizens,  Hon. 
W.  S.  Wait,  in  a  letter  to  B.  Gratz  Brown, 
June,  1863,  makes  the  best  introduction  to 
the  history  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  the 
St.  Louis,  Vandalia  &  Terre  Haute  Railroad. 
He  says:  "  The  railroad  projected  so  early  as 
1835,  to  run  from  St.  Louis  to  Terre  Haute, 
was  intended  as  a  direct  line  of  railway  to 
the  Atlantic  cities,  and  its  first  siu'vey  was 
taken  over  the  exact  line  of  the  great  Cum- 
berland road.  We  applied  to  Illinois  Legis- 
lature for  a  charter  in  1846,  but  were  op- 
posed by  rival  interests,  that  finally  succeed- 
ed in  establishing  two  lines  of  railroad  con- 
,  necting  St.  Louis  with  the  Wabash — one  by 
a  line  running  north,  and  the  other  by  a  line 
running  south  of  our  survey,  thus  demon- 
utrating  by  the  unfailing  test  of  physical  ge- 
ography that  oar  line  is  the  central  and  true 
one.  The  two  rival  lines  alluded  to,  viz., 
Terre  Haute  &  Alton  and  Ohio  &  Mississippi. 
We  organized  our  company  with  the  name  of 
the  Mississippi  &  Atlantic  Company,  in  1850, 
by  virtue  of  a  general  railroad  law  passed 
the  year  previous,  and  immediately  accom- 
plished a  survey.  An  adverse  decision  of 
our  Supreme  Court  led  us  to  accept  the  offer 
of  Eastern  capitalists  to  help  us  through, 
who  immediately  took  nine-tenths  of  our 
stock,  and  gave  us  John  Brough  for  Presi- 
dent. Our  right  to  contract  was  finally  con- 
firmed, in  February,  1851,  the  road  put  tin- 
der contract  and  the  work  commenced.  The 
shock  given  to  all  railroad  enterprises  by  the 
"  Schuyler  fraud  "  8usj)ended  operations,  and 


before  confidence  was  restored,  the  controlling 
power,  which  was  enthroned  in  Wall  street, 
had  arrived  at  the  conclusion,  as  afterward 
discovered,  to  proceed  no  farther  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  Mississippi  &  Atlantic  Rail- 
road. For  purposes  best  understood  by 
themselves,  the  Eastern  manager  amused  us 
for  several  years  with  the  hope  that  they 
were  still  determined  to  prosectite  the  work. 
When  we  were  finally  convinced  of  the  in- 
tentional deception,  we  abandoned  the  old 
charter  and  instituted  a  new  company,  under 
the  name  of  the  Highland  &  St.  Louis  Rail- 
road Company,  with  power  to  build  and 
complete  by  sections  the  entire  road  from  St. 
Louis  to  Terre  Haute.  The  charter  was  ob- 
tained in  February,  1859,  with  the  determi- 
nation on  the  part  of  the  Highland  corpora- 
tors to  make  no  delay  in  constructing  the 
section  connecting  them  with  St.  Louis,  but 
were  prevented  at  the  outset  by  diificulties 
since  overcome,  and  afterward  by  the  exist- 
ing rebellion." 

This  public  letter  portrays  some  of  the 
chief  difficulties  with  which  the  fi-iends  of 
this  road  had  to  contend.  "  State  policy," 
the  stupidest  folly  rational  men  ever  engaged 
in,  was  openly  urged  by  many  of  the  leading 
men  north  and  south  of  the  "  Brough  road," 
as  it  was  generally  called.  Hon.  Sidney 
Breese,  a  long  resident  of  Carlisle,  on  the 
line  of  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  Railroad,  pub- 
licly declared  for  that  doctrine  "  that  it  was 
to  the  interest  of  the  State  to  encourage  that 
policy  that  would  build  the  most  roads 
through  the  State;  that  the  north  and  south 
roads  (alluded  to  in  Wait's  letter)  should 
fii-st  be  allowed  to  get  into  successful  opera- 
tion, when  the  Central  line  should  then  be 
chartered,  as  the  merits  of  that  line  would 
insure  the  building  of  the  road,  on  that  line 
at  once,  giving  to  Middle  Illinois  three  roads 
instead  of  one,  as  the  chartering  of  the  Cen- 


HISTOKY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


113 


tral  Hue  first  would  be  a  death  blow  to  the 
other  two,  at  least  for  many  long  years  to 
come."  IVIr.  Wait  replied  immediately,  say- 
ing it  was  the  first  instance  he  had  ever 
known  where  the  merits  of  a  railroad  line  had 
been  urged  as  a  reason  why  it  should  not 
meet  with  merited  encouragement,  and  after 
more  than  $100,000  had  been  expended  on 
the  "  Brough  road."  Further  work  was  there- 
fore suspended. 

In  February,  1865,  the  rebellion  nearing  its 
close,  the  people  along  the  "  Central  Line," 
or  "  Brough  "  survey,  again  renewed  their 
petition  to  the  Illinois  Legislature  for  nego- 
tiation of  their  right  to  build  their  railroad 
on  their  own  long- cherished  route. 

Mr.  William  Plant,  who  has  been  Secretary 
of  the  road  from  its  inception,  and  is  still  in 
this  position,  furnishes  the  following  facts  of 
the  history  of  the  road: 

On  the  10th'  of  February,  1865,  a  liberal 
charter  was  granted  for  building  the  present 
St.  Louis,  Vandalia  &  Terre  Haute  Railroad. 
The  line  v.-as  designated  in  the  charter  as 
"  commencing  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, opposite  St.  Louis,  running  thence 
eastward  through  Greenville,  the  county  seat 
of  Bond  County,  and  through  Vandalia  by 
the  most  eligible  route,  to  a  point  on  the 
Kiver  Wabash."  The  persons  named  as  in- 
corporators were  Henry  Wing,  S.  W.  Little, 
John  H.  Dewey,  Andrew  Mills,  Solomon 
Kepfli,  Garrett  Crownover,  Curtis  Blakeman, 
William  S.  Smith,  Charles  Hoile,  William 
S.  Wait,  John  B.  Hunter,  Williamson  Plant, 
Andrew  G.  Henry,  Jedediah  F.  Alexander, 
Nathaniel  M.  McCurdy,  August  H.  Deick- 
man.  Ebenezer  Capps,  Frederick  Remann, 
Matthias  Fehren,  Michael  Lynch,  Thomas  L. 
Vest.  J.  F.  Waschefort,  Samuel  W.  Quinn, 
Chauucey  Rose  and  Joseph  H.  Morgan. 

Effingham  County  took  a  deep  interest  in 
the  road,  and  called  upon  her  sister  counties 


along  the  line  to  aid  in  pushing  forward  the 
work.  Douglas  Township  (City  of  Effing- 
ham) subscribed  $50,000;  Teutopolis,  $15,- 
000;  Moccasin,  $5,000;  Summit,  110,000, 
with  10  per  cent  interest  annually.  This  in- 
debtedness has  been  promptly  met  as  it  ma- 
tured. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Corpora- 
tors met  at  Vandalia,  111.,  on  the  14th  day  of 
November,  1865,  for  the  pm-pose  of  organiz- 
ing and  electing  a  board  of  nine  directors, 
with  the  following  result:  John  Schofield  and 
Charles  Duncan,  Clark  County;  Samuel 
Quinn,  Cumberland  County;  J.  P.  M.  How- 
ard and  S.  W.  Little,  Effingham;  C.  Floyd, 
Jones  and  F.  Reemaer,  Fayette;  William  S. 
Smith  and  Williamson   Plant,  Bond  County. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Di- 
rectors, held  at  Effingham  on  the  22d  day  of 
November,  1865,  for  the  purpose  of  electing 
the  first  officers  of  the  company,  J.  P.  M. 
Howard  was  elected  President,  and  William- 
son Plant,  Secretaiy. 

Through  the  influence  of  E.  C.  Rice,  who 
was  Chief  Engineer  of  the  "Brough"  survey, 
and  had  made  estimates  for  the  work  under 
the  same,  Gen.  E.  F.  Winslow,  a  gentle- 
man of  great  energy  and  considerable  rail- 
road experience,  after  various  propositions 
being  made  to  build  part  of  the  line,  or  parts 
of  the  road,  contracted,  August  22,  1866,  to 
build  the  entire  line  from  the  "  west  bank  of 
the  Wabash  to  the  east  end  of  the  dyke  at  Il- 
linois town."  The  contract  was  finally  rat- 
ified at  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Direct- 
ors, held  at  Vandalia  November  14,  1866. 
An  additional  agreement  was  entered  into 
November  28,  1866,  and  made  part  of  the 
original  contract. 

The  first  shock  received  by  the  railroad 
company  in  the  outset,  was  the  lamented 
death  of  its  earnest  leader  and  judicious 
friend,    Hon,    W.    S.   Wait,    July  17,    1865, 


114 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


thereby  depriving  it  of  his  mature  judg- 
ment and  wise  counsel  in  carrying  out  and 
making  the  conti-act  about  to  be  entered  into 
for  the  building  of  the  road  under  the  char- 
ter so  recently  obtained  from  the  Legisla- 
ture. 

In  1867,  lirst  mortgage  bonds  were  put  on 
the  "  property,  rights,  franchises,  leases  and 
estate,  etc.,  of  the  company  to  the  amount  of 
$1,900,000."  AVhen  the  property  was  leased, 
in  February,  186S,  a  second  mortgage  was 
put  on  the  same  to  the  amount  of  S2,600,- 
000,  each  mortgage  bearing  7  per  cent  inter- 
est, payable  semi-annually.  For  the  purpose 
of  further  equipment  of  the  road,  preferred 
stock  has  been  issued  to  the  amount  of  $1,- 
544,700,  bearing  7  per  cent  interest. 

The  issue  of  §2,000,000  has  been  author- 
ized. This  stock  will  take  precedence  over 
the  common  stock  of  the  company  in  receiv- 
ing dividends,  and  as  the  interest  on  the  pre- 
ferred stock  may  accumulate  before  any  pay- 
ment thereof,  the  prospect  for  dividends  on 
common  stock  is  remote. 

By  mutual  understanding  between  the  con- 
tractors and  the  company,  E.  C.  Rice  was 
engaged  as  Chief  Engineer  of  the  company, 
January  18,  1867,  and  he  commenced  the 
first  survey  on  the  west  end  of  the  line  in 
March,  and  the  grading  was  begun  as  soon 
as  the  line  was  fixed  at  the  west  end,  in  April 
following.  At  the  same  meeting,  a  code  of 
by-laws  was  adopted,  and  Greenville  was 
designated  as  the  general  office  of  the  com- 
pany. 

At  the  annual  election,  held  in  January, 
^  1867,  J.  P.  M.  Howai'd  was  re-elected  Presi- 
dent, Williamson  Plant,  Secretary,  and  W. 
S.  Smith,  Treasurer.  April  3,  1867,  Mr. 
Howard  gave  up  the  position,  by  request, 
and  J.  F.  Alexander  was  chosen  President  of 
the  company  in  his  place. 

By  the   charter,  the  company  was  author- 


ized to  issue  first  mortgage  bonds,  not  to  ex- 
ceed $12,000  per  mile.  The  capital  stock  was 
made  §3,000,000  which  could  be  increased  at 
an  annual  meeting  by  a  majority  of  stock- 
holders in  interest,  as  they  should  direct. 

The  road  was  completed  to  Highland  July 
1,  1868.  The  first  regular  passenger  train 
did  not  run  to  that  point  until  August  20  fol- 
lowing. 

By  consent  of  the  railroad  company,  Gen. 
Winslow,  as  contractor,  was  paid  $120,000  for 
labor  expended  on  the  line,  to  the  lOtb  day 
of  February,  1868,  and  at  his  request  was  re- 
leased from  his  contracts.  The  same  was 
ratified  and  accepted  by  the  company  at  their 
meeting  March  13,  1868. 

The  company  entered  into  a  contract,  Feb- 
ruary 10,  1868,  with  Thomas  L.  Jewett  and 
B.  F.  Smith,  of  Ohio;  George  B.  Boberts, 
of  Philadelphia,  and  W.  R.  McKeen,  of  Terre 
Haute,  in  the  firm  name  of  McKeen,  Smith 
&  Co.,  to  complete  the  road  at  an  early  day. 
At  the  same  time  and  place,  an  agreement 
was  entered  into,  leasing  the  St.  Louis,  Van- 
dalia  &  Terre  Haute  Railroad  to  the  Terre 
Haute  &  Indianapolis  Railroad  Company. 
In  the  report  of  the  President  of  the  "  Van  " 
Company,  made  to  the  stockholders  at  their 
annual  meeting,  held  at  Greenville,  111.,  Jan- 
uary 6,  1872,  he  says: 

"  "When  on  the  10th  day  of  February, 
1868,  the  contract  was  made  iusiu-ing  the 
completion  of  your  road,  another  contract 
was  also  made,  providing  for  its  forming  a 
part  of  a  continuous  railroad  line  from  St. 
Louis  (vialndianapolis)to  Pittsbm-gh,  and  for 
perfecting  this  object  yom-  line  was  leased 
for  a  period  of  999  years  to  the  Terre  Haute 
&  Indianapolis  Railroad  Company,  for  the 
joint  interests  of  the  company  and  the  several 
railroad  companies  forming  the  said  line. 
Under  this  lease,  the  lessees  were  to  work 
vour  road   at  their   cost  and  expense,  and  to 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUKTY. 


115 


pay  to  your  company  35  pev  cpnt  of  the  gross 
earnings,  first  paying  therefrom  all  the  inter- 
est due  on  the  bonds  of  the  company,  and  all 
taxes  assessed  against  the  property  of  the 
company,  advancing  any  deficit  in  the 
amount  needed  to  meet  these  liabilities  and 
paying  the  surplus  (if  any  remained)  of  the 
35  per  cent  to  your  companj^  Yoiu-  board, 
in  view  of  the  light  traffic  usually  done  upon 
a  new  line  reduced  the  proportion  due  your 
company  of  the  gross  earnings  to  30  per  cent, 
provided,  that  after  payment  by  the  lessees 
of  the  road  out  of  the  70  per  cent  received 
for  that  purpose,  if  any  siu'plus  remained,  it 
should  go  to  your  company." 

From  small  earnings  from  the  time  the 
road  was  opened,  fu-st  to  Highland  and 
Greenville,  in  1868,  and  finally  through  to 
Terre  Haute,  July  1,  1870,  it  has  developed 
a  marvelous  increase  of  business,  not  only  to 
the  road,  but  to  the  farming  and  all  other  in- 
dustries along  the  line.  The  whole  cost  of 
the  road,  and  equipment  of  the  same  to  July 
1, 1868,  when  the  contractors  turned  the  road 
over  to  the  lessees,  was  §7,171,355.89,  which 
was  increased  steadily  as  the  line  was  more 
fully  developed  by  "  rolling  stock  "  and  "bet- 
terments," etc.,  on  the  road,  until  the  last 
report  of  Treasurer  W.  H.  Barnes  made  the 
total  costs  of  road  and  equipment  to  October 
1,  1880,  §8,330.410.75.  The  amount  of  busi- 
ness done  over  the  line  for  the  year  1881, 
aggregates  11,565,515.04,  and  the  rental  due 
to  the  company  from  the  lessee  for  the  year 
ending  October  31,  1881,  was  $469,354.50, 
and  for  the  same  time  $424,827.04  was  earned 
in  carrying  passengers;  $43,490.57  for  ex- 
press, and  $90,835.98  for  mail  services. 

The  first  train  ran  into  Effingham  April 
26,  1870,  and  the  fii'st  regular  passenger 
train  over  the  whole  line,  on  schedule  time, 
was  on  the  12th  day  of  June,  1870,  and,  as 
mentioned  before,  the  contractors  turned  over 


the  road,  as  per  contract,  to  the  Terre  Haute 
&  Indianapolis  Railroad  Company  July  1, 
1870. 

The  St.  Louis,  Vandalia  &  Terre  Haute 
Railroad  is  158  miles  from  East  St.  Louis  to 
the  eastern  line  of  the  State,  and  seven  miles 
from  State  line  to  Wabash  River  at  Terre 
Haute,  and  twenty-five  miles  and  a  half  in 
Effingham  County. 

The  Wabash  Railroad.- -On  the  10th  of 
March,  1869,  the  General  Assembly  incorpo- 
rated the  Bloomington  &  Ohio  River  Railroad 
Company,  the  incorporators  being  T.  D. 
Craddock,  J.  D.  Bruce,  C.  K.  Bull,  Charles 
Voris,  J.  B.  Titus,  Jonathan  Patterson,  Sr., 
H.  Y.  Kellar,  William  Piatt  and  Michael 
Swan. 

The  charter  specifies  a  road  "  commencintr 
at  or  near  Effingham,  in  Effingham  County; 
thence  on  the  most  practicable  route  (to  be 
determined  by  said  directors  or  their  succes- 
sors in  office)  from  said  point  to  the  T. ,  H. 
&  A.  and  St.  Louis  Raih-oad,  at  or  near 
Windsor,  in  Shelby  County,  111.;  thence 
from  said  point,  on  the  most  practicable 
route,  to  be  determined  as  aforesaid,  to  Sul- 
livan, in  the  county  of  Moultrie,  and  thence 
from  said  town  of  Sullivan  to  the  Great 
Western  Railroad,  at  or  near  the  town  of  Be- 
ment,  in  the  county  of  Piatt;  thence  from 
said  point,'"on  the  most  practicable  route,  to 
the  town  of  Monticello,  in  the  county  of  Pi- 
att, and  thence,  on  the  most  practicable  route, 
to  the  city  of  Bloomington  in  the  county  of 
McLean. 

The  above-named  incorporators,  by  the 
charter,  constituted  the  first  Boai'd  of  Direct- 
ors. The  charter  was  very  liberal  in  allow- 
ing the  people,  counties,  towns  and  munici- 
palities along  the  route  to  make  donations 
and  issue  bonds  bearing  10  per  cent  interest 
therefor. 

The  Board  of  Directors  met  at  Windsor  on 


116 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUKTY. 


the  19th  day  of  May,  1869,  for  the  purpose 
of  orgauizing  and  electing  officers.     There 
was  a  fall  attendance  of  the  members  in  their 
own  proper   person,  except  T.  D.  Craddock, 
who    was    represented  by   his  proxy,  H.    C. 
Bradsby.     We  mention  this  fact  for  the  very 
important  reason  that  to  it  is  due  the  circum- 
stance that  the  road  was  ever  built   at  all. 
The  charter  had  been  drafted  by  J.  B.  Titus, 
of  Sullivan,  and  some  of  his  friends  in  Wind- 
sor, and  when  they  came  to  that  part  giving 
the  names  of  the  nine  directors,  desiring   to 
scatter  them  along  the  contemplated  line,  it 
80  happened  that  the  only  man  they  knew  in 
Effingham  was  T.  D.  Craddock,  and  without 
his    knowledge     they    inserted     his    name. 
Charles  Voris  was  in  the  State  Senate  and  the 
bill  was  placed  in  his  hands,  and,  like   all 
other  similar  bills  at  that  time,  was  passed 
without  comment  or  amendment.     When  the 
incorporators   met,  they  spent  the  early  part 
of  the  day  in  making  each   other's  acquaint- 
ance, as  well  as  informally  talked   over  who 
they  would  elect  for   officers.      The  common 
sentiment  amonof  them  was  that  it  was  Voris' 
charter,  and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  he  should 
have   the  first  place.      Craddock's   prox-y   at 
this  point  did  what  no  one  could  well  do  for 
himself,  that  is,  to  put  his  principal   up   for 
President  and  urge  and  advocate  his  claims 
until  even  Voris  withdrew  in  his  favor,  and 
T.    D.    Craddock   was    unanimously    elected 
President;  J.  B.  Titus,  Treasurer,  and  C.  H. 
Bull,  Secretary..    No  man  was  probably  ever 
more  surprised  than  was  Mr.  Craddock,  when 
notified  of  his  election. 

On  the  14th  of  the  following  month,  the 
board  assembled  at  Windsor,  and  the  organi- 
zation was  completed  by  the  adoption  of  a 
constitution  and  by-laws,  and  H.  C.  Bradsby 
was  appointed  the  general  financial  agent  of 
the  company.  Meetings  were  at.  once  called 
all  along  the  line,  addresses  made,  a  general 


interest  in  the  enterprise  awakened,  elections 
held  at  various  places,  and  the  sum  of  $520,- 
000  was  voted  as  a  donation,  from  the  north 
line  of  Piatt  County  to  the  city  of  Effing- 
ham, Douglas  Township  voting  $50,000. 
Surveyors  were  set  to  work  immediately,  Mr. 
Craddock  advancing  the  money  therefor,  and 
a  survey  of  the  whole  line  made.  The  towns 
along  the  line,  through  their  Councils  or 
Trustees,  voted  various  sums  and  reimbursed 
Craddock  for  the  money  advanced  to  do  the 
surveying. 

The  county  of  Moultrie  voted  $100,000  to 
the  road,  and,  as  that  county  was  without 
any  railroad,  its  people  were  deeply  interest- 
ed in  the  enterprise.  At  one  of  the  railroad 
meetings  in  Sullivan,  Jonathan  Patterson, 
01-,  as  he  is  widely  known,  "  Uncle  Donty," 
who  owned  a  mill  there  and  had  to  haul  his 
fiour  through  the  deep,  black  mud  to  Mattoon 
for  shipment,  was  called  out  at  the  meeting, 
and  when  he  came  to  describe  the  woes  of  the 
deep,  waxy  mud,  how  it  hemmed  them  about 
like  a  wall  and  a  deep,  deep  ditch,  he  abso- 
lutely grew  eloquent,  so  much  so  indeed, 
that  calls  for  him  were  made  in  every  direc- 
tion to  speak  at  railroad  meetings. 

The  survey  was  made,  the  ■  half-million 
dollar  donations  voted,  all  the  paper,  work 
and  wind  department  of  a  grand  railroad 
speedily  arranged,  and  here  matters  stopped, 
complacently  awaiting  the  coming  of  some 
trillionaire  contractor  to  built  it.  The 
board  would  call  meetings  and  adjoiu-n 
and  meet  again,  and  then  another  efi"ort  would 
be  made  to  secure  a  $20,000  donation  from 
Summit  Township  in  this  county.  Stock 
books  were  opened  at  every  point  along  the 
line,  but  a  half-dozen  public- spirited  citizens 
of  Effingham  were  the  only  ones  that  sub- 
cribed  any  stock,  except  a  single  share  here 
and  there,  enough  to  be  eligible  to  an  office 
in  the  company.      The  enthusiasm  of  the  peo- 


<K 


'■f^-r-'    *> 


^-^y  ^  J^d 


HISTORY  OF'  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


119 


pie  soon  began  to  cool,  when  they  perceived 
the  wheels  really  stopped,  and  soon  it  had 
reached  the  point  that  Craddock  was  the  only 
man  left  that  would  risk  a  dollar  on  the  fut- 
ure prospects  of  the  road;  he  never  appar- 
ently fagged,  or  hesitated,  and  his  eiforts 
necessitated  constant  trips  to  the  different 
cities  in  the  hunt  of  parties  to  come  forward 
and  build  the  road.  Two  or  three  contractors 
were  agreed  upon,  but  when  it  came  to  the 
point  the  parties  had  no  money  and  feared  to 
attempt  to  work  on  a  credit  until  the  dona- 
tions would  pay  the  road's  way  to  completion 
and  the  contracts  were  abandoned.  In  the 
meantime,  H.  C.  Bradsbv  had  been  elected  a 
director  in  the  place  of  C.  H.  Bull,  and  he 
was  also  elected  Secretary  and  a  member  of 
the  Executive  Committee.  The  number  of  the 
board  had  been  increased,  and  W.  H.  Barlow, 
S.  W.  Little  and  D.  B.  Alexander,  of  Effing- 
ham, were  made  members. 

In  proportion  as  the  prospects  of  building 
the  road  were  prolonged,  the  enthusiasm  of 
friends  cooled,  and  the  board  finally  said  to 
Craddock  and  Bradsby,  take  the  concern  and 
build  it  if  you  can.  To  better  help  carry 
this  idea  out,  an  executive  committee  of  three 
(of  which  thoy  were  members),  with  all  the 
powers  of  the  corporation  full  and  complete 
— a  majority  to  control- — was  created,  and 
they  were  thus  made  the  full  representatives, 
with  all  powers  of  the  organization.  They 
continued  the  hunt,  and  opened  up  negotia- 
tions with  any  and  all  probable  builders  who 
would  stop  and  listen  to  their  scheme.  At 
this  time  there  was  a  warm  rivalry  existing 
between  T.  B.  Blackstone,  of  the  Chicago  & 
Alton  Railroad,  and  Boody,  of  the  Wabash, 
for  the  control  of  the  Decatur  &  State 
Line  Railroad  from  Decatur  to  Chicago. 
The  Wabash  had  just  completed  a  road  from 
Decatur  to  St.  Louis  and  to  make  a  terrible 
rival  for  the  Chicago  &  Alton,  it  only  had 


to  secure  the  road  from  Decatur  to  Chi- 
cago. Hence,  negotiations  were  opened  with 
Blackstone,  who  lent  a  favorable  ear.  He 
agreed  to  take  a  perpetual  lease  of  the  Bloom- 
ington  &  Ohio  road  and  indorse  its  bonds  to 
the  amount  of  $17,500  a  mile  and  furnish 
the  rolling  stock,  operate  the  same  and  pay 
the  interest,  provided,  that  he  could  make  a 
similar  arrangement  with  the  Decatur  &  State 
Line  road,  and  thus  form  a  junction  of  the 
two  railroads  at  a  jioint  a  short  distance 
northeast  of  Decatur.  This  would  not  only 
destroy  the  rivalry  of  the  Wabash  line,  but 
it  would  give  the  Chicago  &  Alton  a  strong 
lever  upon  the  Illinois  Central.  Th^re  were 
over  $600,000  donations  on  the  State  Line 
road,  and,  as  above  said,  over  $500,000  on  the 
Bloomington&Ohio.  The  $17,500  was  enough 
money  secured  to  build  the  road  and  have  at 
least  $1,000  a  mile  on  each  line  of  the  road. 
The  engineer  estimated  that  on  every  mile  of 
the  Bloomington  &  Ohio  road,  there  was  a  cer- 
tain profit  under  this  arrangement  of  $2,500 
besides  the  donations.  Probably  no  two  men 
ever  left  Chicago  with  brighter  hopes  in  ref- 
erence to  a  business  transaction  than  did  the 
representatives  of  the  Bloomington  &  Ohio, 
when  they  left  Mr.  Blackstone's  office  to  go 
to  Decatur  to  confer  with  E.  O.  Smith,  the 
President  of  the  State  Line  road,  and  inform 
him  of  the  fortune  they  brought  for  him,  and 
in  return  only  asked  his  concurrence  for  his 
road  in  the  scheme.  But,  to  their  amaze- 
ment. Smith  hesitated — the  sum  of  money 
named  stunned  him,  and,  in  short,  Boody  got 
hold  of  him,  and  convinced  him  that  he  had 
better  cast  his  fortunes  with  the  Wabash, 
and,  while  he  would  only  make  a  small 
amount  of  money,  yet  it  would  be  certain, 
and  thus  won  him  over.  Boody  and  the  Wa- 
bash soon  failed,  and  this  scheme,  as  well  as 
the  bright  hopes  of  the  Bloomington  &  Ohio, 
were  as  the  fabric  of  a  vision,  or  anything 

G 


120 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


else  gone  up  in  smoke.  This  was  one  of  sev- 
eral prospects  that  worked  np  to  the  fairest 
promise,  and  then  came  to  naught. 

In  the  early  part  of  1871,  a  contract  to 
construct  the  road  from  EfBngham  to  a  junc- 
tion of  the  Fairbui-y,  Pontiac  &  Northwestern 
at  some  point  east  of  Bloomington,  was  en- 
tered into  with  the  firm  of  Ralph  Plumb  & 
Co.,  the  members  of  the  firm  being  Ralph 
Plumb,  F.  E.  Hinckley  and  P.  B.  Shumway. 
There  was  a  secret  arrangement  agreed  upon 
with  Craddock.  The  heaviest  donations  on 
the  road  were  from  Bement  to  Windsor, 
through  Moultrie  County,  there  being  $50,- 
000  at  Bement,  $100,000  in  Moultrie  and 
$75,000  in  Windsor — plenty  to  pay  every 
dollar  of  the  cost  of  the  road  between  these 
two  points.  Work  was,  therefore,  com- 
menced at  Bement  and  carried  from  there 
south  and  soon  completed  to  Windsor.  A 
train  was  put  upon  this  much  of  the  road, 
and  was  a  financial  success  from  the  day  it 
commenced  to  run. 

The  Bloomington  &  Ohio  Kiver  Railroad 
was  then  consolidated  with  the  Fairbury, 
Pontiac  &  Northwestern,  and  the  new  road 
was  called  the  Chicago  &  Padueah  Railroad, 
and  according  to  the  terms  of  the  contract, 
the  entire  franchise  and  corporation  passed 
into  the  hands  of  the  contractors.  The  work 
south  stopped  at  Windsor,  and  the  north  end 
of  the  road  was  finished  until  it  met  its 
northern  companion,  and  was  completed  and 
stocked  and  operated  as  one  line  from  Wind- 
sor, through  Pontiac  to  Streator.  After  a 
delay  of  three  years,  the  work  on  the  road 
from  Windsor  south  was  commenced.  The 
two  townships  in  Shelby  County  had  given 
$40,000  donations,  and  in  a  short  time  it  was 
built  to  Shumway,  in  this  county.  Here  it 
made  another  pause.  It  wanted  to  reach  the 
Springfield  Branch  of  the  Ohio  &  Mississip- 
pi, and,  in   1872,  it  had  made   all   arrange- 


ments for  an  extension  from  Effingham  to 
Louisville,  in  Clay  County.  Surveys  had 
been  made,  and  the  people  had  subscribed 
$60,000  in  private  subscriptions,  payable  only 
when  the  road  was  completed  to  Louisville. 
Ralph  Plumb  &  Co.  had  contracted  with  H. 
C.  Bradsby  to  secure  the  right  of  way  from 
Effingham  to  Louisville  and  get  the  dona- 
tions. They  had  also  contracted  with  him 
for  the  ties  along  the  entire  line.  The  com- 
pany apparently  having  failed  to  make  ex- 
pected money  arrangements,  abandoned  all 
this  part  of  the  road  and  organized  under 
the  general  law  a  company  to  construct  a 
railroad  from  Shumway  to  Altamont.  This 
was  an  easy  line  built  and  it  would  save  a 
rough  crossing  at  the  Wabash  to  get  to  Effing- 
ham. A  force  of  workmen  were  put  upon 
the  line  from  Shumway  to  Altamont.  The 
news  of  what  was  being  done  soon  came  to 
the  city  of  Effingham,  and  a  petition  for  an 
injunction,  preventing  the  building  of  the 
road  to  Altamont,  was  presented  to  Judge 
Allen  of  the  Circuit  Coirrt,  and  promptly 
granted.  This  carried  dismay  to  the  con- 
tractors, and  they  came  to  the  people  of 
Effingham  and  sued  for  terms,  asking  to  be 
permitted  to  complete  the  work  to  Altamont, 
and  offering  pledges  that  they  would  then 
build  to  Effingham,  the  pledge  being  the  do- 
nations Effingham  had  voted  the  road.  The 
attorneys  of  Effingham  and  others,  probably 
a  majority  of  the  people,  were  in  favor  of  ac- 
cepting their  offer.  Others  oj)posed  it;  they 
said  it  could  do  no  harm  to  let  the  injunction 
stand — this  would  insure  the  road  being 
built  at  once  to  Effingham,  and  when  this 
was  done  they  could  build  to  Altamont  or 
where  they  pleased.  The  first-named  carried 
their  point — the  contractors  keeping  faith 
with  some  to  whom  they  made  promises,  and 
unceremoniously  breaking  them  with  others. 
The  injunction  was  removed   and  the  road 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


121 


completed  to  Altamont.  In  1874,  the  next 
move  was  to  apply  to  the  township  of  Doug- 
las for  the  $50,U00  of  bonds  voted  by  it,  and 
that  had  been  signed  in  blank  by  Casper 
Nolte,  Supervisor,  in  1872.  Suits  were  com- 
menced to  restrain  the  tilling  and  completing 
these  bonds  and  their  delivery  to  the  company, 
and  praying  the  com't  to  not  only  prevent 
their  delivery,  but  to  order  them  burned  by 
the  Sheiiif  of  the  county.  But  these  siaits 
were  not  popular.  Indeed,  so  anxious  were 
the  people  that  the  bonds  should  be  passed 
over  to  the  road  nunc  2^''o  tiDic,  that  stacks 
of  affidavits,  including  nearly  all  the  business 
and  leading  men  of  the  city,  may  yet  be 
found  in  the  Clerk's  office  in  favor  of  passing 
over  the  bonds  "  in  order  that  the  work  of 
completing  the  road  to  Effingham  "  might  go 
on.  The  bills  for  injunction  to  restrain  the 
issue  and  delivery  of  these  bonds  are  on  file 
in  the  Circuit  Clerk's  office,  and  there  is  no 
question  that  they  show  an  extraordinary 
state  of  facts.  Nor  is  there  a  doubt  but  that 
Judge  Allen  was  anxious  to  stop  the  delivery 
of  the  bonds  and  save  the  people  $50,000 
thereby.  A.  B.  Jansen.  the  then  Supervisor 
of  Douglas  Township,  had  been  warned  not 
to  issue  the  bonds  or  deliver  them.  The 
bonds  had  been  placed  in  Judge  Thornton's 
hands,  the  attorney  of  the  railroad  in  that, 
as  well  as  in  other  cases,  and  the  Douglas 
Township  Supei-visor  finally  went  to  Shelby- 
ville  and  from  thence  to  Springfield,  and 
when  he  retiu'ned  the  cotopany  had  the  bonds, 
not  only  tilled  up,  but  registered  in  the  State 
Auditor's  office.  When  the  road  was  com- 
pleted to  Effingham  there  occurred  a  curious 
coincidence,  the  people  pretty  much  en  masse 
became  violently  opposed  to  the  issue  of  the 
bonds,  and  a  suit  was  commenced  to  annul 
them  and  an  injunction  asked  and  obtained 
restraining  the  tax  collector  from  collecting 
the  tax  for  the  purpose  of  paying  the  interest 


on  the  bonds.  As  a  matter  of  course  the 
people  were  defeated  in  this  suit,  and  mulct- 
ed in  an  additional  bill  of  costs  and  attor- 
neys' fees. 

In  all  these  unfortunate  complications,  the 
writer  hereof  knows  probably  every  man  who 
was  "  seen,"  as  the  slang  phrase  goes,  as  well 
as  those  whose  hopes  from  great  promises, 
turned  to  Dead  Sea  apples  upon  their  lips, 
and  nearly  broke,  doubtless,  their  honest 
hearts,  but  for  our  common  humanity  he 
deems  it  best  to  take  these  little  secrets  with 
him  to  the  grave.  The  situation  of  our  peo- 
ple in  reference  to  these  bonds  was  simply, 
when  they  could  they  wouldn't,  and  when 
they  would  they  couldn't,  and  that's  an  end 
on't. 

It  is  due  Mr.  Benson  Wood,  who  was  the 
local  attorney  of  the  people  in  all  this  litiga- 
tion, to  say  that  in  the  first  suits  to  protect 
the  people  and  enjoin  the  bonds,  that  he  com- 
plained bitterly  that  he  had  a  good  case,  but 
no  proper  client;  he  probably  now  will  as 
freely  acknowledge  that  in  the  final  siiits  he 
had  an  excellent  rich  fool  for  a  client,  but  no 
case. 

The  first  train  to  run  the  entire  length  of 
the  road,  from  Streator  to  Altamont,  on  sched- 
ule time,  was  on  the  29th  day  of  June,  1874. 
It  was  two  years  after  this,  February,  1876, 
before  trains  were  run  into  Effingham. 

On  the  5th  day  of  April,  1880,  the  Chi- 
cago &  taducah  Railroad  passed  into  the 
hands  of  the  present  owners  and  became  the 
Wabash  Railroad.  This  new  company  at 
once  set  about  completing  a  railroad  from  a 
place  known  as  Strawn  to  Chicago,  and  thus 
was  made  a  direct  and  valuable  road  from 
Effingham  and  from  Altamont  to  Chicago. 
This  also  gives  this  great  corporation  a  direct 
and  valuable  line  a  direct  road  from  St.  Louis 
to  Chicago. 

A  mixed  passenger  train  is  daily  run  from 


123 


HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


here  to  Bement,  where  it  connects  with  the 
Chicago  &  Toledo  trains,  and  returns  here  in 
the  evening.  A  freight  is  daily  dispatched 
from  Altamont,  giving  the  road  two  daily 
trains  each  way  from  Shumway  north.  Since 
the  building  of  the  road,  there  has  been  but 
two  different  station  agents  here,  namely,  C. 
A.  Van  Allen,  the  first  one,  and  H.  G.  Hab- 
ing,  the  present  one.  Mr.  Frank  Green,  the 
present  conductor  between  this  point  and  Be- 
ment, was  the  second  conductor  ever  put 
upon  the  road.  He  succeeded  Andy  Ricketts, 
the  first  conductor  for  a  few  months,  when 
the  road  was  first  opened  from  Bement  to 
Windsor. 

It  is  in  contemplation  by  the  Wabash  to 
build  a  road  from  this  point  through  Jasper 
and  Crawford  Counties,  in  a  southeast  direc- 
tion to  Cincinnati,  and  as  an  evidence  of  the 
earnestness  of  this  intention,  a  mortgage 
bond  on  this  line  was  recently  filed  for  record 
in  oiir  Clerk's  office.  The  piu'pose  of  this  is 
to  reach  Cincinnati  and  the  rich  block  coal 
fields  of  Indiana. 

The  Narrow  Gauge. — The  Springfield, 
Effingham  &  South-Eastern  Railroad  was 
chartered  in  1867,  with  J.  P.  M.  Howard,  S. 
W  Little,  W.  B.  Cooper,  L.  E.  McMurry, 
John  F.  Barnard,  Anderson  Webster  and 
Thomas  Martin,  incorporators.  J.  P.  M. 
Howard  was  elected  first  President,  and  Van 
Valkenbm-g,  Secretary.  A  partial  survey  of 
the  line  was  made  in  1868.  At  the  June 
meeting  in  1878,  Howard  resigned  and  quit 
the  organization,  and  L.  R  McMurry,  Presi- 
dent, and  H.  C.  Bradsby,  Secretary,  T.  D. 
Craddock,  Treasurer;  and  another  survey  of 
the  line  was  made.  There  were  $163,000  in 
donations  voted  from  Effingham  to  the  Wa- 
bash River.   Effingham  voted  150,000  of  this. 

In  the  same  year,  the  Vincennes  &  Pana 
Railroad  was  chartered,  with  William  Rea- 
vell,  James  H.  Steeles,  William  C.  Wilson, 


Joseph  Cooper,  Isaac  H  Walker,  William  C 
Jones,  Daniel  Rinehart,  William  B.  Cooper, 
E.  A.  Howard,  Craig  White,  J  C.  Helmack 
and  D.  D.  Shumway  were  incorporators. 
This  provided  for  the  building  of  a  railroad 
"  commencing  at  a  point  at  or  near  the  O.  & 
M.  R.  R.,  west  of  Vincennes,  as  the  company 
may  select,  east  of  Lawrenceville,  thence  to 
Robinson,  thence  to  Newton,  thence  to  Effing- 
ham, thence  to  Pana." 

By  consolidating  these  two  lines  and  mak- 
ing the  present  S.  E.  &  S.  E.  R.  R.,  a  line 
was  authorized  as  it  is  at  present  located, 
and  built  from  here  to  the  Wabash  River. 
The  consolidation  was  formally  made  and 
entered  into.  The  financial  panic  of  1873 
apparently  had  forever  killed  the  enterprise 
that  had  promised  so  fair  from  its  inception 
to  that  time.  In  the  latter  part  of  1878, 
parties  came,  and  the  project  was  revived, 
with  John  Funkhouser  as  President,  and 
George  C.  Mitchell,  his  son-in-law,  for  Sec- 
retary. In  1876,  a  contract  was  made  with 
Adams,  Soliday  &  Company  to  build  the 
road.  This  company  was  soon  deeply  in 
debt  to  workmen,  tiemen,  boarding-houses, 
and  all  other  employes,  and  the  company  of 
Buell,  Lyon  &  Co.  succeeded  them.  Lyon 
seemed  to  have  plenty  of  money,  and  all  the 
people  along  the  line  were  soon  revived  in 
hope,  and  the  work  started  up  with  great  ac- 
tivity again.  After  a  little  while,  Lyon  re- 
tired from  the  firm,  and  it  became  Buell, 
Smith  &  Co.,  and  another  spirited  revival  of 
the  work  took  place.  This  last  company  or- 
ganized the  Cincinnati,  Effingham  &  Quincy 
Construction  Company,  and  all  was  again 
serene  for  a  short  time.  Some  misunder- 
standing arising  in  this  construction  com- 
pany, in  March,  1879,  a  Receiver  was  ap- 
pointed— John  Charles  Black — for  the  con- 
struction company.  In  September,  1879,  J. 
P.  M.  Howard  was  appointed  Receiver  for  the 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


133 


railroad  company.  At  this  time,  about  ten 
miles  of  the  road  had  been  graded,  and  half 
a  mile  of  the  track  was  laid  at  Robinson.  In 
January,  1881,  the  road  was  completed,  and 
the  trains  cotumenced  regularly  running  from 
the  city  of  EflSngham  to  the  Wabash  River. 
The  affairs  of  both  the  construction  and  rail- 
road company  were  settled,  and  the  books 
closed  and  road  turned  over  to  Sturgis,  Lyon 
&Co.,  in  July,  1882. 

O.  &  M.  Railroad. — In  1867,  the  Spring- 
field &  South-Eastern  Railroad  was  chartered, 
and  the  work  commenced  to  build  a  line 
from  Shawneetown  to  Springfield.  This  was 
Tom  Ridgeway's  and  Charley  Beecher's  road. 
These  two  men  came  to  the  City  of  EiBngham 
and  caused  innch  excitement  among  our  peo- 
ple by  telling  them  their  line  of  constructed 
road  from  the  south  on  its  way  to  Springfield 
was  raj)idly  approaching  our  south  county 
line;  that  they  wanted  to  build  to  our  city 
on  the  route,  but  they  wanted  first  to  know 
exactly  how  much  we  would  give  as  an  in- 
ducement; that  if  this  inducement  was  not 
liberal  enough,  they  would  build  the  road 
west  of  us,  through  Altamont  or  St.  Elmo, 
etc.,  etc.  In  the  winter  of  1879,  the  people 
of  EfiSngham  had  heard  so  much  about  rail- 
roads coming — singly,  in  squads  and  in  pla- 
toons— that  they  were  dazed  with  their  own 
prospective  greatness.  Railroad  meetings 
were  frequent,  and  it  was  railroads  for  break- 
fast, dinner  and    supper.     The   people  had 


appointed  a  Railroad  Committee,  a  kind 
of  public  safety  committee,  and,  in  de- 
spair in  understanding  all  the  talk  that  was 
going  on  about  railroads,  they  turned  the 
whole  matter  over  to  this  committee.  But 
the  committee  was  less  able,  it  seems,  to 
either  agi-ee  or  understand  what  it  all  meant 
than  were  the  people.  The  final  result  was 
that  Effingham  hesitated,  and  the  little,  act- 
ive, wide-awake  townships  of  West,  Mason 
and  Liberty,  and  the  village  of  Edgewood, 
secured  the  road.  Edgewood  gave  $10,000, 
West  Township  $10,000,  Mason  Township 
$10,000,  and  Liberty  $5,000,  and  the  Spring- 
field &  South-Eastern  Railroad  was  built 
upon  the  line  it  now  runs  upon,  thi-ough 
Edgewood  and  Altamont,  twelve  miles  «ast  ' 
of  Effingham,  on  to  Springfield.  The  road, 
in  1875,  passed  into  other  hands,  and  be- 
came the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  Railroad. 

In  the  county  are  104J  miles  of  operated 
railroad,  as  follows:  Illinois  Central,  twenty- 
five  miles;  Wabash,  nineteen  and  three- 
foui'tha  miles;  Vandalia  line,  twenty-five  and 
a  half  miles;  S.  E.  &  S.  E.,  eleven  miles;  O. 
&  M.,  twenty-two  and  a  half  miles. 

There  is  a  comj)any  organized  to  construct 
a  narrow-gauge  railroad  from  Effingham  to 
Camden,  on  the  O.  &  M.  road,  and  the  proba- 
bilities are  that  this  and  the  road  leading 
southeast  will  both  be  completed  at  an  early 
day,  and  this  will  add  twenty-five  miles  to 
the  road-bed  now  in  the  county. 


134 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER    IX. 


RETROSPECTION— MORALIZING  ON  THE  FLIGHT  OF  TIME— POST  OFFICE,  TELEGRAPHS,  ETC.— THE 
SINGING  AND  WRITING  MASTEUS—"  FLING,   DANG.   DOODLE,   DA"— LITERARY   TASTES 
OF   THE    COUNTY— EXAMINATION     OF     A     SCHOOLMASTER— THE    DUTCH- 
TOWN  WAR— A  BIT  OF  CHURCH   GOSSIP— VALEDICTORY,    ETC. 


*'  Time  was  not  yet. 
When  at  his  daughter's  birth  the  sire  grew  pile 
For  fear  the  age  and  dowry  should  exceed 
On  each  side  just  proportion. 

Well  content. 
With  unrobed  jerkin,  and  their  good  dames  handling 
The  spindle  and  the  flax."  — Uunte. 

SIMILAR  lamentations  have  been  said  or 
sung  of  every  place  and  nation  under  the 
sun  that  has  risen  to  wealth  and  refinement. 
Simplicity  of  manners  may  be  a  good  thing, 
but,  with  the  increase  of  wealth,  industry 
and  population,  it  cannot  continue  as  it  w-as 
in  earlier  times;  and  to  regret  when  the  times 
and  social  state  have  changed  is  to  regret  an 
impossibility.  Every  stage  of  society  has  its 
good  and  evil  side;  and  wisdom  would  seem 
to  consist  in  endeavoring  to  make  the  best  of 
that  condition  of  it  under  which  we  live." 

It  is  natural,  when  age  begins  to  dim  the 
vision,  and  the  twilight  is  seen  in  the  dis- 
tance, for  man  to  turn  back  in  memory,  and 
find  his  pleasures  of  life  in  the  contempla- 
tion of  those  sunshiny  spots  of  youth,  of 
bounding  young  hopes  and  rippling  laugh- 
ter, of  joy,  and  pure  and  passionate  love, 
when  the  world  was  new  and  life  was  new 
and  gleeful  and  gladsome.     Time  when  it  was 

"Sweet  to  hear  the  honest  watch-dog's  bark 
Bay  deep-mouthed  welcome  as  we  draw  near 
home;" 

and  to  linger  lovingly  here,  and  to  con- 
trast then  and  now.  This  is  inevitable  to 
all  old  age,  as  it  is  sure  to  draw  the  picture 


always  with  the  same  result  —  the  sweet 
then,  the  bitter  now.  True,  the  times  and 
manners  have  changed,  but  age  forgets  that 
it  has  changed,  too.  The  change  in  man- 
ners are  generally  a  necessity  and  for  the 
better,  while  the  changes  in  age  are  inevita- 
ble; they  should  be,  and  generally  are,  for 
the  better,  but  not  always.  To  shake  the 
head  and  say,  "  It  was  not  so  when  I  was  a 
child,"  is  the  blessed  province  and  privilege 
of  age.  This  has  passed  along  with  every 
period  and  generation  for  thousands  of  years, 
and  it  will  continue,  no  doubt,  indefinitely. 
It  is  harmless  as  any  other  fiction,  except  to 
those  who  permit  themselves  to  dwell  too 
long  upon  the  dark  side  of  the  picture,  until 
they  become  almost  convinced  that  mankind 
is  rapidly  degenerating  and  civilization  is 
passing  away.  But  in  any  light,  or  from 
any  point  of  view,  the  fleeting  years,  the 
blessed  long  ago,  "  the  good  dames  handling 
the  spindle  and  the  flax,"  is  the  sweet  picture 
of  life  that  deserves  the  richest  setting,  the 
best  light  in  the  favorite  family  room,  and  the 
flrst  j)lace  in  the  hearts  of  all  mankind. 
Yes,  good  dame,  and  venerable  sire,  all  is 
for  the  best.  You  are  looking  upon  the  same 
struggle  that  was  present  to  your  grandfa- 
thers of  many  hundreds  of  years  ago — the 
mighty  struggle  between  truth  and  error.  In 
this  contest  there  can  be  but  one  result,  even 
though,  at  long  stretches  of  time,  error  and 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


135 


■wrong  seem  to  prevail  and  riot  in  their  vic- 
torious power,  yet  in  the  end  it  will  perish, 
and  truth  and  right  will  be  corhpletely  vic- 
torious. This  is  the  order  of  nature — this  is 
destiny.  The  victories  of  error  and  \vi-ong 
are  temporary  in  their  effects;  they  pass  away 
and  are  forgotten;  while  those  of  truth  en- 
dure forever.  Governments  and  nations, 
creeds  and  religions,  imperial  principalities, 
with  their  armies  like  unto  the  leaves  of  the 
forest,  have  come  upon  the  world,  ruled 
mightily  the  globe,  fretted  their  brief  hour 
and  are  gone — gone  like  the  baseless  fabric 
of  a  vision  that  leaves  not  a  wrack  behind. 
While  truth,  in  her  patient  triumphs  and  dis- 
coveries, is  perpetual — she  alone  is  immortal. 
It  is  not,  therefore,  best  to  mourn  too  much 
over  customs,  manners  and  times  that  have 
been  and  are  not,  but  to  remember  that  in 
their  day  they  were  good,  perhaps  the  best, 
and  to  send  back  the  sweet  recollections,  like 
radiant  siinbeams  of  joy,  when  will  come,  like 
music  over  the  waters,  the  echo  to  the  poet's 
aspiration — "  Backward,  turn  backward,  oh, 
time,  in  thy  fliglit,  and  make  me  a  child 
again,  just  for  to-night," 

Some  idea  of  the  changes  that  have  been 
wrought  here  the  past  fifty  years  may  best  be 
had  by  comparisons  of  some  of  those  things 
most  familiar  to  our  readers.  For  instance, 
the  post  ofdce  is  a  matter  of  transcendant 
concern  to  all.  It  would  be  difficult  to  think 
of  society  at  present  as  without  it.  It  is  one 
of  the  most  imp(;rtant  and  useful  institutions 
to  civilization  that  is  given  to  us  by  the  Gov- 
ernment, and  the  fact  that  it  is  a  self-sus- 
taining institution  is  evidence  that,  had 
Government  not  supplied  this  want,  private 
enterprise  would  have  done  so,  and  possibly 
have  done  it  better  than  Government  can,  as 
it  has  in  the  express  and  telegraph  depart- 
ments. At  one  time,  the  pony  mails  passed 
through  the  county  weekly,  when  they  were 


permitted  by  the  streams  to  go  through  at 
all.  The  first  Postmaster,  Hankins,  at  one 
time  had  received  two  letters,  and  this  news 
passed  around  among  the  people.  The  office 
was  in  the  Postmaster's  hat,  weighted  down 
by  a  red  bandana.  The  coming  of  this  mail 
matter  was  a  sensation.  ,  Fac  similes  of  these 
old  letters,  sealed  with  red  wafers,  and  upon 
yellowed  foolscap  paper,  and  somewhat  awk- 
wardly folded,  without  envelope,  would  now 
be  interesting  to  look  upon,  and  the  time  is 
not  very  distant  when,  framed  and  hung  upon 
the  wall,  they  would  surpass  in  interest  a 
painting,  or  the  finest  steel-plate  engraving. 
The  news  then  traveled,  if  at  all,  among  the 
people,  much  as  it  had  done  among  their  im- 
mediate predecessors,  the  Indians.  Not  a 
newspaper,  daily,  weekly  or  monthly,  at  one 
time  came  to  the  people.  There  are  no  rec- 
ords by  which  we  can  tell  how  much  mail 
matter  now  comes  daily  into  the  county,  but 
a  reference  to  such  facts  as  can  be  gleaned 
from  the  office  in  this  city  may  give  an  ap- 
proximation thereto.  The  number  of  pos- 
tage stamps  sold  at  this  point  for  the  quarter 
just  ended  was  $917.16.  This  would  indi- 
cate the  quarterly  receipt  of  about  thirty 
thousand  letters — ten  thousand  per  month,  or 
three  hundred  and  thirty  daily.  In  addition 
to  the  five  county  papers  with  an  average 
circulation  of  over  five  hundred  each  per  week, 
there  are  distributed  here  135  daily  parsers 
225  weeklies  and  100  monthlies.  This  in- 
crease in  mail  matter  is  not  the  proper  measure 
of  the  growth  of  population  in  the  county, 
nor  is  it  a  measure  of  the  spread  of  intelli- 
gence or  education,  it  is  a  mark  of  the  age, 
an  index  in  the  change  of  the  habits  of  the 
people,  that  applies  to  the  whole  nation. 
People  now  read  more  than  did  their  forefa- 
thers, and  the  rapid  growth  of  the  various  is- 
sues from  the  press  is  another  ^remarkable 
feature  of  the  time.      But  he  is  silly  who  es- 


126 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


timates  the  increase  of  value  by  the  increase 
of  quantity.  A  look  at  the  news  depot  coun- 
ters, or  in  the  book  stores  is  enough  to  read- 
ily convince  even  the  skeptical  that  there  is 
but  very  little  more  of  the  best  books  and 
publications  read  in  the  county  to  day  than 
there  was  fifty  years*  ago.  The  insufferable 
trash  comes  from  the  press  like  snow-flakes, 
and  is  no  more  healthy  mental  food  than  are 
Cobble-stones  and  rusty  nails  food  for  the 
physical  organs.  The  preacher  with  his  in- 
terminable sermons,  the  lawyer  with  his  gift 
of  gab,  the  political  stump-speaker  and  the 
country  debating  society  were  once  the  flow- 
ing fountains  free  to  all  the  world — the  great 
man  of  all  being  always  the  orator,  that  re- 
markable production  that  could  talk  like  an 
angel  even  when  he  could  only  think  as  a 
poll  parrot.  This  phenomenon  is  now  passed 
or  is  rapidly  passing  away.  His  successor, 
it  appears,  is  what  may  well  be  termed  the 
yellow-back  literatui-e  of  the  day.  There  is 
no  healthier  sign  of  the  public  sense  than  the 
incredulity  and  humor  that  plays  over  the 
faces  of  the  audience  nowadays  when  the 
muggy  chairman  of  a  political  meeting  in- 
troduces the  Hon.  Shiggum  as  "  the  silver- 
tongued  orator,"  when  the  said  Honorable, 
fragrant  with  the  fumes  of  the  pot-house, 
rises  and  pours  forth  his  incoherent  scream 
of  bruised,  battered  and  miu'dered  King's 
English  to  the  gaping  groundlings.  The 
phenomenal  production  of  this  age  is  the 
demagogue — the  Hon.  Slumscullion,  the"sil- 
ver-tongiied "  combination  of  horse-fiddle, 
tomtom,  huzzy-guzzy  and  wind-power  hew- 
gag — simplicity  and  soap-locks,  wisdom  and 
wind-power,  impudence  and  ignorance.  His 
cotemporary  and  compeer  is  the  Police  Ga- 
zette; his  fattening  food  is  his  fellow-rnor- 
tal's  ignorance  and  simplicity.  The  times 
and  the  age  call  for  this  strange  creatiu'e, 
and  he  steps   forth,   regal  in   low  cunning, 


mastodonic  in  cheek.  When  t.he  last  of  the 
public  teachers  —  Clay,  Douglas  and  Web- 
ster— had  passed  away  and  ceased  to  teach 
their  noble  schools,  from  the  rostrum,  the 
Senate,  the  bar  and  the  stump,  the  dema- 
gogue came  to  sit  in  their  high  chairs,  and 
caw  and  cackle  at  the  people,  and  be  great — 
be  real  buzzards  roosting  in  the  dead  eagles' 
nests.  Here  is  a  change  in  the  then  and 
now — biit  where  is  the  improvement? 

There  was  the  singing  master  then,  armed 
with  his  tuning-fork  and  Missouri  Harmony, 
"  From  Greenland's  icy  mountains,  from  In- 
dia s  coral  strand. "  A  mighty  man  in  his 
day  was  he — the  glass  of  fashion  and  the 
mold  of  form — the  toast  of  the  belles  oE  the 
neighborhood,  the  envy  of  the  swains;  and, 
when  he  took  his  position  before  his  class, 
and  struck  his  fork  and  gracefully  inclined 
his  head  to  catch  the  sweet  notes  of  inspira- 
tion from  it,  and  broke  forth  "  Do-ra-me- fa-so- 
la! Sing!"  his  graceful  poise  as  he  would 
beat  time  for  "  Pisgah  "  after  the  fashion  of 
a  battle  with  mosquitoes,  won  many  stolen 
glances  from  swelling  young  maidens'  hearts, 
as  all  mouths  flew  open  in  unison,  and  the 
good  old  hymn  came  rasping,  jerking  along, 
in  every  key,  tune  and  time.  "Again!"  would 
shout  the  autocrat  master,  when  it  was  gone 
over  once,  "  and  every  one  open  his  mouth 
and  sing  loud,"  and  away  go  the  med- 
ley in  a  noisy  race  for  the  grand  floui'ish  at 
the  end,  and  then  all  look  meekly  up  for  the 
teacher  s  approving  smile,  which  sometimes 
they  got,  but  much  oftener  he  gave  only 
crushing  frowns,  as  much  as  to  say  they  hadn't 
sung  loud  enough,  until  he  came  to  the  belle  of 
the  neighborhood,  when  his  great  counte- 
nance would  relax,  and  he  would  smooth  his 
wrinkled  brow,  smile  winsomely  and  majes- 
tically spit  at  a  crack  ten  feet  away,  which  he 
never  missed.  But  this  wonderful  creature 
has  gone — gone   like  a  school-boys  tale,  and 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


137 


in  his  musical  place  did  come  the  jangled, 
out-of-tune  piauo.  and  the  strolling  organ- 
grinder,  and  the  patent  medicine  street  op- 
eras— music  and  physic !  1  et  heaven  be  praised ! 

Do  fond  recollections  falter  in  recalliag 
that  weird  magician  of  the  pen,  the  writing- 
master? — the  king  of  the  clarified  ffoose- 
quill,  the  master  of  the  pen  and  pot-hooks, 
the  gifted  architect  of  those  inspired  flour- 
ishes and  amazing  spread-eagles.  He  mar- 
ried the  belle  of  the  county  at  the  end  of  his 
school,  and,  *'  Othello's  occupation  gone,"  he 
quit  the  trade,  and,  instead  of  eagles,  has 
been  content  to  raise  and  look  after  barnyard 
chickens,  and  play  Jumbo  for  the  grandchil- 
dren.     How  are  the  mighty  fallen! 

Now,  in  those  days  came  the  great  itiner- 
ant lecturer  on  mesmerism  and  phrenology, 
and  singing  geogi-aphy  and  similar  wonders  of 
the  age.  The  lecturer  was  so  prized  that 
often  he  was  prevailed  upon  to  permanently 
locate  in  the  county  and  condescendingly  ac- 
cept the  best  oifice  the  infatuated  people  had 
to  bestow.  Did  the  coming  of  the  cook-stove, 
think  you,  drive  away  these  noble  landmarks 
(if  the  primitive  days? — that  first  stove 
brought  to  the  county  by  Mr.  Johnson,  of 
Freeman  ton—  such  an  event  as  that  was! 
Is  it  to  be  wondered  at  that  even  the  singing- 
master  saw  his  glory  pale  before  this  new 
sensation?  This  cook-stove,  it  is  said, 
wrecked  more  ambitions  than  those  of  the 
lecturer,  the  singing  and  the  writing  school- 
master. A  son  of  the  prominent  man  in  the 
county  was  courting  Johnson's  daughter,  and 
was  there  only  a  few  days  after  it  had  been 
put  up.  He  was  up  early  in  the  morning 
and  started  a  fire  in  it,  and  soon  he  smoked 
every  one  in  the  house  out  of  bed  and  out  of 
doors.  He  had  kindled  the  fire  in  the  oven, 
and  was  wondering  what  "  ailed  the  creeter!" 

They  had  weddings  in  those  days,  and  these 
linger  with  us  to  some  extent  yet,  but  those 


good  old  fashions,  and  the  "  infairs,"  where 
are  they?  The  wedding  was  at  the  bride's, 
and  the  "  infair"  was  a  kind  of  wedding  No. 
2,  at  the  house  of  the  groom's  parents.  Both 
were  to  eat,  drink,  dance  and  be  merry.  Two 
days  and  two  nights,  with  often  a  long  horse- 
back ride  in  the  meantime,  and  the  frolick- 
ing and  dancing  went  on.  Terpsichore!  what 
dancing!  Not  your  dreamy  waltz  of  this  day 
and  age;  not  the  bounding  polka,  the  de- 
lightful schottische,  or  any  of  the  other 
modern,  fashionable  di'eam- walks;  but  the 
one-eyed  fiddler,  keeping  time  with  his  foot, 
and  to  the  inspiriting  tune  of  the  "Arkansaw 
Traveler,"  or  the  "Lightning  Jig,"  the  merry 
dancers  raced  over  the  floor  in  that  good  old 
walk- talk-ginger- blue  style  of  hoe  down  that 
filled  with  joy  their  innocent  hearts,  and  their 
legs  with  soreness  and  pain.  But  the  Vir- 
ginia reel,  the  hoe-down,  the  jig  and  the  "in- 
fair  "  are  gone,  and  their  places  are  taken  by 
the  rather  tamo  wedding  tour  and  the  pub- 
lished list  of  presents  from  friends  and  foes 
— a  singular  combination  of  pleasure  and 
profit.* 

They  had  the  "  young  man  of  the  period  " 
in  those  good  old  days.  Behold  him!  the 
happy  j)ossessor  of  a  pacing  Ijorse,  a  new 
saddle,  with  its  stitched  flowers,  a  red  blank- 

*An  illustration  of  the  ancient  irrepreseible  propetisity  for  frol- 
icking and  fnn.  of  whicli  no  circunistancea  could  deprive  them,  ia 
well  given  liy  an  anecdote  that  the  writer  lias  heard  related  and 
acted  out  by  one  of  the  l>P8t  mimics  and  story-tellers  that  ever  set 
the  tables  or  the  parlor  in  a  roar  over  delicious  wit  and  inimitable 
story-telling.  It  is  impossible  to  write  it  out  and  do  justice  to  the 
original;  the  types  cannot  act — iitimicking  the  intonations,  the 
song,  the  dancing,  the  expressions  of  face  and  movements  of  the 
whole  person,  as  he  could,  and  hence  in  the  telling  hero  the  story 
will  lose  much  of  its  rich  savor. 

Upon  one  occasion  the  youngsters  were  gathered  in  goodly  force 
at  a  farmhouse,  where  the  boys  and  girls  had  bad  a  "bee"  of 
some  kind  during  the  day,  and  when  supper  was  over  preparations 
for  the  dance  soon  developed  the  fact  that  no  violin  could  be  had. 
This  shocking  intelligence  soon  spread  gloom  where  before  was 
only  fun  and  joyous  anticipations.  The  young  lady  of  the  house 
determined  to  entertain  her  guests,  bid  them  take  jiarlners  for  the 
dance,  and  she  would  sing  and  dance  and  "call"  at  tlie  same 
time.  In  a  trice  the  lloor  was  tilled,  and  "on  went  the  dance, 
with  no  sleep  till  morn,  when  youth  and  pleasure  meet" — fiddle 
or  no  fiddle.     It  would  be  pomelhing  as  follows  : 

"  Honors  to  all  fling-dang-doodle-daddle, 
Fling-dang-doodle-daddle  da. 

Swing  on  the  left,  fling-dang-doodle-daddle, 
Fling-dang-doodle-daddle-da." 


128 


HISTORY   OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


et,  and  ribbons  on  the  head-stall  of  the  bridle. 
He  would  unhitch  his  pacer  from  the  plow 
by  the  middle  of  the  Saturday  afternoon,  and 
dress  up,  in  his  broad-brimmed,  new,  h  ime- 
made,  oat-straw  hat,  and,  with  cinnamon- 
scented  bear's  oil  on  his  long,  flowing  locks, 
which  are  carefvilly  combed  and  tucked  under 
behind,  much  white  shirt  front,  a  rather  short 
vest,  with  only  the  lower  button  fastened,  a 
pair  of  ready-rtiade  nankeen  breeches,  with 
straps  at  the  bottom,  drawn  tight  at  the  waist, 
and  no  suspenders,  a  bulging  white  roll  be- 
tween the  vest  and  pantaloons,  pumps  and 
yarn  socks  nn  his  feet,  and  a  scissor-tailed 
coat,  too  small  in  every  way,  completed  the 
gorgeous  attire  of  this  neighborhood  phenom- 
enon, as  he  swaggered  in  his  walk,  or  rolled 
lollingly  about  in  his  saddle — the — he — dar- 
ling, the  daisy!  We  sing  his  praise — hail  and  ' 
farewell!     Drop  a  tear  to   his  dear  memory. 

The  literary  life  of  the  young  county 
was  almost  nil.  At  first  there  were  no  men 
hereof  either  taste  or  cultivation  in  that  line, 
nor  were  there  facilities  for  the  cultivation 
of  this  in  the  rising  generation.  The  '  Life 
of  Gen.  Francis  Marion,"  a  copy  of  Josephus, 
the  Bible,  and  a  volume  or  two  of  dull  ser- 
mons, were  pretty  much  the  sum  total  of  the 
county's  literature.  Veiy  few  of  the  young 
formed  in  their  young  days  the  habit  of  much 
reading.  They  had  been  trained  to  work  pa- 
tiently upon  their  little  truck-patch  farms, 
and  they  were  eager  hunters  amid  plenteous 
game.  They  used  long  rifles,  and  they  only 
rarely  wasted  their  ammunition  upon  any- 
thing smaller  than  wild  turkeys.  They  knew 
nothing  of  the  modern  breech-loading  shot 
guns  and  pointer  dogs,  and  shooting  the  prai- 
rie chicken,  quail  and  snipe  on  the  wing,  as 
is  now  the  hunter's  method. 

The  first  circus  that  came  to  Vandalia  was 
to  that  county,  and  this  as  well  as  other  ad- 
joining counties,  an  era  equal  in  magnitude 


to  the  crusades  of  the  Old  World.  Time 
was  reckoned  by  an  event  like  this.  There 
was  a  fascination  in  the  saw-dust,  as  well  as 
the  smell  of  the  animals,  and  the  playfiil 
monkeys,  and  selah!  there  was  the  clown! 
There  is  a  tradition  that  his  same  old  jokes 
were  new  then,  but  this  may  well  be  doubted. 
The  story  is  not  reasonable,  for  did  not  pre- 
historic man,  as  well  as  we,  want  to  know 
before  he  went  to  a  circus  just  where  each 
joke  came  in,  in  order  that  he  could  prepare 
himself  to  laugh  again  at  the  right  moment? 
The  tires  of  the  memories  of  the  first  circus 
never  paled  until  that  transcendant  event  of 
the  hanging  of  Ogle  at  Vandalia  in  1842. 
We  will  never  forget  how  an  old  lady  exult- 
antly told  how  she  had  walked  thirty  miles, 
carrying  her  six-months-old  child  every  step 
of  the  way.  She  concluded  the  story  by 
pointing  out  her  son,  and  we  confess  the 
great,  beefy  220-pounder  did  not  give  evi- 
dences that  his  early  education  had  been 
wholly  ethereal  and  spirituelle.  ' 

An  itinerant  preacher  once  saw  here  an 
opening  for  his  talents  as  school  teacher.  He 
duly  made  application  for  the  place,  and  the 
learned  pundits  of  the  county  were  called 
upon  to  examine  him.  He  knew  nothing  of 
grammar,  geography  or  arithmetic,  but  opened 
the  eyes  of  the  committee  by  informing 
them,  with  great  gusto,  that  he  could  count 
a  flock  of  flying  geese  faster,  he  reckoned, 
than  any  man  of  his  size  in  the  county.  A 
book  was  handed  him  to  read.  Then,  indeed, 
did  his  countenance  glow  with  pleasure. 
"  Oh,  yes,  I  kin  read!  "  was  his  unctuous  ex- 
clamation. And  with  a  great  parade  and  a 
loud  voice,  he  read:  "  Two  great  criin-pee- 
ti-tors  Han-i-bawl  and  Ski-pee-o  wag-god- 
war  in  Af-ry-key,"  etc.  "  Oh,  I  kin  read!'' 
exulted  the  would-be  teacher.  Amid  roars 
of  laughter,  the  examination  concluded  with 
the  reading  of  the  sentence,    "  Darest   thou. 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


129 


Cassius,  swim  with  me  to  yonder  point?  ao- 
coutered  as  I  was,"  etc.  The  reader  must 
imagine  for  himself  how  the  pedagogue  pro- 
nounced the  word  "  acuoutered." 

In  1855  occurred  what  has  since  been  a 
standing  coanty  joke,  and  has  gone  by  the 
name  of  the  "  Dutchtown  War."  It  was  the 
outcrop  of  that  Know-Nothing  craze  that  ran 
over  the  entire  country,  commencing  in  1854, 
and  swept  like  a  plague  infection  or  a  prairie 
lire  over  State  after  State,  and  that  culminated 
in  the  Presidential  election  of  1856,  when, 
more  suddenly  than  it  had  risen,  it  expired. 
The  Know-Nothing  jjarty  had  for  its  cardi- 
nal political  idea  opposition  to  foreigners,  and 
blazoned  upon  its  banners  were:  "Put  none 
but  Americans  on  guard."  It  is  said  the 
woods  of  Effingham  were  full  of  these  de- 
luded statesmen.  They  met  in  secret  by- 
places  and  took  oaths,  and  had  secret  grips, 
and  signs,  and  pass-words,  and  what  stories 
they  must  have  stuffed  each  other  with  at 
these  meetings  of  the  fell  purposes  and  de- 
signs of  the  foreigners.  Certainly  nothing 
short  of  this  could  have  so  worked  upon  ig- 
norant minds  and  made  in  our  county  a  little 
army  of  Quixotes,  to  go  forth  to  battle,  not 
with  the  windmills,  but  with  the  wind  organ 
of  the  Teutopolis  Church. 

At  the  period  mentioned,  the  Germans  were 
progressing  with  their  church  edifice,  which, 
at  the  time  of  building,  was  one  of  the  cost- 
liest in  Southern  Illinois,  and  had  com- 
menced the  work  of  putting  the  organ  in  its 
place.  Everything  that  came  by  railroad  for 
Teutopolis  was  shipped  to  Effingham,  and 
transported  hence  by  wagons.  The  organ 
pipes  were  shipped  iu  boxes,  together  with 
many .  other  church  fixtures.  In  handling 
them  in  Effingham,  some  excited  Know- Noth- 
ing must  have  seen  them,  and  he  heralded 
the  report  that  the  "  Dutch  were  importing 
arms."     The  story  traveled   far    and   wide, 


and,  like  the  legend  of  the  three  black  crows 
was  magnified  with  each  repetition,  imtil  it 
was  positively  asserted  that  these  people  were 
about  to  secretly  rise  and  massacre  the  na- 
tives. The  great  mass  of  our  people  paid  no 
heed  to  these  frightful  stories,  but  there  were 
others  that  were  seriously  alarmed,  or  at  all 
events,  acted  as  though  they  believed  all  and 
more,  too.  The  Know-Nothing  army  was  se- 
cretly called  to  arms.  There  was  blood  in 
the  moon.  The  gathering  clouds  of  war 
lowered  upon  Effingham,  and  many  an  old 
political  veteran  of  the  county  (he  would  de- 
ny it  all  now)  who  has  waxed  great  and  fat 
upon  German  votes,  snuffed  the  battle  afar 
off,  and  in  the  secret  lodges  of  his  Know- 
Nothing  societies,  clothed  ,hi8  neck  with  the 
thunderbolts  of  war,  and  hied  himself  and 
friends  to  the  army  rendezvous,  about  two 
miles  west  of  Watson,  on  Spring  Branch, 
where  it  passes  through  James  Turner's  land. 
They  gathered  here  to  organize  an  army,  at- 
tack Teutopolis,  and  carry  away  the  arms  and 
ammunition  of  the  place  as  trophies  of  war. 
How  many  of  these  patriots  were  there  as- 
sembled cannot  now  be  told;  they  are  var- 
iously estimated  at  thirty-five,  seventy-five, 
100  and  150,  as  it  is  impossible  to  find  any 
one  who  will  admit  that  he  was  iu  that  cruel 
war.  Hunting  for  these  old  scarred  (not 
scared,  please,  Rlr.  Printer)  veterans  is  much 
like  hunting  the  home  of  milk-sickness;  it  is 
always  in  the  next  township  ahead.  Wheth- 
er it  was  thirty-five  or  150,  or  more  or  less, 
they  went  into  camp  and  commenced  the  work 
of  organizing  an  army  of  invasion.  Scouts 
were  sent  out,  and  trusted  spies  stole  into 
Teutopdlis.  In  the  meantime,  that  village 
was  quietly  plodding  along  its  usual  way. 
unconscious  of  the  commotion  the  simple  or- 
gan pipes  had  created,  as  they  were  uncon- 
scious of  the  flaming  sword  that  impended. 
The  gathering  hosts  and  mustering  squadrons 


/ 


130 


HISTORY  OF  EPFIKGHAM  COUNTY. 


had  moved  in  mysterious  silence.  The  clank 
of  the  wooden  shoe  of  Dutchtown  found  echo 
in  the  whisperings  of  distress  from  the  army 
rendezvous,  where  were  cheeks  all  pale, 
which,  before  the  war,  had  blushed  at  the 
sight  of  their  ovra  corn-fed  loveliness.  An 
election  was  held,  which  resulted  in  placing 
Gen.  Morgan  Wright  in  chief  command,  with 
some  other  man,  now  unknown,  as  his  sec- 
ond. The  General  thanked  the  army  for  the 
honor  and  awful  dangers  and  responsibility 
it  had  conferred  on  him;  the  "long  roll"  was 
beaten  upon  the  hastily  trumped-up  tin  pan, 
that  furnished  the  only  martial  music  these 
bloody  patriots  had  or  needed.  With  quiv- 
ering lips  and  chattering  teeth,  the  army  be- 
gan to  "  fall  in  "  preparatory  to  a  double- 
quick  charge  upon  the  Teutopolis  Church  or- 
gan. The  silence  was  painful;  the  strain 
upon  the  heroes'  nerves  was  intense,  and 
evidently  something  must  have  given  way 
soon,  had  not,  at  that  moment,  come  dashing 
into  camp  the  scouts  and  spies,  and  reported 
the  war  over — that  Dutchtown  was  peace 
that  the  arms  imported  were  organ  pipes, 
and  it  was  all  a  mistake  that  those  people 
intended  to  massacre  the  entire  people  of 
the  United  States.  And  presto!  camp  was 
broken,  white-robed  peace  spread  her  wings 
over  the  coimty,  and  "Johnny  came  march- 
ing home."  There  was  great  rejoicing 
at  the  safe  return  by  the  families  and 
friends  of  these  heroes.  A  great  peace  rati- 
fication meeting  was,  called,  and  a  wooden 
sword  nearly  six  feet  long  was  presented,  in 
an  eloquent  and  stirring  address  by  Dr.  J. 
M.  Long,  to  the  Commander-in-Chief.  When 
Sam  MoflStt,  "  in  thoughts  that  breathed  and 
words  that  burned,"  presented  an  elegant 
pop-gun  to  the  second  in  command.  Gor- 
geously decorated,  home-made  land  warrants 
were  presented  in  each  case  where  the  com- 
mander could  report  any  extraordinary  acts 


of  bravery.  A  soldiers'  re-union  of  the  no- 
ble band  of  veterans,  survivors  of  the  Dutch- 
town  war,  is  now  in  order.  The  people 
would  make  suitable  provisions  for  the  gath- 
ering of  these  heroes,  and  what  could  be  more 
interesting  than  to  again  listen  to  the  har- 
rowing stories  of  camp  and  field,  and  see 
these  old  veterans  once  more  in  life  to  "  shoul- 
der the  crutch  and  show  how  battles  are  won?" 
The  Church. — The  "voice  in  the  wilder- 
ness "  was  among  the  early  pioneers,  calling 
sinners  to  repentance,  and  wi-estling  with 
the  awful  sins  of  vanity  and  the  old  three- 
stringed  cracked  fiddle.  Fifty  years  ago,  the 
"  good  shepherds  "  were  tinged  with  much  of 
the  rigid,  dogmatic  severity  of  the  old,  cruel 
Kirk-Sessions  of  a  hundred  years  ago.  For 
some  years  there  were  not  near  so  many 
preachers  as  counterfeiters  in  the  county. 
There  paucity  was,  however,  atoned  for  in 
the  stern  severity  of  their  precepts.  The 
value  of  a  sermon  was  measured  by  its  length, 
and  the  brimstone  oder  of  the  awful  thunder- 
bolts that  it  let  fly  at  the  heads  of  the  poor, 
frightened,  credulous  congregations.  They 
were  God-fearing,  good  men,  who  preached 
without  a  choir,  and  a  bugle  solo  in  church 
would  have  called  upon  the  rocks  and  mount- 
ains to  fall  upon  them.  The  devil  invented 
the  fiddle,  and  he  and  his  grinning  imps 
were  the  original  first  dancers.  But  few,  if 
any,  ministerial  scandals  marked  their  hum- 
ble, sincere,  pious  lives.  They  may  have 
been  very  ignorant,  but  they  were  wholly 
honest  and  sincerely  humble.  Generally 
illiberal  and  full  of  severity,  and  warj^ed  and 
deformed  with  prejudices,  they  took  up  the 
cross  of  their  Master,  seized  the  sword  of  Gid- 
eon and  smote  His  Satanic  Majesty,  hip  and 
thigh,  wherever  they  could  find  him.  They 
would  make  sparse  converts  here  and  there, 
and  the  awful  fiddle  nearly  as  often  seduced 
them  away  again  iuto  the  paths  of  dancing  and 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


131 


damnation.  How  they  did  launch  their  fierce 
and  fiery  thunderbolts  against  the  vanities  of 
men,  and  the  ribbons,  furbelows  and  jewelry 
of  the  women!  when  there  probably  was  not 
a  bolt  of  the  irreligious  ribbon  and  not  $10 
worth  of  pinchbeck  jewelry  in  the  county. 
The  Hard-Shells  and  Methodists  were  cotem- 
poraneous  in  their  coming  here — the  Meth- 
odists shouting  and  the  Hard-Shells  sincfingr 
their  sermons  through  the  nose,  and  thus,  in 
their  different  fields  of  usefulness,  they  dwelt 
together  in  true  Christian  love  and  friend- 
ship. They  vexed  not  their  simple  souls  with 
hair-splitting  doctrinal  points  in  theology. 
The  force  and  power  of  their  nasal  blast  and 
their  sing-song  delivery  were  as  battering 
rams  upon  the  ramparts  of  the  evil  one,  while 
they  were  a  sweet  lullaby  to  the  troubled  soul 
of  the  good  Christian.  This  is  well  illus- 
trated by  the  anecdote  of  the  wag  who  had  a 
contention  with  an  old  lady  in  reference  to 
the  might  and  power  of  a  preacher  that  she 
was  heart-broken  over,  his  going  away.  The 
wag  was  a  fine  mimic,  and  had  caught  the 
very  tone,  air  and  manner  of  the  favorite 
preacher,  and  insisted  he  could  preach  quite 
as  well  as  her  favorite.  He  struck  an  atti- 
tude, and,  in  splendid  sing-song,  nasal  style, 
told  a  story  of  his  dog  chasing  a  poor  little 
sickly  coon,  and  grabbing  the  dear  little 
thing  just  as  it  was  going  into  a  hollow  tree. 
As  the  story  finished,  the  good  dame  was 
shouting  with  all  her  might.  When  the  wasr 
laughed  at  her,  she  excused  herself  by  say- 
ing, "Oh,  it  was  that  heavenly  tone!"  The 
good  old  dame  was  right.  It  was  the  "heav 
enly  tone  "  that  often  did  the  good  work. 

The  severity  of  this  early  religion  had 
probably  this  effect:  A  portion  became  wild 
enthusiasts  of  the  church  militant,  while  the 
others  joined,  and,  after  a  short  trial  and 
sincere  endeavor,  recklessly  threw  down  all 
efforts  when  they  discovered  they  could  not 


live  up  to  the  religious  enthusiasts'  ideal. 
This  would  exasperate  the  good  shepherds, 
while  in  turn  they  redoubled  their  efforts, 
which  only  made  the  estraying  lambs  kick  up 
their  heels  the  higher  and  stray  farther  away 
where  fancied  pleasures  tempted.  There  was 
no  control  or  direction  possible  for  these  un- 
bridled theological  colts  until  the  church  or- 
ganization came  along  and  they  were  incor- 
porated into  the  management  and  control  of 
cooler  and  wiser  heads. 

The  Methodist  Chiu-ch  organization  was  in 
Ewington  in  1834,  and  for  a  short  time 
preaching  was  at  the  house  of  T.  J.  Gillen- 
waters,  by  the  Rev.  Chamberlain.  After- 
ward, services  were  held  for  some  time  at  the 
court  house  in  Ewington.  In  1838,  Rev. 
Hale  was  the  preacher  in  charge.  At  the 
same  time  in  the  early  day,  Bishop  Eames, 
the  celebrated  Bishop  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  was  for  a  short  time  stationed  at  Ew- 
ington. Ho  was  then  only  a  licensed  exhort- 
er.  The  church  sometimes  had  a  minister  in 
charge,  and  sometimes  this  was  divided  with 
some  other  locality,  and  the  preacher  would 
make  visits  to  the  county  at  stated  times. 
Among  others  that  preached  at  Ewington  are 
recalled  the  Rev.  William  Blundell,  of  Clark 
County. 

We  have  now  reached  the  end  of  the  half- 
century  story  of  the  people  of  Eflingham 
County — especially  of  the  pioneer  fathers 
and  mothei's.  To  the  wi'iter,  the  past  sixty 
days — the  time  allotted  to  this  work — will 
ever  be  among  the  best  recollections  of  his 
life.  In  this  labor  of  love,  there  is  no  mixt- 
ure of  pain,  conflict  or  contention,  until  the 
moment  comes  to  lay  down  the  pen — to  sever 
an  association  where  friendships  have  grown 
sacred — friendships  and  communings  with 
the  living  and  the  dead;  to  voyage  back  the 
little  more  than  fifty  years  that  mark  the  ex- 
istence of  our  county,  and  make  the  acquaint- 


133 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


ance  of  those  men  and  women  who  were  here 
— simple,  restless  pioneers — to  find  here  and 
there,  among  the  humblest  of  these  people,  a 
true  and  genuine  hero  and  heroine,  and  in- 
troduce them  to  the  world,  and  pass  them  on 
to  posterity,  is  as  proud  a  task,  to  even  the 
most  ambitious,  as  it  has  been  pleasant  to  us. 
Here  we  have  found  friendships  without  alloy 
— without  those  clashing  interests  that  so  de- 


face often  the  best  of  human  kind.  Such 
friendships  as  will  remain  forever  in  pui'ity 
and  pleasantness.  The  brief  retrospect  will 
ever  come  back  again,  like  a  genial,  pure, 
warm  ray  of  sunshine,  to  the  abodes  of  the 
cheerless,  laden  with  warmth,  joy  and  new 
life,  to  a  soul  fast  growing  lonely,  desolate 
and  sterile. 

"What  is  writ  is  writ;  would  it  were  worthier." 


CHAPTER  X.* 


THE  BENCH   AND    BAR— EARLY    COURTS    OF    EFFINGHAM    COUNTY— LAWYERS    FROM    ABROAD— 
.lUDGES  OF    THIS    JUDICIAL    DISTRICT— SKETCHES    OF    EWING.    FIELD    AND  DAVIS- 
NATURALIZATION    OF    GEN.    SHIELDS  —  GOVERNOR    FORD    AND    SIDNEY 
BREESE— OTHER  LEGAL  LUMINARIES,  PASl'  AND  PRESENT- 
THE  PRESENT   COUNTY    BAR,   ETC.,  ETC. 


"  There  is  a,  history  in  all  men's  lives." 
TN  giving  the  early  history  of  the  bench 
-*-  and  bar  of  Effingham  County,  the  liistor- 
ian  must  travel  outside  of  the  county  for  his 
data  and  material,  for  the  simple  reason  that 
there  were  no  resident  lawyers  in  the  county 
until  the  year  1849.  Litigants  were  sup- 
plied with  attorneys  from  neighboring  coun- 
ties, mainly  from  Fayette  Coitnty,  though 
some  came  from  Shelby,  Coles,  Clark,  Bond, 
St.  Clair  and  others.  Among  them  we  may 
mention  Levi  Davis,  A.  P.  Field,  Sawyer, 
Brown,  Foreman,  Kirkman,  Gallagher  and 
James  Shields,  from  Fayette;  Daniel  Greg- 
ory and  A.  Thornton,  from  Shelby;  U.  F. 
Linder  and  O.  B.  Ficklin,  from  Coles,  Will- 
iam H.  Underwood,  Samuel  McRoberts  and 
Mr.  Fisk,  from  St.  Clair.  From  1840  to 
1850,  Bromwell,  Davis  and  Gallagher,  from 
Fayette;  Starkweather,  from  Cumberland; 
and  Moore  and  Elam  Rush,  from  Bond. 

The  first  term  of  court  held  in  the  county 
was  begun  on  the  20th  day  of  May,  1833  and 

*By  B.  F.  Kagay. 


continued  parte  of  three  days,  at  Ewington, 
the  then  county  seat.  The  following  is  a  copy 
of  the  first  record  made  in  the  Circuit  Court 
of  this  county: 

At  a  Circuit  Court  begun  and  held  at  Ewington 
in  and  for  the  county  of  Effingham,  on  Monday, 
the  20th  day  of  May,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirt3'-three.  Present: 
the  Hon.  T.  W.  Smith,  Associate  Justice  of  the  Su- 
preme Court,  and  Presiding  Judge  of  said  court; 
John  C.  Sprigg,  Clerk,  and  Henrj'  P.  Bailey,  Sher- 
iff. A  list  of  the  Grand  Jurors  were  returned  into  court 
by  the  SherifE,  and  after  being  charged  by  the  court, 
retired  to  consider  of  presentments,  etc. 

The  following  cases  appear  on  the  record  at  this 
term  of  court,  to  wit: 

Andrew  Bratton,  J  Appellant, 
vs.  ^ 

Simeon  Perkins.    )  Appellee. 

John  IMaxfield,  )  Appellant, 

vs.  I 

John  W.  Robinson.  )  Appellee. 

William  McConuell,  )  Plaintiff, 
vs.  J- 

Jacob  Slover.  )  Defendant. 

John  Beasley,    )  Plaintiff, 
vs.  [ 

Robert  Moore.   )  Defendant. 

The  Grand  Jury  returned  the  following  indict- 
ments, indorsed  "true  bills,"  to  wit: 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


133 


The  People  of  the  State  of")  Indictment  for  Sell- 
Illinois,  [     ing  Spirituous  Li- 
vs.                       I      quors    without    a 
Theophilus  W.  Short.          J      License. 

The  People  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  )  Indictment 

vs.  >         for 

Martha  Henson.  )  Fornication. 

The  People  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  )  Indictment 
vs.  >■         for 

William  Cusip.  )   Adultery. 

The  following  appointment  for  Circuit  Clerk  ap- 
pears upon  the  record  of  the  Court; 

V-A.ND.\i,i.\,  February  15,  1833. 
Mr.  John  C.  Sprigg — I  hereby  appoint  you 
Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Effingham  County, 
with  full  power  and  authority  to  do  and  perform  all 
duties  appertaining  to  said  office,  and  receive  the 
fees  and  emoluments  thereof. 
Your  obedient  servant, 

William  Wilson. 
There  being  no  further  business  before  the  Court, 
ordered  that  it  adjourn  sine  die. 

Theo.  W.  Smith. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  Theophilus  W. 
Smith  was  the  Judge  who  held  the  first  term 
of  court  iuthe  county.  The  county  was  then 
sparsely  settled,  and  the  settlements  being 
mostly  in  the  timber,  in  the  bottoms  of  the 
river  and  on  the  verge  of  the  prairies.  The 
lawyers  who  attended  this  first  term  of  court 
were  three  in  number,  viz. ,  A.  P.  Field,  Levi 
Davis  and  William  L.  D.  Ewing,  all  resi- 
dents of  Vandalia,  and  all  holding  offices, 
either  for  the  State  or  for  the  county  in  which 
they  resided. 

It  will  doubtless  be  of  interest  to  our  read- 
ers to  know  something  of  Hon.  Theophilus 
W.  Smith,  the  first  Judge  of  this  county,  and 
therefore  we  will  give  the  following  incident 
in  his  life: 

At  the  session  of  the  Legislature  of  1832- 
33,  articles  of  )  impeachment  were  voted 
against  him  by  the  House  of  Representatives. 
There  were  seven  articles  of  specifications 
transmitted  to  the  Senate  for  trial  against 
him.  The  first  three  related  to  the  corrupt 
sales  of  Circuit  Clerkships.  He  had  author- 
ized his  son,  a  minor,  to  bargain  oS  the  ofTice 


in  Madison  County  by  hiring  one  George 
Kelly  at  $25  per  month,  reserving  the  fees 
and  emoluments  until  his  son  became  of  age, 
and  to  subject  the  said  office  to  his  will;  he 
had  made  appointments  three  several  times 
without  requiring  bonds  from  the  appointees. 
He  was  also  charged  with  being  a  co-plaintiff 
in  several  vexatious  suits  for  an  alleged  tres- 
pass, commenced  by  affidavit  in  a  court  where 
he  himself  presided,  holding  the  defendants 
illegally  to  excessive  bail  upon  trifling  pre- 
text, to  oppress  and  injiu'e  them,  and  contin- 
ued the  suits  from  term  to  term  to  harass  and 
persecute  them.  The  fifth  article  charged 
him  with  ai-bitrarily  suspending  John  S. 
Greathouse,  a  lawyer,  from  practice  for  ad- 
vising his  client  to  apply  for  a  change  of 
venue.  The  sixth  article  charged  him  with 
tyrannically  committing  to  jail  in  Montgom- 
ery County  a  Quaker,  who  entertained  con- 
scientious scruples  against  removing  his  hat 
in  open  court;  and  the  seventh  article 
charged  him  with  deciding  an  agreed  case 
between  the  Sheriff  and  Treasm-er  of  Madi- 
son County,  without  process  or  pleading,  to 
the  prejudice  of  the  county,  rendering  an  ap- 
peal to  the  Supreme  Cotu't  necessary. 

The  Senate  resolved  itself  into  a  High 
Court  of  Impeachment,  and  a  solemn  trial 
was  held,  which  lasted  from  January  9  to 
February  7,  1833.  The  prosecution  was 
conducted  by  a  committee  of  managers  from 
the  House,  consisting  of  Benjamin  Mills, 
Murray  McConnell,  John  T.  Stewart,  James 
Semple  and  John  Dougherty;  the  defendant 
was  represented  by  Sidney  Breese,  R.  M. 
Young  and  Thomas  Ford,  the  latter  subse- 
quently Governor  of  the  State. 

The  array  of  talent  on  both  sides,  the  ex- 
alted position  of  the  accused,  and  the  excite- 
ment and  interest  thereby  created  in  politi- 
cal circles,  gave  to  the  trial  unusual  public  at- 
traction throughout  the  State.     The  proceed- 


134 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


ings  were  conducted  by  marked  ability  and 
learning.  A  great  number  of  witnesses  were 
examined,  and  much  documentary  evidence 
introduced.  The  argument  of  counsel  was  of 
the  highest  order,  and  in  the  final  summing 
up  for  the  prosecution,  the  Chairman  of  the 
House  Committee,  Mr.  Mills,  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  orators  of  the  time,  spoke  for  three 
days  in  a  continued  strain  of  iinsurpassed 
eloquence. 

Pending  the  trial,  the  defendant  searched 
for  scraps  of  paper  containing  scribblings  of 
the  members  concerning  their  status  upon  the 
respective  charges.  Being  thus  advised,  his 
counsel  enjoyed  peculiar  advantages  in  the 
management  of  the  defense. 

The  constitution  required  that  no  person 
thus  tried  should  be  convicted  without  the 
concurrence  of  two  thirds  of  all  the  Senators 
present.  When  the  vote  was  finally  taken, 
upon  each  article  separately,  twenty-two  Sen- 
ators were  present,  and  four  absent  or  ex- 
cused. It  required  fifteen  to  convict.  Twelve 
voted  giiilty  on  some  of  the  chai'ges;  ten 
were  in  favor  of  acquittal;  and  as  fifteen  did 
not  vote  him  guilty  of  any  of  the  articles,  he 
was  acquitted.  He  retained  his  seat  upon 
the  Supreme  bench  of  the  State  until  his 
death,  which  oacurred'' about  ten  years  after- 
ward. 

William  Lee  D.  Ewing,  one  of  the  lawyers 
mentioned  as  having  attended  the  first  term 
of  our  court,  was  a  Representative  from  Fay- 
ette and  other  counties  from  lS30to  1832,  and 
introduced  the  Tbill  which  formed  this  county 
in  1831 ;  the  county,  however,  as  already  noted, 
was  not  fully  organized  until  1833.  In  1832, 
he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  which  po- 
sition he  retained  until  1834.  He  was  Pres- 
ident of  the  Senate,  and  for  fifteen  days  Gov- 
ernor of  the  State,  which  latter  occurred  tljus: 
At  the  August  election  of  1834,  Gov.  Rey- 
nolds was  elected  to  Congress,  more  than  a 


year  ahead  of  the  time  he  would  take  his  seat 
(as  was  then  the  law),  to  succeed  Mr.  Slade. 
But  shortly  after  the  election,  Mr.  Slade,  the 
incumbent,  died,  when  Gov.  Reynolds  was 
chosen  to  serve  out  his  unexpired  term.  Ac- 
cordingly, he  set  out  for  Washington  in  No- 
vember of  that  year,  to  take  his  seat  in  Con- 
gress, and  Mr.  Ewing,  by  virtue  of  his  ofiice 
as  President  of  the  Senate,  became  Govern- 
or. Upon  the  meeting  of  the  Legislature  in 
December,  he  sent  in  his  message  as  Acting 
Governor,  when  he  was  relieved  from  his  ex- 
alted duties  by  the  Governor-elect,  Joseph 
Duncan,  being  sworn  into  ofiice.  This  is  the 
only  time  such  a  contingency  has  arisen  in 
the  history  of  the  State.  Tsh:  Ewing  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  and  one  of  the  first  resi- 
dent lawyers  of  Fayette  County.  He  was  a 
man  of  liberal  education  and  fine  natural  en- 
dowments, fond  of  congenial  company,  and 
enjoyed  all  the  sports  of  the  time.  He  was  a 
Colonel  in  the  Black  Hawk  war;  served  as 
Prosecuting  Attorney,  and,  as  before  stated, 
represented  his  district  in  the  Legislature 
and  State  Senate.  He  was  for  a  time  Indian 
Agent,  and,  by  order  of  the  United  States 
Government,  removed  the  Sac  and  Fox  tribes 
west  of  the  Mississippi  River.  From  1843 
to  1846,  he  was  Auditor  of  Public  Accounts; 
represented  his  district  in  the  National  Con- 
gress, and  was  appointed  United  States  Sen- 
ator to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the 
death  of  Richard  M.  Young. 

As  a  public-spirited  citizen,  Gen.  Ewi  ng 
was  highly  respected  and  honored  among  the 
people  he  so  long  served.  He  was  a  Demo- 
crat in  politic.^;,  and  a  statesman  of  unswerv- 
ing integrity.  Many  of  the  old  citizens  of 
Effingham  County  remember  him,  and  in  his 
death  recognize  the  loss  of  an  upright,  honor- 
able man  and  patriotic  citizen. 

Col.  A.  P.  Field,  another  of  the  lawyers 
who  attended  the  first  term  of  our  court,  was 


\ 


jJSEsf^  are 


.'.^P 


ft^l* 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


137 


also  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  an  educated 
and  chivalrous  gentleman.  He  first  located 
at  Jonesboro,  111.,  in  an  early  day,  but  sub- 
sequently moved  to  Vandalia.  He  was  State 
Treasurer  from  1823  to  1827,  and  Secretary 
of  State  from  1829  to  1840.  As  a  politician, 
he  had  few  equals  and  no  superiors  of  that 
day.  He  was  eminent  as  a  criminal  lawyer, 
and  as  a  speaker  was  sparkling  in  wit  and 
eloquence.  He  removed  to  St.  Louis  and 
subsequently  to  New  Orleans,  and  soon  be- 
came prominently  identified  with  Southern 
politics,  rising  eventually  to  the  exalted  po- 
sition of  Attorney  General  of  Louisiana.  He 
died  in  the  year  1877,  in  the  city  of  New 
Orleans. 

Levi  Davis,  the  last  of  the  three  lawyers 
attending  the  first  term  of  court,  resided  at 
that  time  at  Vandalia,  but  now  lives  at  Alton. 
He  was  elected  Auditor  of  State,  and  served 
from  1836  to  1841,  and  was  prominently 
identified  with  the  politics,  not  only  of  his 
county,  but  of  the  State,  for  many  years. 

We  have  given  a  more  minute  history  of 
the  first  term  of  court  than  our  time  and 
space  will  permit  us  to  give  to  each  subse- 
quent term.  A  brief  space  will  be  devoted 
to  each  of  the  Presiding  Judges,  as  well  as 
to  the  resident  lawyers  and  more  prominent 
visiting  lawyers,  who  have  presided  over  and 
attended  our  courts. 

Theophilus  W.  Smith,  who  has  already  re- 
ceived some  notice  in  these  pages,  only  held 
two  terms  of  our  Circuit  Court,  viz.,  the  May 
term  of  1833,  and  the  May  term,  1834. 
Judge  Ford  held  the  third  term,  being  the 
May  term,  1835,  and  the  most  interesting 
term  yet  held  in  the  county. 

Thomas  Ford,  our  second  Judge,  was  born 
at  UniontowD,  Penn.,  in  the  year  1800.  His 
father,  Robert  Ford,  was  killed  by  Indians  in 
1802,  in  the  mountains  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
his  mother  was  left  in  indigent  circumstan- 


ces, with  a  large  family,  mostly  girls.  With 
a  view  to  better  her  condition  she,  in  1804, 
moved  to  Missouri,  where  it  had  been  the 
custom  of  the  Spanish  Government  to  give 
a  certain  amount  of  land  to  actual  settlers. 
But,  upon  her  arrival  in  St.  Louis,  she  found 
the  country  ceded  to  the  United  States,  and 
that  liberal  policy  no  longer  in  vogue.  She 
finally  removed  to  Illinois  and  settled  near 
Waterloo,  but,  the  following  year,  moved  a 
little  closer  to  the  Mississippi  Blufis.  Here 
the  boys  received  their  first  schooling,  for 
which  they  walked  three  miles.  The  mother 
was  a  woman  of  superior  mental  endowment, 
joined  to  energy  and  determination  of  char- 
acter. She  inculcated  in  her  children  those 
high-toned  moral  principles  which  distin- 
guished her  sons  in  public  life.  The  mind 
of  Thomas  gave  early  promise  of  superior 
attainments,  with  an  inclination  for  mathe- 
matics. His  proficiency  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  the  Hon.  D.  B.  Cook,  in  whom  young 
Ford  found  a  patron  and  friend. 

Through  the  advice  of  Mr.  Cook,  he  turned 
his  attention  to  the  law.  He  attended  Tran- 
sylvania University  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  one 
term,  and,  on  his  return,  alternated  his  law 
reading  with  teaching  school.  In  1829,  Gov. 
Reynolds  appointed  him  Prosecuting  Attor- 
ney; in  1831,  he  was  re-appointed  by  Gov. 
Reynolds,  and  afterward  was  four  times 
elected  Judge  by  the  Legislature,  without 
opposition.  He  was  twice  Judge  of  Chicago, 
and  Associate  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Com-t. 
While  acting  in  the  latter  capacity,  he  was 
assigned  to  the  Ninth  Judicial  District,  and, 
while  holding  court  in  Ogle  County,  was 
notified  of  his  nomination  for  Governor.  He 
immediately  resigned  his  office,  accepted  the 
nomination  and  entered  upon  the  canvass, 
and  in  August  was  elected  to  the  exalted  po- 
sition. 

The  ofiices  wtich  Gov.  Ford  held  were  un- 


138 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


solicited.  As  a  lawyer,  he  stood  deservedly 
liigh,  but  his  cast  of  intellect  fitted  him  rath- 
er for  a  writer  upon  law  than  a  practicing 
advocate  in  the  courts.  As  a  Judge,  his 
opinions  were  sound,  lucid,  and  an  able  ex- 
position of  the  law.  As  a  man,  he  was  plain 
in  his  demeanor;  he  lacked  the  determined 
boldness  and  decision  of  character  requisite  to 
fit  a  man  for  a  great  political  leader.  As  an 
author,  he  deserves  special  consideration,  in 
having  left  a  legacy  in  the  form  of  a  history 
of  his  State — Illinois.  He  died  November  2, 
1850,  at  Peoria,  having  scarcely  passed  the 
prime  of  life. 

At  the  May  term  of  our  Circuit  Court  in 
1834,  Samuel  McKoberts  was  present,  and 
took  part  in  the  proceedings.  He  was  attor- 
ney in  the  case  of  N.  Edwards,  Governor, 
versus  James  M.  Duncan,  et  al.,  on  change  of 
venue  from  Marion  County. 

Samuel  McRoberts  was  the  first  native 
Illinoisan  ever  elevated  to  the  position  of 
United  States  Senator  from  this  State.  He 
was  born  April  12, 1799,  in  what  is  now  Mon- 
roe County,  where  his  father  resided  on  a 
farm.  He  received  a  good  education  from  a 
private  tutor.  At  the  early  age  of  twenty,  he 
was  appointed  Circuit  Clerk  of  Monroe  Coiin- 
ty,  a  position  which  afforded  him  opportunity 
to  become  familiar  with  forms  of  law,  and 
which  he  eagerly  embraced,  pursuing  at  the 
same  time  a  most  assiduous  course  of  reading. 
Two  years  later,  he  entered  the  Law  Depart- 
ment of  Transylvania  University  (at  Lexing- 
ton, Ky.),  where,  after  three  full  courses  of 
lectures,  he  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Law.  He  commenced  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  in  competition  with 
such  men  as  Kane,  Reynolds,  Clark,  Baker, 
Eddy,  McLean  and  others.  In  1824,  at  the 
age  of  twenty- five,  he  was  elected  by  the 
Legislature  one  of  the  five  Circuit  Judges. 
As  a  Judge,  he  first  exhibited  strong  partisan 


bias.  He  had  been  a  violent  Convention  ad- 
vocate, and  now,  in  defiance  of  a  release  by 
the  Legislature,  he  assessed  a  fine  against 
Gov.  Coles,  for  settling  his  emancipated 
slaves  in  Madison  County  without  giving 
bond  that  they  should  not  become  a  public 
charge. 

In  1828,  Mr.  McRoberts  was  elected  a  State 
Senator;  in  1830,  he  was  appointed  United 
States  District  Attorney  for  the  State;  in 
1832,  Receiver  of  the  Public  Money  at  the 
Danville  Land  Office;  and  in  1839,  Solicitor 
for  the  General  Land  Office  at  Washington. 
On  the  16th  of  December,  1840,  he  was 
elected  United  States  Senator  for  the  full 
term,  commencing  March  4,  1841.  He  died 
March  22,  1843,  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  on  his 
route  home  from  Washington,  in  the  vigor  of 
intellectual  manhood,  and  at  the  age  of  forty- 
four  years. 

The  third  Judge  of  our  Circuit  Court  was 
the  Hon.  Sidney  Breese,  who  presided  from 
October,  1835,  to  October,  1842,  a  period  of 
seven  years,  and  the  longest  held  by  one  man 
(except  Charles  Emerson)  since  the  organiza- 
tion of  our  county.  Mr.  Breese  was  born 
about  the  close  of  the  last  century,  in  Oneida 
County,  N.  Y.  He  received  a  thorough  gen- 
eral and  classical  education  from  the  Union 
College,  from  which  he  graduated  with  hon- 
ors. He  had  been  the  school- fellow  of  Elias 
Kent  Kane,  who  was  his  senior.  After  the 
appointment  of  the  latter  as  Secretary  of 
State  in  1818,  he  became  associated  with 
him  as  a  student  of  law.  In  1820,  he  essayed 
the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Jackson 
County,  but  met  with  failure  in  the  jDresenta- 
tion  of  a  case  in  court  before  a  jury. 
Overwhelmed  with  mortification,  he  resolved, 
on  the  spur  of  the  moment,  to  entirely  aban- 
don the  practice  of  the  law,  and  the  following 
year  he  became  Postmaster  at  Kaskaskia.  In 
1822,  however,  he  was  appointed  to  the  Cir- 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


139 


cuit  Attorneyship  bv  Gov.  Bond,  a  position 
which  he  retained  under  Gov.  Coles,  and  un- 
til the  accession  of  Gov.  Edwards  in  1831. 
He  prepared  and  published  "  Breese's  Reports 
of  the  Supreme  Coiu't  Decisions,"  it  being 
the  first  book  ever  published  in  the  State. 
He  took  part  in  the  Black  Hawk  war,  serving 
as  a  Major  of  volunteers. 

Upon  the  establishment  of  the  Circuit 
Court  system  in  1835,  he  was  chosen  Judge, 
and  in  184:1  he  was  elected  one  of  the  Judges 
of  the  Supreme  Coiu-t.  In  1842,  he  was 
elected,  for  a  full  term,  from  March  4,  1843, 
to  the  United  States  Senate.  At  the  exjiira- 
tion  of  his  term,  in  1850,  he  was  elected  to 
the  Legislature  and  made  Speaker  of  the 
House.  In  1855,  he  was  re-elected  Circuit 
Judge,  and,  two  years  later,  was  again  ele- 
vated to  the  Supreme  Bench,  where  he  re- 
mained until  his  death. 

Judge  Breese  took  an  active  part  in  the 
Illinois  Central  Eaih-oad.  a  full  account  of 
which  will  be  found  in  the  chapter  on  rail- 
roads. 

The  following  names  appear  on  the  docket 
as  attorneys  attending  court  in  the  county: 
At  the  October  term,  1835,  Thomas  Brown, 
Sawyer  &  Kirkman;  at  the  April  term,  1836, 
Levi  Davis,  Kirkman,  Sawyer  and  D.  Greg- 
ory, at  the  April  term,  1837,  Field,  Ewing, 
Fisk  and  Davis  were  the  only  attorneys  in 
attendance,  and  the  same  attended  in  1838. 
At  the  October  term  in  1839,  A.  Thornton 
appeared  as  an  attorney  in  the  case  of  "  The 
People  versus  David  Ridgway,"  for  the  de- 
fendant, on  a  change  of  venue  from  Shelby- 
County.  The  following  entry  appears  on  the 
bar  docket  in  the  case:  "Defendant  found 
guilty  and  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary  one 
year,  and  one  day  to  solitai-y  confinement." 
Mr.  Thornton  has  been  a  regular  attendant  at 
our  courts  from  that  time  until  he  was  elected 
to  Congress  a  few  years  ago. 


At  the  October  term  of  court  in  1840,  the 
name  of  James  Shields  appears  on  the  docket 
as  an  atiorney  in  several  cases,  and  in  his 
own  case  in  particular.  At  this  term  he 
made  application  to  become  a  citizen  of  the 
United  States.  The  following  is  a  copy  of 
the  proceedings  in  the  case: 

At  a  Circuit  Coui-t  begun  and  htld  at  the  court 
house  in  Ewington,  in  and  for  the  county  of  EfBng- 
ham,  on  Monday,  the  19th  d.a}'  of  October,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
forty,  it  being  the  3d  Monday  of  said  montli.  Pres- 
ent, Sidney  Bree.se,  Judge;  Thomas  J.  Rcntfro, 
Sheriff;  and  William  H.  Blakely,  Clerk.  This  day 
personally  appeared  in  open  court,  James  Shields 
and  made  and  filed  the  following  declaration :  James 
Shields  being  duly  sworn  in  open  coui't,  declares  on 
oath  that  he  was  born  in  the  County  Tyrone,  in  the 
Kingdom  of  Ireland,  on  the  17th  day  of  May,  .^bout 
the  year  1810;  that  he  migrated  to  the  United  States 
of  America  while  a  minor,  and  continued  to  reside 
within  the  United  States  three  years  next  preceding 
his  arrival  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  and  has 
continued  to  reside  therein  to  the  present  time;  that 
he  is  now  upward  of  twenty-one  years,  and  has 
resided  upward  of  five  years  in  the  State  of  Illinois 
aforesaid,  one  of  the  United  States;  that  it  is  his  in- 
tention to  become  a  citizen  of  the  United  States, 
and  to  renoimce  forever  all  allegiance  and  fidelit}-  to 
any  foreign  prince,  potentate.  State  or  sovereignty, 
and  partictdarly  to  the  sovereign  of  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland.  He  further  declares  that  for  ihree 
years  preceding  the  present  application,  it  has  been 
his  bona  fide  intention  to  become  a  citizen  of  the 
United  States. 

(Signed.)  James  Shields. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  in  open  court,  this  21st 
day  of  October,  1840. 

(Attest.)  William  H.  Blakelet, 

Clerk  of  said  Court. 
This  day  personally  appeared  in  open  court, 
James  Shields,  a  free  white  person  of  tw-enty-one 
years,  and  being  dulj'  sworn,  declares  on  oath  in 
open  court,  that  he  will  support  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States,  and  doth  absolutely  and  entirely 
renounce  and  abjure  all  allegiance  and  fidelity  to 
every  foreign  prince,  potentate.  State  or  sovereignty 
whatever,  and  particularly  that  of  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland,  whereof  he  was  born  a  subject;  and 
the  court  being  satisfied  that  he  has  fully  complied 
with  the  rcciuirements  of  the  laws  of  the  United 


140 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


States  on  the  subject  of  naturalization,  and  that  he 
hasrpsided  within  the  United  States  upward  of  five 
years,  and  within  the  State  of  Illinois  upward  of 
one  year  next  preceding  this  application,  and  that 
during  the  whole  of  the  term  of  his  residence  in  the 
United  States  he  has  behaved  as  a  man  of  good 
moral  character,  attached  to  the  principles  of  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States  and  is  well  dis- 
posed to  the  good  order  and  happiness  of  the  same. 
It  is,  therefore,  ordered  and  adjudged  that  the 
said  James  Shields  be  admitted  a  citizen  of  the 
United  States,  and  he  is  hereby  admitted  as  such. 

James  Shields,  as  stated  in  his  declaration, 
was  born  in  Ireland  about  the  year  1810. 
He  emigrated  to  this  country  in  1827,  set- 
tling in  Illinois  three  years  later.  He  was 
sent  to  the  Legislature  from  Kandolph  Coun- 
ty some  seven  years  after  settling  in  the 
State,  and  before  he  had  become  a  natural- 
ized citizen.  He  was  appointed  Auditor  by 
Gov.  Carlin,  and,  in  1843,  elected  a  Su- 
preme Jtidge.  He  presided  over  the  Circuit 
Court  of  this  county  from  the  March  term, 
1844,  to  and  including  the  March  term,  1845, 
being  altogether  three  terms.  Under  Presi- 
dent Polk,  he  was  Commissioner  of  the  Gen- 
eral Land  Office  at  Washington.  He  en- 
tered the  Mexican  war,  and  was  commis- 
sioned a  Brigadier  General.  At  the  battle 
of  Cerro  Goido,  he  was  'severely  wounded, 
and  was  reported  dead,  but  recovered  in  time 
to  take  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  capture  of 
the  City  of  Mexico.  Such  was  his  gallantry 
and  soldierly  conduct  in  this  campaign  that 
the  State  of  South  Carolina  voted  him  a 
handsome  and  costly  sword.  In  1849,  upon 
his  return  home,  he  was  elected  to  the  United 
States  Senate,  but,  as  he  had  not  been  nine 
years  a  naturalized  citizen  (having  been  nat- 
uralized in  October,  1840),  which  was  re- 
quired by  the  constitution  to  render  him  eli- 
gible to  the  position,  his  seat  was  declared 
vacant.  At  a  called  session  of  the  Leerislat- 
ure,  convened  as  soon  as  Shields  became  eli- 
gible, he  was    again  elected    to  the  United 


States  Senate,  and  served  until  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term.  Subsequently,  he  took  up 
his  residence  in  Minnesota,  and  in  1857  was 
elected  from  that  State  as  United  States  Sen- 
ator, serving  two  years.  In  the  late  war,  be- 
tween the  States,  he  was  a  Major  General  in 
the  Union  armies,  and  did  good  service  for 
the  Government.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he 
removed  to  Missouri,  and  was  elected  by  the 
Legislature  of  that  State  to  the  United  States 
Senate  to  fill  an  unexpired  term  of  a  few 
months.  He  died  soon  after  the  expiration 
of  this  latter  term,  having  been  a  United 
States  Senator  from  three  diiferent  States. 

The  Court  Record  in  1841  shows  the  name 
of  F.  Foreman  as  an  attorney,  and  from  that 
time  until  1846  he  seems  to  have  attended 
our  courts  regularly,  and  had  a  good  practice. 
In  1843,  the  name  of  W.  H.  Underwood  ap- 
pears upon  the  record  as  an  attorney,  and  for 
a  number  of  terms  thereafter.  In  1846, 
Bissell  was  present  as  State's  Attorney;  also 
a  Mr.  Hite  and  Lee  were  present  as  attor- 
neys. Wilcox  likewise  appeared  as  attorney 
in  several  cases.  In  1848,  Mr.  Pearson's 
name  appears,  and  Philip  Fouke  as  State's 
Attorney.  At  this  term  also  appeared  A.  J. 
Gallagher  and  Elam  Rusk  as  attorneys. 

Among  the  attorneys  attending  our  courts 
from  1835  to  1842  were  several  who  after- 
ward became  Judges  of  the  court,  to  wit: 
Shields,  Semple  and  Underwood.  We  have 
already  given  a  brief  sketch  of  Shields,  and 
will  now  devote  a  brief  space  to  the  two  oth- 
ers mentioned. 

Hon.  James  Semple  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
but  emigrated  to  Illinois  in  an  early  day. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  was  much 
in  public  life.  In  1833,  he  was  elected  At- 
torney General  of  the  State.  He  was  in  the 
Logislatiu'e  for  six  years,  four  of  which  he 
was  Speaker  of  the  House,  and  in  the  mean- 
time the  internal   improvement  measure  was 


HISTORY  OF   EFFIN(JIIAM  COUNTY. 


141 


passed,  which  well-nigh  bankrupted  the  State. 
In  1837,  he  was  appointed  Charge  d' Affaires 
to  New  Granada;  in  1S42,  was  elected  one  of 
the  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court;  in  1843, 
he  was  appointed,  by  Gov.  Ford,  United 
States  Senator,  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of 
Samuel  McRoberts,  deceased.  The  appoint- 
ment was  confirmed  by  the  Legislature,  and 
he  served  until  1847.  Judge  Semple  wrote 
an  elaborate  history  of  Mexico,  which,  how- 
ever, has  never  been  published. 

Judge  William  H.  Underwood,  who  held 
onr  coiu-t  from  the  May  term,  1849,  to  the  Oc- 
tober term,  1850,  was  born  February  1,  1818, 
at  Schoharie  Court  House,  N.  Y.,  and  in  his 
boyhood  laid  the  foundation  to  his  future 
greatness  in  a  good  common-school  educa- 
tion, finishing  up  his  studies  in  the  Schohar- 
ie Academy  and  Hudson  River  Seminary, 
spending  three  years  in  the  two  institutions, 
and  graduating  with  a  good  practical  educa- 
tion, {le  read  law  in  bis  native  place,  and, 
upon  completing  his  studies,  he  at  once  re- 
moved to  Belleville,  111.,  where  he  resided 
until  hjs  death,  and  where  he  was  attended 
with  marked  success.  In  1841,  he  was  elect- 
ed State's  Attorney,  a  position  he  filled  so 
acceptably  that  he  was  re-elected  in  January, 
1843,  and  in  1844  he  was  elected  to  the  Low- 
er House  of  the  Legislature.  In  1848,  he 
was  elected  Circuit  Judge  for  six  and  a  half 
years,  which  position  he  held  to  the  end  of 
his  term,  and  in  185G  was  elected  to  the  State 
Senate  for  four  years.  In  1869,  he  was  elect- 
ed a  Delegate  from  St.  Clair  County  to  the 
Constitutional  Convention,  and  was  elected 
again  to  the  State  Senate  in  1870.  In  1873, 
he  completed  a  work  upon  which  he  had 
long  been  engaged,  viz.,  "  Underwood's  Con- 
strued Annotated  Statutes  of  Illinois."  The 
brief  intervals  between  his  ofiScial  duties  he 
devoted  to  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
His    name    appears    often    in    our    Supreme 


Court  records  as  counsel  in  important  cases. 
He  died  a  few  years  ago,  after  a  useful  and 
industrious  life. 

Gustavus  Koerner  was  Judge  of  this  dis- 
trict from  August,  1845,  to  June,  1848.     He 
was  born   in  Frankfort,  Germany,  November 
20,     1809.      His    father    was    a    well-known 
publisher    and   book-seller,    and     for   many 
years   was   a  member  of  the   Legislature  of 
Frankfort.      His  early  education  was  received 
at  college  in  his  native  town,  ind  his  studies 
com[.leted  at  Munich  and  Heidelberg,  where, 
in  1832.  he  graduated,  and  obtained  the  de- 
gree of  LL.  D.     In  the  same  year,  he  passed 
examination,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
Frankfort.     In   1833,    he    emigrated   to  the 
United   States,  and  proceeded  at  once  to  the 
West,  and  settled  in  Belleville,  111.     He  im- 
mediately commenced  the  study  of  American 
law,    and,    after    attending  one  term  of  the 
Law  School  at  Lexington,  Ky. ,  then  the  most 
noted  west  of  the  Alleghenies,  he  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  of  Illinois  in  1835.     He  at 
once  entered  upon  the  active  practice  of  his 
profession,  and  in  1845  was  elected  by  the 
Legislature   one  of  the  Judges  of   the  Su- 
preme Court.     In  1852,  he  was  elected  Lieu- 
tenant Governor  of  Illinois  on  the  Democrat- 
ic ticket.      On  account  of  the   slavery  quos 
tiou,    he,    in   1854,   became    what  was   then 
known  as  an  Anti-Nebraska  Democrat,  and  in 
1856  joined   the  Republican  party.      During 
the  war  of  the  rebellion,  he  recruited  and  or- 
ganized the  Forty-third  Illinois  Volunteers, 
but  was  prevented   from  taking  command  of 
it  by  President  Lincoln  appointing  him  to 
the   stafl"  of  Gen.  I'remont,  with  the  rank  of 
Colonel.     He  served  in  that  position  until 
Fremont's  retirement,  when  he  was  attached 
to    the  staff  of   Gen.    Halleck.     In   March, 
1862,  owing  to  continued  ill   health,  he  re- 
signed, and   in  the  following  June  was  ap- 
pointed  by  the  President  Minister  to  Spain, 


142 


HISTORY  OF  EFFIKGHAM  (OUXTY. 


•which  position  he  resigned  in  January,  1865. 
He  was  made  one  of  the  Electors  at  Large  in 
1868,  on  the  Grant  ticket,  and  in  1871  was 
appointed  on  the  newly  created  Railroad 
Commission,  over  which  he  presided  until 
his  resignation^  in  January,  1873.  He  was 
nominated,  in  June,  1872,  as  a  candidate  for 
Governor  by  the  Democratic  party,  and  also 
by  the  Liljeral  Republican  party,  but  failed 
of  an  election.  When  not  engaged  in  offi- 
cial duties,  he  has  practiced  his  profession  vig- 
orously. He  has  also  devoted  much  time  to 
literary  pursuits,  and  contributed  freely  to 
newspapers  and  periodicals.  He  is  the  au- 
thor of  a  volume  entitled  "  From  Spain," 
composed  of  letters  on  various  subjects,  and 
essays  on  art,  etc.  His  productions  testify 
to  his  excellence  as  a  writer,  scholar  and 
thinker. 

Justin  Harlan,  of  Clark,  was  the  eighth 
Judge  who  presided  over  the  courts  of  our 
coonty.  He  came  to  Illinois  in  18'25,  and  lo- 
cated in  Darwin  and  commenced  the  practice 
of  law.  He  was  at  once  recognized  as  one  of 
the  ablest  lawyers  in  not  only  his  own  county, 
but  his  reputation  soon  extended  thi'oughout 
the  State.  He  filled  the  office  of  Circuit 
Julge  for  over  twenty  years,  and  when  his 
old  friend,  Lincoln,  was  made  President,  he 
appointed  Judge  Harlan  Indian  Agent  to 
the  Cherokees  in  the  Indian  Territory,  which 
position  he  filled  faithfully  and  well  during 
the  remainder  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  life.  He  re- 
siofned  immediatelv  after  Mr.  Lincoln's  as- 
sassination,  and  retiu'ned  to  his  home  in 
Marshall  County,  and,  although  a  Republic- 
an, and  living  in  a  Democratic  county,  was 
elected  County  Judge  of  Clark  County,  which 
position  he  held  during  a  regular  term  of 
four  years.  He  died  in  Kuttawa,  Ky., 
March  12,  1879,  at  the  residence  of  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  W.  A.  Wright,  where  he  had 
been  called  by  that  daughter's  sickness.      He 


was  buried  in  Marshall,  his  home  in  Illinois, 
March  16,  1879.  Judge  Harlan's  was  a 
long,  blameless  and  useful  life,  and  no  man 
left  more  sincere  friends  to  mourn  1  is  death. 
Charles  Emerson  was  the  ninth  Judge,  and 
held  our  courts  from  the  April  term,  1853,  to 
the  April  term,  1862.  Charles  Constable 
was  the  tenth  Judge,  and  held  from  the  May 
term,  1863,  to  the  October  term,  1865.  Next 
came  H.  B.  Decius,  from  special  term  Jan- 
uary, 1866,  to  April  term,  1873.  James  C. 
Allen  followed  Decius  from  the  fall  term, 
1873,  to  March  term,  1878,- and  after  him 
James  H.  Halley  held  several  terms  of  our 
courts.  At  present,  William  C.  Jones, 
Thomas  Casey  and  Chauncy  S.  Conger  are 
the  Judges  in  this  district. 

Of  the  early  lawyers  attending  our  courts 
was  Ferris  Foreman,  who  located  at  Vanda- 
lia  in  the  sjjring  of  1836.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York 
in  1835.  He  was  elected  to  the  Illinois  State 
Senate  in  1845.  In  May,  1846,  he  recruited 
a  company  in  Fayette  County  for  the  Mexican 
war,  and,  upon  the  organization  of  the  troops, 
was  elected  Colonel  of  the  Third  Regiment  of 
Illinois  Volunteers.  He  participated  in  the 
siege  of  Vera  Crioz,  and  was  in  the  battle  of 
Cerro  Gordo,  and  at  the  end  of  one  year,  the 
term  of  enlistment,  he  returned  to  Vandalia. 
practicing  law  there  until  1S49,  when  he  re- 
moved to  California.  While  there,  he  held 
various  offices;  was  Postmaster  of  Sacramen- 
to under  the  administration  of  Franklin 
Pierce;  also  acted  as  Secretary  of  State  un- 
der John  B.  Wetter,  Governor  of  California. 
He  was  Colonel  of  the  Fourth  California  Vol- 
unteers for  a  period  of  twenty-two  months. 
In  1865,  he  returned  to  Vandalia,  and  was 
elected   State's  Attorney  of  Fayette   County. 

Daniel  Gregory,  also  an  early  practitioner 
at  our  bai',  was  a  native  of  New  York,  and 
was  born  Januarv  12,  1809.     He  came  to  Illi- 


HISTORY  OF  EFFIXGHAM  COUNTY. 


143 


nois  in  1833,  and  located  in  Shelbyville, 
where  he  continued  to  reside  until  1846, 
when  he  was  appointed  Receiver  of  the  Land 
Office  at  Vandalia,  and  removed  to  that  place. 
He  was  elected  County  Judge  of  Fayette 
County  in  1849;  in  1852,  was  again  appoint- 
ed Receiver  of  the  Land  Office,  and  in  ISSfi 
was  elected  to  the  Legislature.  He  was  an 
able  lawyer,  and.  by  strict  attention  to  busi- 
ness, he  accumulated  a  handsome  fortune, 
and  Mnally  was  forced  to  abandon  his  profes- 
sion and  devote  his  time  and  attention  to  the 
management  of  his  estate.  Many  of  our  old 
citizens  well  remember  Judge  Gregory  and 
his  genial  accomplishments.  He  died  a  few 
years  ago,  greatly  regretted. 

Orlando  P.  Ficklin,  another  early  attend- 
ant and  practitioner  at  the  Effingham  bar, 
was  boi-n  in  Kentucky  December  16,  1808. 
His  education  was  obtained  in  a  number  of 
academic  institutions  in  Kentucky  and  Mis- 
souri. In  1828,  he  commenced  the  study  of 
law  at  Potosi,  Mo.,  and  in  1830  was  admitted 
to  the  bar.  He  located  at  Mt.  Carmel,  111., 
and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
meeting  with  encom'agiug  success.  In  1834, 
he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature.  In  1834- 
35,  he  was  chosen  by  the  Legislature  as 
State's  Attorney  for  the  Wabash  District, 
which  place  he  filled  until  in  1837,  when  he 
removed  to  Charleston,  in  Coles  County,  and 
has  ever  since  resided  there.  In  1843,  he 
was  elected  to  Congress,  and  re-elected  in 
1844,  and  again  in  1846.  He  then  returned 
to  the  practice  of  his  profession,  but  was 
again  elected  to  Congress  in  1850.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Democratic  Convention  that 
nominated  James  Buchanan  for  President  in 
1856,  and  a  member  of  the  Democratic  Con- 
vention in  1860,  at  Charleston.  He  belongs 
to  the  old  school  of  Democrats,  and  is  an 
able  lawyer  and  statesman. 

We  come  now  to  the  resident   lawyers  of 


our  county.  The  first  lawyer  that  located 
here  was  Kendall  H.  Buford,  who  was  born 
in  Tennessee  about  the  year  1820,  where  he 
received  a  common-school  and  academic  edu- 
cation. He  had  a  smattering  of  Latin;  had 
taught  school  in  Tennessee;  had  also  read 
law  there,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He 
came  to  Illinois  in  1848,  and  taught  a  term 
or  two  of  school,  and  in  1849  located  in  Ew- 
ington  and  commenced  the  practice  of  his 
profession.  He  was  a  man  of  considerable 
pretensions  naturally,  somewhat  superficial 
in  his  knowledge  of  the  law,  and  made  many 
mistakes.  He  continued  in  the  practice  of 
his  profession  here  until  in  1853,  when  he 
moved  to  Missouri  and  took  up  the  practice  of 
medicine,  as  he  had  studied  the  healing  art 
before  leaving  Ewington.  He  could  make  a 
pretty  good  speech  if  ho  took  sufiicient  time 
to  prepare  it  and  commit  it  to  memory. 

Eli  Philbrook  was  the  second  lawyer  who 
located  in  our  county.  He  was  born  in  Lick- 
ing County,  Ohio,  where  he  received  a  good 
common- school  education.  At  the  age  of 
nineteen,  he  commenced  the  study  of  law, 
and  was  admitted  to  practice  by  the  SujDreme 
Court  of  Ohio.  He  came  to  Illinois  and  lo- 
cated in  Ewington  in  1850,  where  he  at  once 
entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  chosen  pro- 
fession. He  was  a  good  lawyer;  but  not  a 
fiuent  speaker.  He  built  up  a  large  practice, 
and  had  the  full  confidence  of  the  people. 
He  died  in  Ewington  in  1854,  at  the  early 
age  of  twenty-eight  years,  of  consumption. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  and  Odd 
Fellow  societies,  and  was  followed  to  his 
grave  by  a  large  procession  of  these  orders, 
as  well  as  a  large  number  of  friends. 

The  third  resident  lawyer  was  James  La- 
dow,  who  located  at  Freomanton  in  1851. 
He  continued  there  until  1854,  engaged  in 
teaching  and  practicing  law.  and  then  re- 
moved into  Cumberland  County,  where  all 


144 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


trace  of  him  is  lost.  H«  was  a  mere  petti- 
fogger, and  never  entered  fully  into  the  prac- 
tice of  law. 

John  Anderson  was  the  fourth  addition  to 
the  Effingham  bar.  Ho  settled  at  Ewington, 
but  never  did  much  in  the  practice  of  law, 
and,  about  the  year  185'2  or  1853,  emigrated 
to  Kansas.  He  became  County  Judge  there 
but  farther  than  that  we  know  nothing  of  his 
success. 

The  fifth  and  next  lawyer  locating  in  our 
county  was  H.  D.  Caldwell,  who  came  to 
Ewington  in  1852.  He  was  followed  soon 
after  by  William  J.  Stevenson,  and,  in  the 
spring  of  1853,  William  B.  Cooper  located  in 
Ewington.  Mr.  Caldwell  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia, and  came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents, 
who  located  in  Coles  County.  He  com- 
menced the  study  of  law  in  1 852,  and  attend- 
ed the  Law  University  at  Bloomington,  Ind., 
from  which  he  graduated,  and,  in  1854,  be- 
gan practice  at  Ewington.  He  is  at  present 
a  citizen  of  Effingham,  but  not  in  active  prac- 
tice. Mr.  Cooper  is  a  native  of  Massachu- 
setts, and  a  descendant  of  the  Pilgrim  Fa- 
thers. He  came  to  Illinois  and  taught  school 
and  road  law  until  1853,  when  he  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar.  He  went  to  Salem,  Iowa, 
and  from  thence  came  to  Ewington  and  com- 
menced the  practice  of  law  as  a  partner  of 
W.  J.  Stevenson,  who  shortly  after  removed 
to  Clay  County.  There  is  but  one  lawyer 
now  living  who  was  a  member  of  the  bar  at 
the  time  Mr.  Cooper  came  to  the  county. 

This  brings  the  history  of  the  legal  profes- 
sion down  to  the  present  members  of  the 
county  bar.  As  personal  sketches  of  them 
a|)pear  in  the  biographical  department  of 
this  work,  we  omit  an  extended  mention  of 
them  in  this  chapter,  merely  giving  a  kind 
of  directory  of  the  present  practitioners  in 
the  order  in  which  they  were  admitted  to  the 
bar.     They  are  as  follows: 


B.  F.  Kagay  read  law  with  Eli  Philbrook 
and  William  Campbell,  and  was  regularly 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  August,  1854. 

S.  F.  Gilmore  studied  law  at  Greencastle, 
Ind.,  and  graduated  from  the  Law  Depart- 
ment of  Asbury  University  in  1860. 

H.  B.  Kepley  commenced  reading  law  in 
1859,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  by  the  Su- 
preme Court  at  March  term,  1860. 

J.  N.  Gwin  studied  law,  and  graduated 
with  honors,  and  has  since  practiced  his  pro- 
fession in  Effingham. 

A.  W.  Le  Crone  studied  law  with  W.  B. 
Cooper,  of  Effingham,  and  was  admitted  to 
practice  in  the  year  1860. 

Benson  Wood  entered  the  Chicago  Law 
School  in  the  summer  of  1863,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1864. 

W.  H.  Barlow  entered  the  Law  Department 
of  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  March,  1868. 

Virgil  Wood  studied  law  with  his  brother, 
Benson  Wood,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  the  fall  of  1868. 

William  H.  Gillmore  read  law  with  Bond 
&  West,  of  Chicago,  and  graduated  from  the 
Law  College  there  in  the  spring  of  1868. 

Ada  H.  Kepley  read  law  with  her  husband, 
H.  B.  Kepley,  and  graduated  from  the  Chi- 
cago Law  School  in  1870. 

E.  N.  Rinehart  studied  law  with  Cooper 
&  Kagay,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  at  the 
bar  in  1871. 

John  C.  White  read  law  with  Judge  Re- 
ber,  of  St.  Louis,  and  then  with  Cooper  & 
Gwin,  and  was  admitted  in  1872. 

R.  C.  Harrah  read  law  with  J.  N.  Gwin, 
of  Effingham,  and  was  admitted  to  practice 
in  the  year  1874. 

Owen  Scott  read  law  with  S.  F.  Gilmore, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  by  the  Supreme 
Court  at  Springfield  in  1874. 

W.    S.   Holmes,  of  Altamont,  read  law  at 


HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


145 


Chatsworth,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at 
Ottawa,  111.,  in  1877. 

William  E.  Buckner  read  law  with  H.  B. 
Kepler,  and  after  with  Cooper  &  Gilmore, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1881. 

F.  M.  Loy  read  law  with  E.  N.  Kinehart, 
and  graduated  from  the  Northern  Indiana 


Normal  School,  at  Valparaiso,  in  June,  1881. 

W.  B.  Wright  studied  and  graduated  from 
the  Law  Department  of  the  Northern  Indiana 
Normal  School  in  June,  1882. 

P.  K.  Johnson,  of  Altamont,  read  law  anl 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  by  the  Supreme 
Court  at  Springfield  in  June,  1882. 


CHAPTER   XI.* 


DOUGLAS    TOWNSHIP  — ITS    BOUNDARIES    AND   TOPOGRAPHY— EARLY    SETTLEMENT— AMERICAN 
AND    GERMAN    PIONEERS— THE    BULL    FLATTERS— PROGRESS    AND    ADVANCEMENT- 
PIONEER  INCIDENTS- CHURCH   AND  SCHOOL   HISTORY— THE  RAILROAD 
AND  THE  BIRTH  OF    EFFINGHAM,  ETC.,  ETC. 


"  Wie  win!  das  BiM  der  alten  Tage 

Durch  eure  Triiume  gUinzend  wehn  ! 
Gleich  einer  stillen,  froniraen  Sage 
Wird  es  eiicU  vor  der  Seele  stehu. 

"  Der  Bootsmann  winktl  Zieht  hin  in  Frieder 

Gntt  schiUz'  euch,   Mann  und  Weib  and  Greis  1 
Sei  Freude  eurer  Bnist  beachieden, 
Und  euren  Feldern  Reis  und  Mais !" 

/CHARLES  DICKENS  once  said  that  the 
^-^  typical  American  would  hesitate  about 
entering  heaven  unless  assured  that  he  could 
go  West.  Ever  since,  and  even  before  the 
advice  to  young  men  to  "  go  West  "  was  pro- 
mulgated by  the  sagacious  editor  of  the  New 
York  Tribune,  the  phrase  "  going  West "  has 
been  a  potent  one  to  stir  the  blood  of  the  en- 
terprising and  adventurous.  The  mania  for 
going  West  i-esulted  in  the  discovery  of 
America  by  Columbus,  and  since  that  day  we 
have  been  told  by  spread-eagle  orators  that 
"  Westward  the  star  of  empire  takes  its  way." 
From  the  Atlantic  coast,  even  from  Plymouth 
Rock,  our  ancestors  moved  Westward  with 
the  star  of  empire.  They  crossed  the  Alle- 
ghanies,  and,  descending  their  western  slope, 
burst  into  the  rich  valley  of  the  Mississippi. 
But  they  paused  not  here.  They  poured  a 
living  flood  across  the  continent,   until  the 

*Bj  W  a.  Perrin. 


advance-guard — the  frontier  skirmish  line  of 

American  civilization  rests  upon  the   distant 

shores  of   the  Pacific.      In  vain  the  Indian 

tried  to  stem  the  torrent,  but  wa-i  awept  away 

i  like  chaff  before  the  wind.     The  settler's  ax 

!  echoed  through  the  forests  as  groups  of  three 

or  four  came,  locating  here  and  there,  and 

soon  an  endless  line  of  pioneers  moved  into 

j  these  valleys,  and  settled  on  the  margin  of 

,  these  prairies.     Emigrant  wagons  found  their 

way  here  with  household  goods.     Then  mills 

were  built;    the    merchant   brought   on   his 

goods;  schools  were  established  and  churches 

organized,  thus  proclaiming    the  wonderful 

energies  of  our  people. 

But  there  is  a  page  which  should  come  be- 
fore this  history,  and,  like  the  prologue  to  a 
drama,  be  recited  first — a  page  which  records 
the  Indian  occupation  of  the  land  and  his 
resistence  to  the  whites.  All  this,  however, 
may  be  found  in  preceding  chapters  of  this 
work,  and  hence  is  recited  first.  The  Indian 
— the  burly  warrior  and  the  dusky  maid — are 
long  since  gone,  but  their  footprints  are  left 
in  many  portions  of  the  county.  Ruins, 
burying-grounds  and  mounds  tell  the  story  of 
another  race — the   red   sons   of   the   forest. 


14G 


HISTORY  OF  EFFIXGHAM  COUNTY. 


But  we  will  leave  them  with  the  tribute  al- 
ready paid  them,  and  take  up  the  history  of 
this  division  of  the  county  until  its  settlement 
by  the  whites. 

Originally,  Douglas  embraced  all  of  Town- 
ship 8,  and  a  part  of  Township  9  north,  in 
Kange  6  east,  of  the  Third  Princiisal  Meridi- 
an. But  at  the  December  term  of  the  Super- 
visors' Court,  held  in  1863,  the  east  half  of 
Township  8  was  set  off  and  created  an  inde- 
pendent township,  which  is  known  and  desig- 
nated as  Teutopolis.  This  change  leaves 
Douglas  in  much  the  shape  of  a  carpenter's 
"  square, "  It  is  bounded  north  by  Shelby 
County,  east  by  Cumberland  County  and 
Teutopolis  Township,  south  by  Watson  Town- 
ship and  west  by  Summit  and  Banner  Town- 
shijjs.  It  is  drained  by  the  Little  Wabash 
and  its  tributaries,  of  which  Salt  and  Green  ' 
Creeks  are  the  principal  ones.  Salt  Creek 
flows  nearly  north  and  south,  just  touching 
its  eastern  line,  while  Green  Creek  passes 
through  the  northwest  corner,  and  the  Little 
Wabash  curves  into  the  west  line  a  time  or 
two  in  its  tortuous  course  southward.  The 
land  is  mostly  rolling,  and  adjacent  to  the 
Little  Wabash  breaks  into  steep  and  abrupt 
bluffs.  Indeed,  some  of  the  roughest  land  in 
the  county  is  along  the  margin  of  the  river 
in  this  township.  There  is  but  little  prairie, 
the  timber  land  largely  predominating. 
Oak,  ash,  sycamore,  hickory,  white  and  black 
walnut,  sugar  maj^le,  buckeye,  Cottonwood, 
etc.,  comprise  the  timbei;  growth,  with  nu- 
merous hazel  thickets  and  other  common 
shi'ubs.  The  township  is  well  suj)plied  with 
railroads — these  modern  allies  of  civilization. 

The  history  of  Douglas  Township  centers 
in  the  city  of  Effingham,  the  capital  of  the 
county,  which  is  located  in  the  south  end  of 
the  township.  Usually,  the  township  con- 
taining the  county  seat  affords  few  facts  of 
interest  to  the  historian  beyond  that  of  its 


settlement.  It  is  specially  so  in  Douglas, 
being  principally  an  agricultural  region, 
without  towns  or  villages  (except  Effingham), 
manufactories,  mills  or  anything  else  than 
its  honest  and  energetic  German  farmers, 
which  comprise  by  far  the  larger  portion 
of  the  population.  As  will  be  seen  in  the 
following  pages,  the  township  was  mostly 
settled  by  Germans,  who  still  retain  a  strong 
foothold  and  are  among  the  most  highly  re- 
spected citizens  of  the  county.  There  were 
a  few  of  our  own  people  here,  however,  prior 
to  the  coming  in  of  the  Germans,  and  the 
settlement  of  these  will  be  first  noticed. 

Of  the  early  settlers  we  have  the  names  of 
Isaac  Slover,  James  Cartwright,  James  Lea- 
vitt,  Jefferson  Langford,  John  Gannaway, 
James  and  Nathan  Ramsey,  Aaron  Williams, 
one  Stewart,  Richard  Cohea,  etc.,  etc.  Slo- 
ver and  Cartwright  lived  on  the  National 
road,  near  the  present  railroad  depot.  Cart- 
wright was  Slover" s  son-in-law,  and  both 
have  long  since  gone  the  way  of  the  earth. 
Gannaway  came  from  Kentucky  and  settled 
east  of  Slover  and  just  across  Salt  Creek. 
He  afterward  moved  to  Coles  County  and 
died  there.  Aaron  Williams  settled  west  of 
the  city,  where  Henry  Havener  now  lives. 
He  moved  West,  perhaps  to  Missouri,  and 
lived  to  the  age  of  nearly  one  hundred  years. 
Jeff'  Langford  lived  about  a  mile  west  of 
Williams,  and  was  from  Tennessee.  He  has 
been  dead  several  years.  Leavitt,  also  a 
Tennessean,  settled  a  little  south  of  Effing- 
ham. He  has  two  sons  still  living  in  the 
county,  but  he  himself  is  dead.  The  Ram- 
seys  and  Coheas  settled  in  the  northwestern 
part  of  the  township,  in  the  classic  neighbor- 
hood of  "  Bull  Flat."  The  old  ones— the  patri- 
archs of  the  tribes — are  dead,  but  they  have 
quite  a  number  of  descendants  still  living  in 
the  township  and  surrounding  country. 

From   the    "Faderland,"    on    the   fabled 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


147 


banks  of  the  Ehine,  we  may  mention  the  fol- 
lowing settlers,  who  came  here  as  early  as 
1S40,  and  some  of  them  several  years  earlier: 
Joseph,  Bernard,  Hem-y  and  George  Koester, 
Ferdinand  Braun,  Joseph  Feldhake,  Matthias 
Moenuiug,  Joseph  Buessing,  Gerhard  Osthoflf, 
Fr.  Hoffmann,  Bernard  Vogt,  John  Foch- 
trop,  Bernard  Deters,  Fred  Grimmeg,  Ar- 
nold Kreke,  Joseph  Suer,  Joseph  Bloemer, 
Ferdinand  Messmann,  Hermann  H.  Nieman, 
Henry  Best,  Joseph  Goldstein,  Henry  Gerdes, 
A.  B.  Jansen,  Rudolph  Dust,  Hem-y  Loh- 
mann,  H.  M.  Mette,  Ferdinand  Kaufmann, 
Gerhard  Nuxoll,  John  B.  Gruenloh,  William 
Kabbes,  Dick  Coers,  Bernard  Reiman,  Henry 
Schmer,  Joseph  Woermanu,  William  Aulen- 
brook,  Peter  Throele,  John  Rickelmann,  Fred 
Cohorrtt,  Henry  Unla-aut,  John  Meyer,  Casper 
Krueppe,  George  Scoles,  Henry  Herboth, 
Ferdinand  Wintrup  and  perhaps  others. 

George  Koester  settled  east  of  town;  the 
other  Koesters  north  and  northwest  of  town, 
and  all  are  living  except  Henry.  Feldhake 
is  a  respected  citizen  of  Effingham;  Braun 
settled  northwest  of  town,  and  is  still  living; 
Buessing  lives  near  Effingham.  Nieman  was 
the  father  of  Mi's.  Kaufmann,  who  is  still 
living  and  who  is  the  widow  of  Ferdinand 
Kaufmann.  Matthias  Moenning  died  1882; 
Osthoff  lives  in  the  southwest  part  of  the 
township,  and  Fr.  Hoffmann  in  the  west 
part:  Vogt  settled  near  him,  but  is  now  dead. 
Feehti-op  and  Deters  settled  in  the  southern 
part,  and  Best  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
township,  the  latter  living,  but  the  other  two 
are  dead.  Goldstein,  Gerdes,  Bloemer,  Jan- 
sen, Messmann,  Lohmanu,  Joseph  and  Ber- 
nard Suer,  Mette  and  Gruenloh,  settled  in 
th'?  northern  part  and  are  all,  we  believe,  still 
living.  Nuxoll  and  Aulenbrook  settled  in  the 
same  neighhorhood,  and  are  dead.  Most  of 
the  others  mentioned  settled  also  in  the  north 
part,  and  are  living  or  have  descendants  liv- 


ing still  in  the  township.  Of  these  German 
pioneers  of  Douglas  Township,  ^he  Koesters, 
Dust  and  Feldhake  were  the  first  settlers 
from  the  old  country.  They  were  soon  fol- 
lowed by  friends  and  relatives  to  the  "  land 
of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave,"  until 
at  the  present  day  there  are  but  few  farmers 
in  the  entire  township  except  the  thrifty 
Germans.  They  are  honest  and  upright  in 
their  dealings,  simple  in  their  manners  and 
customs,  and  industrious,  quiet  citizens. 
Their  American  neighbors  and  themselves 
have  always  gotten  along  together  upon  the 
best  of  terms — barring  the  "  Dutchtown  war, " 
graphically  described  elsewhere,  and  without 
any  special  clashing  of  personal  interests. 

At  the  time  of  settlement,  the  people  de- 
pended almost  entirely  for  meat  upon  the 
wild  game,  then  so  abundant  in  the  country. 
Deer  and  wild  turkeys  and  other  game  were 
plenty,  and  it  was  no  great  task  for  an  expert 
hunter  to  go  out  early  in  the  morning  and 
kill  a  deer  or  two  or  three  turkeys  and  return 
in  time  for  the  matutinal  meal.  An  old  set- 
tler says:  "  When  I  came  here,  game  was 
plenty,  and  white  men  were  scarce;  but  I  ^ 
have  lived  to  see  matters  reversed — white  men 
are  now  plenty,  and  the  game  all  gone." 
Then  all  the  clothing  was  manufactured  at 
home  by  the  women.  It  was  of  the  rudest 
material  and  of  the  rudest  construction. 
Boots  were  seldom  worn,  except  in  the  towns, 
and  to  see  a  man  with  boots  on  was  indisput- 
able evidence  that  he  was  a  preacher,  doctor, 
lawyer  or  some  other  "  big-bug, "  these  fa- 
vored individuals  comprising  by  far  the  big- 
gest ducks  in  the  social  puddle.  The  neces- 
saries of  life  were  scarce,  and  that  they  were 
is  no  matter  of  wonder.  When  we  consider 
that  St.  Louis  was  the  only  market  until 
small  stores  were  opened  in  the  larger  settle- 
ments, everything  had  to  be  hauled  in 
wagons  to  and  from  that  point,  and  with  the 


148 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


roads  of  the  early  period   this  was  a  rather 
formidable  and  laborious  undertaking. 

The  early  history  of  this  township  cannot 
bo  fully  given  without  a  brief  mention  of  a 
community  in  the  northwestern  part  of  it. 
The  name  "  Bull  Flat"  is  coincident  almost 
with  the  settlement  of  the  country.  How  the 
place  received  the  classic  name  it  bears  is  a 
conundrum,  and  we  give  it  up.  It  was  set- 
tled by  Tennesseans,  who  have  not  advanced 
a  single  degree  in  social  progress  since  they 
settled  here  fifty  years  ago.  The  customs  of 
their  fathers  they  hang  to  with  all  the  zeal 
that  a  -John  Chinaman  clings  to  his  diet  of 
rice  and  rats.  They  sing  the  old  songs, 
dream  the  old  dreams  and  dance  the  old 
dances  their  ancestors  did  before  them.  A 
waltz,  or  polka,  or  schottische,  is  as  incom- 
prehensible to  the  genuine  "Bull  Flatter"  as 
would  be  Arabic  or  Sanscrit,  but  "  Ole  Dan 
Tucker,"  "Chicken  Pie"  and  "Possum  up 
the  gum  stump,"  is  more  familiar  to  him 
than  household  words.  Their  mode  of  "  call 
ing  "  at  their  dances  is  peculiar  to  "Bull 
Flat "  alone,  and  is  sung  out  by  the  prompter 
to  the  "  cow-bell  "  tune  of  a  "  hard-shell  " 
preacher,  somewhat  after  this  fashion: 
"Bow  to  the  gals;"  "shake  yer  hoofs;" 
"  swing  yer  honey, "  "  all  chaw  hay,"  etc. , 
etc. ,  the  last  expression  when  tn-^nslated  into 
the  United  States  language,  means  "  all 
promenade. " 

In  years  agone,  the  "Bull  Flatters,"  like 
the  denizens  of  the  Wabash  hills  and  "  Fid- 
dler's Ridge,"  were  great  enemies  to  whisky, 
and  hence,  strove  to  hide  as  much  of  it  as 
they  possibly  could.  Such  was  their  reputa- 
tion for  this  species  of  gaiete  de  camr,  that  a 
popular  saloon  keeper  of  EfBngham  constant- 
ly kept  a  bottle  labeled  "Bull  Flat  Whisky," 
a  tablespoonful  of  which  was  warranted  to 
kill  any  human  being  except  the  native  Bull 
Flatter,  but  a  half  pint  of  it  only  made  him 


feel  jubilant  and  a  full  pint  of  it  put  him  in 
good  lighting  trim.  On  public  days  when 
these  fellows  turned  put  in  force  and  filled 
themselves  to  the  brim  with  Bull  Flat  whisky, 
what  grand  times  they  had!  Such  circuses 
could  be  gotten  up  by  no  other  class  of  peo- 
ple. 

This  Bull  Flat  settlement  is  a  tribe  or 
community  unto  itself,  and  is  a  kind  of  city 
organization,  governed  by  its  own  peculiar 
laws  and  ordinances.  Of  this  noteworthy 
menagerie.  Dr.  Godell  is  Mayor,  Billy  Buck- 
ner.  Lord  High  Constable,  and  Tobe  Hennes- 
sey, Assistant.  The  care  which  these  official 
dignitaries  exercise  over  this  frontier  post 
shows  a  genuine  interest  of  rulers  for  the 
mass  of  the  people  over  whom  they  are  called 
to  reign. 

Roads  and  mills  were  among  the  first  im- 
provements to  which  the  pioneers  turned  their 
attention.  The  old  Cumberland  or  National 
road  was  the  first  thoroughfare  that  was  made 
through  the  township.  It  passed  along  with- 
in a  few  feet  of  where  the  Vandalia  Railroad 
now  runs,  and  was,  for  that  day,  a  gigantic 
enterprise.  But  we  will  not  repeat  here  what 
has  already  been  said  of  this  great  work. 
Other  roads  were  laid  out  and  improved  as  the 
country  settled  up.  The  first  mills  w^re  the 
little  horse-power  mills,  built  by  the  pioneers 
themselves,  and  were  rude  in  the  extreme. 
The  buhrs  were  made  of  bowlders,  and  some- 
times not  more  than  fifteen  to  eighteen  inches 
in  diameter.  It  was  not  until  the  day  of 
steam  that  the  poople  had  the  benefit  of  first- 
class  mills. 

Previous  to  township  organization  the 
divisions  of  the  county  were  known  as  pre- 
cincts and  the  Congressional  townships  were 
designated  by  numbers  and  ranges.  But 
when  township  organization  was  adopted,  and 
a  new  system  of  county  government  entered 
into,  it  became   necessary  to  give  names   to 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


149 


the  Congressional  divisions.  This  change  or 
local  organization  took  place  when  Stephen 
A.  Douglas  was  in  the  zenith  of  his  glory 
and  popularity  and  the  idol  of  the  people, 
and  it  seemed  but  meet  to  the  good  "  county 
fathers"  that  the  "  Little  Giant  "  should  be 
honored  by  having  his  name  bestowed  on  this 
township.  Hence,  in  the  christening  of 
townships,  this  one  was  called  Douglas,  a 
name  with  which  the  musses  are  well  satisfied. 

No  better  eulogium  can  be  pronounced 
upon  a  community,  or  upon  its  individual 
members,  than  to  point  to  the  work  they 
have  accomplished.  Theories  look  fine  on 
paper,  or  sound  well  when  proclaimed  from 
the  platform,  but  it  is  the  plain  work  which 
tells  on  society.  Thus,  not  only  this  town- 
ship, but  the  entire  county  took  an  early  in- 
terest in  education.  All  the  main  settlements 
established  schools  as  soon  as  they  could  sup- 
port them.  As  the  population  increased,  and 
in  the  natiu-al  coarse  of  human  events,  the 
children  also,  schoolhouses  were  built,  better 
teachers  engaged  and  other  improvements 
made  in  the  facilities  for  education.  Every 
neighborhood  now  has  a  good  comfortable 
schoolhouse,  and  is  supplied  with  from  six  to 
eight  months  of  school  each  year. 

Religious  training  was  not  neglected  in 
the  early  days  of  the  township.  The  few 
American  settlers  attended  church  in  the 
other  neighborhoods,  while  most  of  the  Ger- 
mans, being  Catholics,  were  first  visited  by 
clergymen  from  Teutopolis.  The  second 
Catholic  Church  organized  in  the  county  was 
"Maria  Help,"  or  the  Green  Creek  Church, 
as  more  familiarly  known.  It  is  situated  on 
Green  Creek  in  the  north  part  of  the  township, 
and  was  organized  in  the  fall  of  1857  by  Rev. 
Father  Frauenhof  er,  a  native  of  the  Kingdom 
of  Bavaria,  and  a  regularly  ordained  priest.  A 
little  log  church  had  been  built  previously  by 
the  settlers  in  this  section,  and  various  cler- 


gymen came  from  Teutopolis  to  attend  funer- 
als and  otherwise  administer  to  the  spirit- 
ual wants  of  the  people,  but  there  was  no 
regular  pastor  until  Father  Frauenhofer 
came  in  that  capacity.  He  was  desirous  of 
being  the  first  to  plant  a  congregation  here, 
and  overlooked  the  poverty  of  the  parishion- 
ers. He  remained  two  years,  and  then  the 
Franciscan  Fathers  took  charge  of  the  con- 
gregation. Under  their  auspices,  the  pres- 
ent handsome  church  was  built  and  finished, 
at  a  cost  of  about  $4,500,  without  steeple, 
which  cost,  with  plastering  and  frescoing, 
$900  more.  It  is  a  brick  structure,  67x40 
feet  in  dimensions,  with  twenty  feet  addition- 
al in  length  for  the  sacristy.  The  original 
members  of  this  congregation  were  H.  H. 
Niemann,  Jacob  Dottmann,  Bernard  Tebbe, 
Henry  Fischer  and  their  families,  and  three 
bachelors,  John  Osterhause,  Antony  Doren- 
kamp  and  one  other  whose  name  is  forgotten. 

The  church  has  now  a  membership  of 
about  fifty  families,  with  over  two  hundred 
communicants.  The  present  Trustees  are 
Henry  Osterhause  and  Francis  Hoene,  and 
Clemens  Albers  and  Bernard  Tebbe,  Direct- 
ors. The  schoolhouse  belonging  to  the  con- 
gregation was  built  in  1870-71,  and  is  a  two- 
story  brick,  containing  four  rooms.  A  free 
school  is  maintained  and  well  attended. 

The  building  of  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road was  an  era  in  the  history  of  this  part  of 
the  StaDe,  and  Douglas  Township  came  in  for 
its  share  of  the  general  prosperity,  which 
followed  the  completion  of  this  great  internal 
improvement.  It  gave  the  people  facilities 
hitherto  unknown  to  them  and  fm-nished 
markets  for  their  surplus  stock  and  grain, 
such  as  they  had  never  dreamed  of.  Their 
lands  sprang  up  in  value,  their  mode  of  cul- 
tivating the  soil  was  wonderfully  improved 
and  their  income  thereby  increased  tenfold. 
This  gale  of  prosperity  which  swept  over  the 


150 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


couutry,  and  this  revolution  in  the  agricult- 
ural, mechanical  and  mercantile  world,  led 
to  the  birth  of  numerous  cities,  towns  and 
villages — particularly  along  this  great  high- 
way. To  the  building  of  the  Central  Rail- 
road— an  enterprise  described  elsewhere — we 
may  attribute  the  origin  of  the  beaixtiful  and 
now  floiu'ishing  city  situated  in  the  southern 
part  of  this  township,  and  which  might  never 


have  come  into  existence  but  for  this  grand 
culmination  of  railroad  enterprise.  With 
this  allusion  to  events,  which  "  cast  their 
shadows  before,"  we  will  close  our  sketch  of 
Douglas  Township,  and  in  another  chapter 
take  up  the  history  of  Effingham,  devoting  a 
brief  space  to  its  birth,  growth  and  material 
development. 


CHAPTER   Xn.^ 


CITY  OF  EFFINGHAM— THE    OLD    TOWN    OF  BROUGHTON— LAYING    OUT   OF   THE  NEW   CITY— ITS 
BOUNDARIES  AND  ADDITIONS— FIRST  HOUSES,  STORES  AND  POST  OFFICE.S— HOTELS,  MAN- 
UFACTORIES,   ETC.— THE    FIRE    DEPARTMENT-CITY    ORGANIZATION  AND    OFFICIALS 
—RAILROADS  AND  THE  PRESS— LITERARY    SOCIETIES,  ETC.,  ETC. 

tion  21,  of  Township  8  north,  Range  6  east, 
at  a  stone;  thence  north  7  degrees  west  132 
feet   to  the  southwest  corner  of   said   plat; 


What  is  the  city  but  the  people  ? 

True,  the  people  are  the  city." — Shakespeare. 

the 


of 


THE  city  of  Effingham,  the  capital 
Effingham  County,  and  the  metropolis 
of  a  fine  and  flourishing  region  of  country,  is 
beautifully  situated  on  high  rolling  land  at 
the  crossing  of  the  Chicago  Branch  of  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad  and  the  Vandalia 
line,  and  at  the  termini  of  the  Wabash  and 
the  Effingham  &  Southeastern  Narrow  Gauge 
roads.  The  original  town  was  called 
"Broughton,"  and  was  named  for  Mr. 
Brough,  an  "  Ohio  man,"  afterward  Governor 
of  that  commonwealth  of  statesmen,  and  who 
figiu-ed  in  the  first  edition  of  the  Vandalia 
Railroad — a  matter  still  familiar  to  many  of 
our  readers. 

Broughton  was  surveyed  and  laid  out  by 
George  Wright,  County  Surveyor,  and  the 
plat  recorded  May  16,  1853,  for  David  B. 
Alexander  and  Samuel  W.  Little,  proprietors. 
The  following  was  the  original  survey:  "Be- 
ginning at  the  southwest  corner  of  the  south- 
west quarter  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  Sec- 

*By  W.  H.  Perrin, 


thence  north  7  degrees  west  1.037  J  feot  to  a 
stone;  thence  east  at  one-eight  angle  1,105J 
feet  to  a  stone;  thence  soubh  7  degrees  east 
l,037i  feet  to  a  stone;  thence  west  1,105  J  feet 
to  the  southwest  corner  of  said  plat."  The 
streets  were  sixty-six  feet  in  width,  except 
around  the  square,  which  was  laid  oif  ninety- 
nine  feet,  and  Railroad  and  Section  streets 
were  fifty  feet.  The  alleys  were  all  sixteen 
and  one-half  feet  in  width. 

The  Times,  speaking  recently  of  the  early 
history  of  Broughton,  has  the  following :  "  In 
connection  with  Mr.  D.  B.  Alexander,  Mr. 
Little  came  to  this  place  in  1853  and  sup- 
posing tUis  would  be  the  crossing  of  the  Illi- 
nois Central  and  the  old  Brough  road,  pur- 
chased 260  acres  of  land,  180,  at  $10  pet- 
acre,  and  80  at  $25,  and  laid  the  foundation 
of  our  present  city  by  laying  out  Broughton. 
The  Central  was  only  in  course  of  construc- 
tion, and  had  not  yet  reached  this  far  sou.th, 
and  when  the  Brough  road  collapsed,  Messrs. 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


151 


Alexander  and  Little  acknowledged  the  fail- 
ure of  their  investment  by  abandoning 
Broughton  and  going  to  Kentncky.  Before 
they  left,  however,  they  had  contracted  with 
George  Wright  for  three  buildings,  for  $1,- 
300,  two  residences  and  one  storeroom,  and 
as  a  consequence  of  this  contract  the  th'st 
three  buildings  in  our  city  were  erected.  One 
occupied  the  lots  now  occupied  by  Funk- 
hoaser's  magnificent  brick,  the  storeroom  on 
the  northwest  corner  of  the  public  square 
which  afterward  perished  in  the  conflagration 
that  swept  the  block  away,  the  remaining 
residence  being  the  house  now  occupied  by 
Mr.  Russell.  The  Central  was  completed  to 
this  place  in  1855-56,  and,  seeing  that  the 
point  was  a  good  one,  in  1856,  Mi-.  Little,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Alexander,  returned  to 
Broughton  and  took  up  his  residence.  With 
the  exception  of  a  short  residence  in  Virgin- 
ia, in  1867-68,  Mr.  Little  resided  here  con- 
tinuously until  1871,  when  he  removed  to  Lin- 
coln, Neb.,  and  during  that  long  residence  no 
one  was  more  identified  than  he  with  the 
growth  and  prosperity  of  our  city.  And  as  a 
I'ecompense  for  this  public  spirit  he  has,  in 
addition  to  the  consciousness  of  having  per- 
formed a  jjublic  duty,  a  handsome  fortune  to 
sustain  him  in  his  declining  years." 

An  addition  was  made  to  the  town  of 
Broughton  by  Alexander  &  Little  July  1, 
1858,  of  a  part  of  the  northwest  quarter  of 
the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  21,  and 
platted  by  R.  A.  Howard,  County  Surveyor. 
After  this  the  identity  of  Broughton  seems 
to  be  lost,  as  we  find  no  further  reference 
to  it  in  the  records.  Effingham  having  been 
laid  out  some  years  prior  to  this  addition  to 
Broughton,  the  latter  was  finally  merged 
into  Effingham,  and  the  name  of  Broughton 
dropped. 

The  original  plat  of  Effingham  was  made 
by  James  M.  Healey,  l)eputy  County  Survey- 


or, for  Andrew  J.  Galloway,  proprietor,  Sep- 
tember 12, 1855,  and  comprised  the  northeast 
qiiarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section 
20,  of  Douglas  Township.  Of  the  com- 
mencement of  Effingham,  or  Broughton,  Mr. 
Hoeny  fiu'nishes  us  the  following,  in  addition 
to  the  extract  already  made  f r  )m  the  Times: 
In  the  spring  of  1854,  the  first  three  hoiises 
in  the  town  of  Broughton  were  built  by  Alex- 
ander &  Little,  being  two  residences  and  one 
store.  In  the  summer  of  the  same  year, 
George  Scoles  built  the  first  residence  that 
was  put  up  by  an  actual  settler.  Shortly 
after  this,  Mr.  Hoeny  built  a  small  dwelling 
for  himself,  on  the  lot  now  occupied  by  his 
present  brick  residence,  which  was  the  second 
house  built  in  the  place  by  an  actual  settler. 
Following  the  building  of  Hoeny' e  house, 
several  rude  frame  structures  were  built  in 
rapid  succession,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
square,  and  one  rather  respectable  and  sub- 
stantial two-story  frame  building  was  put  up 
by  George  Schmidt,  on  the  lot  now  occupied 
by  Mr.  Reget's  store.  All  of  these  last- 
named  buildings,  in  the  summer  of  1863, 
were  biu'ued  to  the  ground.  This  was  the 
starting  point — the  beginning  from  which 
the  city  of  Effingham  has  grown  to  its  pres- 
ent proportions. 

Since  the  laying-out  of  Effingham,  a  num- 
ber of  additions  have  been  made  to  the  origi- 
nal town,  thus  extending  its  corporate  limits 
and  giving  it  a  foundation  upon  which  10,- 
000  people  may  stand,  and  havo^  plenty  of 
room  without "  scrouging"  each  other.  Some 
of  the  additions  made  to  the  town  are  as  fol- 
lows: "Central  Effingham"  Addition,  made 
July  22.  1858,  by  Alexander  &  Little,  of  the 
southeast  quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter  of 
Section  20  of  this  township;  the  "  Western 
Addition"  to  Effingham,  by  Alesander  & 
Little,  made  June  6,  1859,  of  a  part  of  the 
south  half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  the 


152 


HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


southeast  quarter  of  Section  20,  by  C.  F. 
Jones  and  James  W.  Berry,  of  the  north  half 
of  the  northwest  quarter  of  the  northeast 
quarter  of  Section  29,  and  by  George  H. 
Scoles,  proprietor  of  the  east  part  of  the 
southeast  quarter  of  the  southwest  quarter 
of  Section  20,  of  this  township;  the  "  Rail- 
road Addition"  to  Effingham,  by  J.  P.  M. 
Howard  and  William  B.  Cooper,  August 
29,  1859,  surveyed  by  C.  A.  Van  Allen, 
Deputy  County  Surveyor;  "  Gillenwater's 
Addition,"  made  by  Alexander  &  Little,  Oc- 
tober 24,  1859,  of  a  part  of  the  northwest 
quarter  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  Section 
28;  Addition  A  to  "Western  Addition,  by  C. 

F.  Jones  and  J.  W.  Berry,  of  a  part  of  the 
west  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section 
29,  made  May  19,  1866;  McCoy  &  Arnold's 
Addition  of  four  and  three-fourths  acres,  in 
the  southwest  corner  of  the  southeast  quar- 
ter of  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  20, 
platted  March  17,  1868;  Alexander  &  Little's 
"New  Addition"  to  Effingham,  adjoining 
Central  Effingham,  and  platted  by  Van  Allen 
May  21,  1868;  Addition  B  to  Western  Addi- 
tion, made  April  7,  1870,  comprising  a  part 
of  the  southeast  of  the  northwest  quarter  of 
Section  29;  Addition  C  to  Western  Addition- 
of  a  part  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  the 
northwest  quarter  of  Section  29,  by  Joseph 
Buessing,  proprietor,  April  14,  1870;  Addi- 
tion C  to  the  city  of  Effingham,  by  C.  F. 
Jones  and  J.  W.  Berry,  proprietors  of  a  part 
of  the  west  half  of  the  west  part  of  the 
southeast  quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of 
Section  29,  and  surveyed  by  Calvin  Mitchell 
June  10,  1870;  M.  V.  Parks'  Addition  to 
Effingham,  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  the 
northwest  quarter  of  Section  20  and  a  part 
of  the  northeast  quarter  of  the  northeast 
quarter  of  Section  20,  platted  November  9, 
1871;  Summit  Addition  to  Effingham,  Henry 

G.  Habing,  proprietor,  of  the  north  half  of 


the  southwest  quarter  of  the  northeast  quar- 
ter of  Section  20,  platted  April  11,  1875; 
Farr's  Central  Addition  to  the  city  of  Effing- 
ham, of  the  northeast  quarter  of  the  south- 
east quarter  of  Section  21,  and  platted  Au- 
gust 9,  1875.  On  the  10th  of  June,  1879, 
Blocks  9,  10,  11,  12,  13,  14,  15,  16,  of  this 
addition,  were  formerly  vacated,  by  Benson 
Wood,  the  owner  of  the  same.  If  our  read- 
ers desire  further  information  on  the  subject 
of  the  origin,  laying  out  and  additions  of 
their  town,  they  are  respectively  referred  to 
the  records.  We  have  given  sufficient  to  sat- 
isfy us,  and  for  our  purpose,  and  will  now 
switch  off  on  other  matters. 

The  first  buildings  in  Effingham  have  al- 
ready been  noted — their  location  and  by 
whom  erected.  In  the  fall  of  1854,  William 
Dorsey,  from  Princeton,  Ind.,  opened  the 
first  store.  It  comprised  a  general  assort- 
ment of  dry  goods  an.l  groceries,  and  was 
kept  in  the  storehouse  built  by  Alexander  & 
Little,  situated  on  the  northwest  corner  of 
the  square,  where  Hodebeke's  brick  resi- 
dence now  stands.  Prior  to  the  opening  of 
the  store  by  Dorsey,  John  Hoeny,  then  a 
teacher  at  Teutopolis,  moved  to  Broughton, 
and  was  employed  as  a  salesman  and  clerk  in 
the  establishment,  and  until  he  built  a  resi- 
dence of  his  own,  he  occupied  one  of  the 
residences-  built  by  Alexander  &  Little,  stand- 
ing on  the  site  of  Funkhouser's  "  Trade  Pal- 
ace." As  the  town  grew  rapidly,  other  stores 
were  established  to  satisfy  the  increasing 
wants  of  the  people,  and  shops  of  different 
kinds  were  opened. 

The  post  office,  before  the  appointment  of 
a  regular  Postmaster,  was  a  kind  of  an  "  ac- 
commodation "  concern,  called  Wehunka.  It 
was  on  the  petition  of  the  first  settlers — 
Scoles,  Dorsey  and  Hoeny — that  the  Indian 
name  Wehunka  was  chanofed  to  Effingham. 
A  petition,  signed  by  twelve  names,  was  for- 


'* 


%. 


J^tr^4^cy^^ 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


155 


warded  to  Washington,  recommending  John 
Hoeny  for  Postmaster,  upon  which  he  was 
duly  commissioned  the  first  Postmaster  of 
Effingham.  Mr.  Hoeny's  official  duties  were 
not  extremely  heavy,  and  had  postal  cards 
been  fashionable  then,  he  could  have  found 
plenty  of  time  for  reading  all  passing  through 
his  office.  The  mail  was  semi-weekly,  and 
Mr.  Hoeny  says  he  usually  sent  and  received 
some  half  dozen  letters  each  mail.  Friend 
Scott,  the  present  obliging  Postmaster  of 
Effingham,  and  his  gentlemanly  First  As- 
sistant, can  discount  that  a  thousand  (more 
or  less)  to  one.  Our  poet-laureate  does  it  up 
in  verse,  thus: 

"  The  post  office,  too,  is  wonderful  now, 

With  its  lock-boxes  and  that; 

Why,  I  can  remember  how  Hoeny 

Carried  the  thing  in  his  hat." 

Mr.  Hoeny  continued  as  Postmaster  until 
he  removed  to  Waterloo,  in  Monroe  County, 
when  he  turned  over  the  office  and  its  "  emol- 
uments "  to  George  Scoles,  his  successor. 
The  office  has  grown  and  increased  wonder- 
fully in  these  years,  and  from  the  one  semi- 
weekly  mail  of  twenty-five  years  ago,  there 
are  now  some  eight  or  ten  mails  received 
daily,  and  the  number  ef  letters,  papers  and 
periodicals  passing  through  it  would  astonish 
some  of  our  pioneer  fathers.  No  better  proof 
is  required  than  this  of  our  growth  and  de- 
velopment and  our  advancement  in  civiliza- 
tion and  refinement. 

There  are  few  cities  of  the  size  of  Effing- 
ham on  the  face  of  the  globe  probably  as  well 
siipplied  as  she  with  hotels.  A  stranger 
would  almost  conclude  that  the  entire  popu- 
lation— men,  women  and  children — take  their 
meals  at  the  different  hotels  and  eating- 
houses.  It  is  claimed  by  many,  though  by 
way  of  burlesque,  perhaps,  that  Effingham 
has  more  fir.st-class  hotels  than  Chicago.  Be 
this  as  it  may.  there  are  a  great  many — 
"  more    than    any    man    can    number "  —and 


vary,  doubtless,  in  quality  as  much  as  in  out- 
side appearances.  The  first  tavern  or  public 
house — or,  more  properly  speaking,  boarding- 
house — was  kept  by  John  Hoeny.  Scoles 
also  kept  a  similar  establishment  in  a  house 
which  stood  where  Ledrick  now  lives.  John 
Woods  and  Holdzcolm  also  kept  boarding- 
houses. 

The  fu-st  regular  hotel  was  the  Central 
House,  which  stood  west  of  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral Railroad,  and  was  kept  by  Dr.  Bishop, 
about  1855-56.  He  ran  it  about  three 
months  and  then  sold  it  to  John  Woods. 
Samuel  Fleming  afterward  took  possession, 
and  kept  it  for  a  number  of  year.s.  His  wid- 
ow is  the  present  owner  of  the  Fleming 
House,  one  of  the  best  hotels  in  the  city. 
Other  hotels  now  flourishing  are  the  "  Pa- 
cific," "Western,"  "St.  Louis,"  "Cincin- 
nati," "  California,"  "  Buckeye  "  and  a  num- 
ber more  of  lesser  caliber,  and  too  tedious  to 
mention. 

The  first  practicing  physician  in  Effingham 
was  Dr.  George  Scoles,  a  very  talented  man. 
He  commenced  practice  about  1856  to  1858, 
and  continued  for  many  years.  Dr.  Farley 
was  also  an  early  jshysician,  perhaps  the  next 
to  Scoles.  The  medical  brethren  of  the  city 
at  this  time  are  as  follows:  John  Le  Crone, 
J.  B.  Walker  (no  relation  to  Dr.  Mary),  W. 
L.  and  F.  W.  Goodell,  W.  H.  Davis,  J.  N. 
Groves,  L.  W.  Smith,  L.  J.  Schifferstein  and 
G.  S.  Sehuricht.  In  conclusion  of  this  brief 
notice  of  the  medical  fraternity,  we  give  a 
few  lines  regarding  the  shooting  and  some- 
what remarkable  recoveiy  of  George  Holli- 
day.  Be  was  a  barber  in  Effingham  and  well 
known,  and  was  shot  early  in  the  year  1882, 
with  a  32-calibre  cartridge  pistol.  He  was 
attended  by  Dr.  Frank  Goodell,  who  worked 
with  him  faithfully,  notwithstanding  other 
physicians  pronounced  his  case  hopeless  and 
his  wound  mortal,  and,  after  six  months  of 


156 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


patient  and  faithful  care  and  attendance, 
dismissed  him,  on  the  3d  of  July,  1882,  as 
ciU'eJ.  No  one  believed  it  possible  for  Hol- 
liday  to  recover,  not  even  the  physicians,  and 
for  hours  after  the  wound  was  inflicted,  many 
pronounced  him  dead,  but  amid  all  discour- 
agements, Dr.  Goodell  persevered,  and  now 
enjoys  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  his 
efforts  were  crowned  with  success.  The  case 
of  Holliday  was  pronounced  by  competent 
judges  more  dangerous  than  that  of  President 
Garfield. 

The  banking  business  is  represented  in 
Effingham  by  two  good  solid  banks.  The 
first  institution  of  this  kind  was  started  in 
the  city  in  1866,  by  Craddock  &  Habing,  in 
the  Little  building.  Two  years  later,  it  was 
moved  to  the  Eepley  building.  The  business 
Was  continued  by  these  gentlemen  until  1873, 
when  the  firm  dissolved,  Craddock  retiring. 
Habing  continued  until  1876,  when  he  ceased 
business.  The  Effingham  Bank  was  estab- 
lished in  1879  by  F.  A.  Von  Gassy,  who  is 
sole  owner  of  the  institution,  F.  H.  Euers, 
Cashier.  Eversman,  Wood  &  Engbring  or- 
ganized a  bank  September  1,  1881,  with  a 
capital  of  $25,000,  H.  Eversman,  Cashier; 
William  Engbring,  Assistant  Cashier.  Prep- 
arations are  now  being  made  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  new  bank  building  These  two  es- 
tablishments afford  ample  banking  facilities 
to  the  city  and  surrounding  country. 

Effingham  has  never  been  an  extensive 
manufacturing  town.  The  largest  thing  of 
the  kind  ever  in  the  place  is  the  Division 
shops  of  the  Vandalia  Railroad,  which  are 
located  here.  They  employ  a  great  number 
of  men,  whose  wages  are  mostly  spent  in 
town,  thus  affording  quite  a  little  item  of  in- 
conae. 

Among  the  few  manufacturing  enterprises 
may  be  noted  the  two  excellent  flouring  mills 
in  the  western  part  of  the  city.     Previous  to 


the  building  of  these.  Swingle  &  Little  had  a 
saw-mill,  which  they  started  about  1857,  and 
ran  for  two  years.  A  grist-mill  was  added 
then  by  Mette  &  Little.  In  1860,  a  mill 
was  built  opposite  of  where  the  Pacific  House 
stands,  and,  after  running  for  some  nine 
years,  was  moved  from  the  city.     , 

The  City  Mills  were  built  in  1869  by 
Christan  Alt  &  Co.,  and  cost  about  .$10,000, 
now  owned  by  John  Alt  &  Co.  The  building 
is  two  and  a  half  stories  high,  containing 
three  run  of  buhrs,  also  rollers,  and  has  a  ca- 
pacity of  about  three  barrels  per  hour.  It 
has  been  recently  improved  and  refitted,  and 
is  now  worth  about  §12,000.  The  Excelsior 
Mills  were  also  built  in  1869,  in  a  two  and  a 
half  story  bnilding,  and  when  the  repairs 
now  being  made  are  completed,  they  will  be 
worth  near  $18,000.  Gammon,  Riekelman 
&  Co.  are  the  proprietors. 

A  woolen  factory  was  built  in  1863  by  M. 
V.  &  George  Parks,  which  did  quite  an  ex- 
tensive business  until  1880,  when  it  was 
burned.  A  brewery  was  erected  in  the  north  - 
ern  part  of  the  city  by  Freepartner,  and  ran 
some  ten  years,  when  it  also  was  burned.  A 
brewery  was  built  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
city  in  lb60  by  Valentine  Jakle.  It  was  a 
large  brick  building,  and  cost  about  $6, 000, 
and  it  was  run  some  fifteen  years,  but  is  now 
standing  idle. 

The  city  has  at  different  times  been  visited 
by  rather  destructive  fires.  The  severest, 
perhaps,  occurred  in  1863,  and  broke  out  in 
the  cabinet  shop  of  H.  A;  Rebels,  on  the 
north  side  of  the  square.  From  the  shop  the 
fire  spread  to  a  saloon,  which  was  quickly 
consumed,  the  contents  not  having  yet 
been  sufficiently  watered  to  prevent  being 
combustible.  Sjieck's  dwelling  and  shoe 
shop,  two-story  dwelling  of  Henry  Dutton, 
George  H.  Smith's  dwelling  and  grocery 
store,  were  among  some  of  the  buildings  de- 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


157 


stroyed.  Several  other  fires  have  occurred, 
but  none  quite  so  destructive  as  this.  The 
city  enjoys  the  reputation  of  having  an  excel- 
lent fire  department  and  of  being  well  organ- 
ized. It  was  established  in  1865,  some  two 
years  after  the  tire  above  alluded  to.  An  en- 
gine, the  "  Old  Vigo,"  was  purchased  at  Terre 
Haute  in  1867,  at  a  cost  of  §1,350,  and  has 
since  been  refitted.  An  engine-house  was 
built  in  1876,  on  land  donated  the  city  by 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  The  first  stej) 
toward  a  fire  department  was  ihe  oganization 
of  a  hook  and  ladder  company  of  thirty-seven 
members,  of  which  J.  J.  Funkhouser  was  Cap- 
tain; George  Parks,  First  Lieutenant;  H.  J. 
Lacy,  Second  Lieutenant,  and  Gilbert  Bush- 
or,  Chief  Engineer.  The  department  now 
consists  of  a  hook  and  ladder  company  and 
Deluge  Fire  Company,  Albert  Gravenhorst, 
Chief  Engineer;  Jacob  Schneider,  Foreman 
of  Deluge  Company,  and  Charles  Schmidt, 
Foreman  of  hook  and  ladder  company. 

The  village  of  Effingham  was  incorporated 
under  the  law  governing  such  matters,  but  as 
the  record  book  of  the  proceedings  has  been 
lost,  nothing  definite  can  be  given  in  regard 
to  this  period  of  its  local  government,  It 
was  incorporated  as  a  city  in  1867,  and  the 
first  Mayor  elected  was  B.  F.  Kagay;  E.  H. 
Bishop,  first  Clerk;  first  Aldermen,  "Wesley 
Spitler,  R.  E.  Moore,  W.  H.  St.  Clair  and 
Fred  Mindrup.  Henry  Eversman  was  the 
second  Mayor,  and  served  from  1867  to  1869; 
Thomas  A.  Brown  for  1870;  C.  F.  Lilly  for 
1871;  John  LeCrone,  1872  to  1874;  H.  G. 
Habing,  1874  to  1876;  John  LeCrone  (again) 
for  1877;  J.  N.  Gwin,  1877  to  1879;  John 
Hoeny,  1879  to  1881,  and  Benson  Wood,  1881 
and  1882,  the  present  incumbent.  Addition- 
al to  the  Mayor,  the  present  city  government 
is  composed  of  the  following:  John  C.  Evers- 
man, City  Clerk;  John  J.  Loar,  Treasurer; 
Aldermen  in  First  Ward,  John  Morhinners 


and  Conrad  Boos;  Aldermen  in  Second  Wai-d, 
J.  H.  I.  Lacy  and  George  M  LeCrone;  Al- 
dermen in  Third  Ward,  Charles  Beulor  and 
Thomas  Powell.  B.  F.  Kagay,  Police  Magis- 
trate, and  J.  C.  White,  City  Attorney. 

Effingham  is  quite  a  railroad  center,  as 
well  as  a  hotel  town.  It  has  the  benefit  of 
foiu-  railroads,  with  trains,  almost  hoiu'ly,  to 
all  points  of  the  compass.  A  man  can  go 
from  Effingham  to  any  place — except  the 
moon — by  rail.  As  the  roads  have  been  so 
fully  written  in  preceding  chapters  by  Mr. 
Bradsby,  nothing  more  can  be  said,  without 
recapitulation. 

The  press  also  receives  full  justice  in  an- 
other chapter,  on  the  county  at  large,  and, 
like  the  railroads,  nothing  remains  to  be  said 
in  this  connection. 

Effingham  takes  a  literary  fit  semi-periodi- 
cally,  and  indulges  the  most  intense  interest 
and  gets  excited  in  the  highest  degree  over 
such  matters.  But  as  it  becomes  older,  the 
disciples  of  literature  grow  somewhat  luke- 
warm and  finally  dormant,  until  another  fit 
comes  on.  These  fits  and  spells  have  been 
represented  by  the  "  Lyceum, "  the  "  Forum  " 
and  the  "  N.  L."  societie.s,  which  have 
sprung  up  at  times  in  the  history  of  the  city, 
swept  over  the  scene  like  untamed  meteors, 
flashed,  darted  and  fizzled — then  went  out  in 
darkness.  The  first  of  these  literary  feasts 
was  inaugurated  in  1877,  the  prime  movers 
in  the  affair  being  John  C.  White  and  H.  C. 
Bradsby.  They  determined  to  make  the 
greatest  efforts  of  their  lives,  and  called  a 
meeting  of  a  few  of  their  friends,  viz.,  S.  F. 
Gilmore,  H.  B.  Kepley,  Miss  Emma  Cooper, 
Virgil  W^ood,  George  M.  LeCi'one  and  a  few 
others.  White  bossed  the  organization,  with 
Bradsby  as  a  "looker  on  in  Venice. "  He 
(White)  wrote  the  constitution  and  the  by- 
laws, put  the  thing  on  its  feet,  named  it  the 
"  Lyceum,"  and  if  there  had  been  anything 


158 


HISTORY   OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


else  to  do,  he  would  have  done  it.  Bradsby 
was  elected  the  first  President,  and  served 
one  year.  White,  Miss  Emma  Cooper  and 
G.  M.  LeCrone  comprised  the  Programme 
committee — the  most  important  and  respon- 
sible place  in  the  society,  in  fact;  its  success 
or  failure  depended  on  this  committee.  Prom 
the  very  first  meeting  it  was  a  complete  suc- 
cess. They  met  in  the  Baptist  Church  every 
two  weeks,  and  on  each  night  crowds  were 
turned  away  from  the  door  for  the  want  of 
room.  During  the  first  winter,  the  winter  of 
its  most  successful  existence — for,  like  all 
other  organizations,  it  had  its  time  to  die, 
Mr^.  A.nn  Eliza  Young,  nineteenth  wife  of 
Brigham  Young,  Gov.  William  Cumback,  of 
Indiana,  and  George  R.  Wendling,  lectured 
before  the  society.  Brilliant  success  attend- 
ed, and  the  society  more  than  paid  expenses 
on  each  lecture. 

The  entertainments  and  performances  of 
the  society  were  very  popular,  and  the  people 
of  the  city — men,  women  and  school  children 
contributed — and  the  variety  of  music,  recita- 
tions, readings,  papers  upon  various  subjects 
and  discussions  were  highly  intei'esting. 
For  the  first  time,  perhaps,  in  the  history  of 
the  city,  the  people  were  united,  and  little 
jealousies  and  bickerings  and  such  things  as 
80  often  kill  oif  similar  efforts  in  other  cities, 
and  had  often  done  so  in  this,  were  unheard. 
The  flattering  success  and  prosperity  of  the 
first  year  gave  evidence  of  permanency  and 
of  the  good  the  society  would  accomplish. 
Owen  Scott  was  elected  the  second  President, 
afterward  Prof.  Page,  then  Prof.  Mann,  and 
lastly,  Mrs.  H.  C.  Painter.  Its  first  year  was 
its  best,  for,  like  all  new  things,  it  flourished 
until  the  novelty  wore  off,  when,  to  some  ex- 
tent, it  waned  in  prosperity. 

In  the  fall  of  1880,  another  of  the  period- 
ical outbursts  occurred  in  the  literary  world 
of  Effingham,  resulting  in  the  organization  of 


the  Forum.  Chief  among  the  pillars  of  this 
new  institution  were  White,  Buckner,  Bailey, 
Dr.  Thompson,  Charles  Kelly,  John  Webb, 
Virgil  Wood,  Caldwell,  the  Drs.  Goodell  and 
a  few  other  kindred  spirits.  A  short  time 
after  it  got  under  way,  they  roped  in  Brads- 
by, and  in  his  introduction  to  the  society, 
some  of  the  members,  especially  Buckner, 
Bailey  and  W^ebb,  had  oceans  of  fun  at  his 
expense,  and  thus  paid  off  old  scores  with 
interest.  The  society  developed  into  an  old 
fashioned  debating  club,  but  it  was  mostly  a 
kind  of  running  fight  on  parliamentary  ques- 
tions. John  C.  White  was  the  first  Presi- 
dent, then  Bailey,  Webb  and  Buckner  in  suc- 
cession, and  in  this  exalted  position  they 
probably  got  angrier  at  Bradsby  and  White 
than  they  ever  will  at  their  future  unfortu- 
nate mothers-in-law.  Yet  they  somehow 
managed  to  learn  more  about  parliamentary 
law  than  they  had  ever  dreamed  or  imagined 
there  existed.  Bradsby  says  the  Forum  was 
a  mighty  success,  even  if  it  did  make  Buck- 
ner and  Bailey  eat  nails  and  fire  coals  all 
winter. 

Last  winter  (1881),  the  literary  fever  came 
on  again,  and  Bradsby,  aided  by  G.  M.  Le 
Crone,  Caldwell,  the  Drs.  Goodell,  Virgil 
Wood,  in  short,  all  the  old  Forumers,  Organ- 
ized the  "  N.  L."  society,  the  greatest,  j^er- 
haps,  of  all  its  predecessors.  It  was  a  purely 
literary  club.  The  President  was  autocrat 
and  Programme  Committee  in  one.  Brads- 
by, Wood  and  Caldwell  drew  up  the  consti- 
tution and  by-laws.  The  performances  at 
each  meeting  consisted  of  a  paper  read  by 
some  member  designated  by  the  President. 
A  discussion  of  the  paper  then  followed,  each 
man  to  discuss  that  phase  of  it  which  suited 
him  best.  At  the  first  meeting,  Bradsby  had 
been  designated  to  read  a  paper  on  "  Who  is 
the  greatest  living  man  ?  "  In  answer  to  this 
huge  conundrum,   he   chose  for  his  subject 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


159 


"  Seth  Green,"  and  in  a  paper  twenty  min- 
utes long  maintained  his  choice. 

The  pith  of  the  joke  was  that  half  of  the 
people  in  town  thought  it  was  "  Uncle 
Billy"  Green,  the  di-ayman,  that  Brad  meant 
But  when  he  read  his  paper,  and  said  all 
that  he  could  say  in  behalf  of  Seth  Green, 
the  noted  father  of  fish  culture,  all  who  heard 
him  were  more  astonished  than  was  ever  By- 
ron when  he  awoke  to  his  fame.  They  all 
had  to  agree  with  Brabsby  that  to  develop 
this  immense  thing  of  filling  all  the  waters 
that  are  now  the  waste  places  of  three- foui-ths 
of  the  globe  with  good,  cheap,  nutritious  food 
was  a  project  full  of  promise  to  cheapen  food, 
reduce  the  hours  of  labor,  lift  all  mankind 
up  and  do  more  for  the  cause  of  civilization 
than  all  else  since  recorded  time. 

Bradsby,  in  the  conclusion  of  his  paper, 
referred  to  the  fact  that  each  individual,  if 
asked  the  question  as  to  who  the  greatest 
man  was,  would  naturally  think  of  his  kind 
— the  plug  ugly,  of  the  prize  fighter;  the  son 
of  Mammon,  of  Vanderbilt,  Rothschild  or 
Gould;  the  fledgling  politician,  of  Jim  Blaine 
or  Conkling,  and  the  young  Esculapius  of 
Dr.  Gross,  etc.,  etc.  Soon  after  the  read- 
ing of  the  paper  was  finished.  Dr.  Frank 
Goodell  came  in.  He  soon  had  a  finger  in 
the  pie,  and,  true  to  the  prediction  ventured 
by  the  sage  author  of  the   ponderous  paper. 


he  was  oq  his  feet  proclaiming  the  veritable 
Dr.  Gross,  the  truest,  only,  ownest,  greatest 
of  all  the  great  moguls  of  the  land.  Audible 
grins  were  perceptible  in  all  parts  of  the 
room,  and  the  re-reading  of  that  portion  of 
the  paper  (which  Goodell  had  not  before 
heard)  produced  great  fun  and  efi"ectually 
squelched  the  Doctor,  for  that  time  at 
least. 

The  society  flourished  immensely  under 
the  fostering  care  of  Gwin,  Caldwell  and 
others.  One  of  the  most  interesting  and 
highly  entertaining  meetings  perhaps  held 
while  the  society  existed,  was  when  the  sub- 
ject of  female  suffrage  was  the  theme  of  the 
evening.  The  speeches  delivered  upon  the 
occasion,  particularly  by  Caldwell,  who 
"  spake  as  never  man  spake, "  on  female 
suffrage  at  least,  are  deserving  of  perpetual 
record.  Mr.  Caldwell  advanced  arguments 
upon  that  rather  vexed  problem,  new,  per- 
haps, to  most  of  his  hearers.  Our  space, 
however,  will  not  allow  us  to  follow  the  pro 
ceedings  of  this  society  further,  and  the 
reader  is  referred  to  the  book  of  the  records. 

Several  efforts  have  been  made  to  establish 
a  library  in  Eflingham,  but  a  few  patent  ofl5ce 
reports  and  Legislative  proceedings  have 
been  about  as  far  as  the  matter  has  ever  gone, 
and  prove  the  extent  of  the  collection  of 
literature  for  the  public  use  of  the  city. 


160 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY, 


CHAPTER  XIIL* 


UPY  OF  EFFINGHAM-ITS    RELIGIOUS    HISTORY-EARLV  CHURCHES  AND    PREACHERS-ORGANI 
ZATION  OF    DIFFERENT    DENOMINATIONS-SECRET    AND    BENEVOLENT  INSTITUTIONS 
FREEMASONRY,    ETC.-EARLY  SCHOOLS  OF  THE  TOWN-PRESENT  EDUCA-        " 
TIONAL    FACILITIES  — MERCY    HOSPITAL,    ETC.,    ETC. 


"  Whilst  poliHcians  are  disputing  about  monarchies 
aristocracies  and  republics,  Christianity  is  alike  appli- 
cable, useful,  and  friendly  to  them  a.\l."—Paley. 

O  OCIETY,  as  it  circles  outward  from  a  com- 
^  moa  center,  has  a  tendency  to  degenerate 
from  its  original  and  higher  type  to  one  of  a 
lower  tone  and  standard.     History  reveals  the 
fact  that  every  receding  circle  of  civilization 
has  lessened  the  forces  forming  and  complet- 
ing a  perfect  state  of  society.    On  nearly  every 
wave  of  immigration  some  good  seed  is  borne 
to  grow  up  in  the  opening  soil  of  the  new 
country.      The  good  seed  is  usually  sufficient 
to   begin  the    work   of    raising  society  to  a 
higher  level  of   civilization,  and  their  trans- 
forming power  counteracts  those  demoralizing 
influences  which  tend  to  social  degeneration 
and  disruption,    as  the   lawless    and  vicious 
seek  the  frontiers,  where  there  is  less  restraint 
from  civil  power.      This   good  seed  becomes 
the  nucleus  around  which  gather  those  loftier 
feelings  necessary  to  carry  society  onward  to 
a  state  of  comparative  perfection  and  happi  - 
ness.       Christian   truth   is  the  great  super- 
structure on  which  every  society  that  approxi- 
mates  perfection   must  rest.      Said  an   old 
minister  of  the  Gospel   once:    "It  used  to 
make  my  heart  sick  in  the  early  years  of  my 
ministry  to  dismiss  members  of  my  charge  to 
churches  in  distant  regions,  and  have  brothers 
and  sisters  and  neighbors  leave  us  for  settle- 
ments in  the  opening  Territories.      But  as  I 
have   grown  oldei;  and   followed  these  emi- 
grants  to  their  new  homes,  and  have  found 

'By  W.  H.  Perrin. 


them  far  more  useful  in  church  and  State 
than  they  ever  could  have  been  in  the  regions 
they  left  behind,  where  others  held  the  places 
of  influence— as  I  have  seen  them  givintr  a 
healthy  and  vigorous  tone  to  society,  while 
the  separation  caused  a  pang  of  sorrow,  the 
good  accomplished  more  than  compensated 
for  the  pleasure  lost."  It  was  to  such  emi- 
grants as  those  mentioned  in  the  above  ex- 
tract that  Illinois  is  indebted  for  her  Chris- 
tian civilization  of  to-day.  The  good  seed 
brought  hither  by  these  humble  pioneers, 
have  brought  forth  good  fruit,  and  produced 
blessings  more  than  a  hundred-fold. 

Effingham  is  well  supplied  with  chm-ches 
and  church  edifices.     The  following  sketch 
of  the  Methodist  Church  is  furnished  us  by 
the  pastor,  Rev.  E.  H.  Manier.      The  earliest 
date    of    an  organized  Methodist    Episcopal 
Church  in  Ewington,  of  which  the  chui-ch  in 
Effingham  is  successor,  was  1835.     That  there 
was  preaching   in   Effingham    County    at    a 
much   earlier  date   is  evident  from   the  fact 
that  there  was  then  an  organized  circuit  with 
regular  preaching   places;    but    no    definite 
information  is  at  eommaad  as  to  who  were  the 
ministeis  previous  to  this  date.     The  follow- 
ing ministers  were  appointed  to  the  Ewington 
Circuit.      The  dates   are  not  given  as  abso- 
lutely correct,  but  approximately  so :  In  1835, 
Rev.  Mr.  Graham;  1837,  Rev.  Mr.  Chambers; 
1838,  Rev.  Leroy    Lowery;    1839,   Rev.    Mr. 
Tennison;    1840,   Rev    Benjamin   Newman; 
1841,    Rev.    Mr.   Wasburn;    1842,  Rev.  Mr. 


HISTORY   OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


161 


Blackwell;  18-t3,  Rev.  Mr.  Hale;  1845,  Rev. 
Isaac  G.  Barr;  18i6,  Rev.  Jlr.  Pitner;  1847, 
Rev.  D.  Williamson;  1848,  Rev.  J.  Gilham; 
1849,  Rev.  J.  M.  Massey;  1854,  Rev.  J. 
Estep.  About  the  year  1855,  Effingham  be- 
came a  preaching  place,  and  the  circuit  was 
thereafter  known  as  Effingham  Circuit.  Af- 
ter this  date  the  ministers  in  charge  were: 
1855,  Rev.  Mr.  Mapes;  1856-57,  Rev.  G.  W. 
Gullom,  with  Rev.  Mr.  Ayres.  assistant; 
1858,  Rev.  Mr.  Whitsel;  1859,  Rev.  D. 
Williamson;  1860,  Rev.  G.  W.  Gullom; 
1861,  Rev.  Mr.  Butts;  1862-63,  Rev.  R.  H. 
Massey;  1864-65,  Rev.  Mr.  Brannon. 

In  1867,  the  circuit  was  divided  and  the 
city  of  Effingham  made  a  station;  that  is, 
was  given  the  exclusive  services  of  a  pastor. 
Since  then  the  church  of  Effingham  has  had 
for  its  pastors  the  following  ministers:  In 
1867-68,  Rev.  J.  H.  Lockwood;  1869,  Rev. 
J.  Leeper;  1870-71,  Rev.  M.  N.  Powers; 
1872-73,  Rev.  N.  Hawl*y;  1874,  Rev.  M.  H. 
Nichols;  1875,  Rev.  J.  Harris;  1876-77, 
Rev.  William  Wallis;  1878-79,  Rev.  J.  Gib- 
son; 1880-81-82,  Rev.  R.  H.  Manier,  the 
present  pastor.  The  membership  is  now  164, 
and  eight  probationers;  total,  172  members; 
In  1866,  the  present  substantial  brick  church 
was  built  and  named  "Centenary,"  that  year 
(1866)  being  the  one  hundredth  anniversary 
of  the  introduction  of  Methodism  in  America. 
A  good  Sunday  school  is  kept  up  throughout 
the  year. 

The  Baptist  Church  was  organized  in  1861 
by  Elder  Uriah  McKay  and  an  ecclesiastical 
counsel,  composed  of  Rev.  McKay,  W.  C.  Mit- 
chell, John  W.  Cleveland,  J.  W.  Billingsley 
and  John  Verplank.  The  original  members 
were  Ij.  R.  McMurry,  Elizabeth  McMim-y,  D. 
W.  Bouland,  Catharine  Bouland,  W.  P.  Sur- 
rells,  S.  V.  Sm-rells,  P.  P.  McCain,  Grace  Mc- 
Cain, Giles  Baldwin,  Sarah  Baldwin,  Mrs. 
D.   D.  Bouland  and  H.  N.  Leland,  together 


with  Elder  McKay.  The  pastors  have  been 
Elders  Uriah  McKay  Evans,  E.  S.  Graham,  I. 
S.  McHan,  A..  Rhodes.  Stephens  and  W.  H. 
Wilson.  The  church  is  without  a  pastor  at 
present.  It  was  originally  organized  at  the 
house  of  W.  P.  Surrells,  where  services  were 
held  for  one  month.  A  house  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  was  used 
— then  the  court  house  until  1866,  when  the 
present  church  building  was  erected.  It  is 
of  brick,  20x60  feet,  and  stands  on  a  lot  do- 
nated by  Alexander  &  Little,  and  cost  about 
16,000.  The  first  officers  were  Rev.  McKay, 
Moderator,  and  W.  P.  Surrells,  Clerk;  Giles 
Baldwin,  H.  B.  Wagner  and  Jesse  Said,  Dea- 
cons; A.  Wilson,  L.  R.  McMurray  and  Mr. 
Bradley,  Trustees.  The  present  officers  are 
B.  B.  Miner,  Clerk;  W.  C.  Wright,  W.  P. 
Surrells,  and  Mr.  Miner,  Trustees  The  mem- 
bership is  about  fifty;  Owen  Scott  is  Super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday  school. 

St.  Anthony's  Roman  Catholic  Church  dates 
back  to  1858.  Prior  to  that  year,  the  few 
Catholic  families,  and  we  learn  from  Father 
Jungmann,  the  present  rector,  residing  in  this 
vicinity,  were  visited  from  time  to  time  by 
clergymen  of  the  Diocese  of  Alton.  Services 
were  held  in  a  small  log  house  which  is  still 
standing  in  the  rear  of  Funkhouser's  new 
store.  The  last  priest  who  said  mass  i  n  it 
was  the  Rev.  Father  Fortmann.  In  1858, 
the  Catholics,  encouraged  by  Father  Frauen- 
hofer,  who  resided  at  that  time  in  the  Green 
Creek  settlement,  and  was  rector  of  the  con- 
gregation there,  decided  to  build  a  respect- 
able church  edifice.  The  plan  was  carried 
out  under  Rev.  Father  Bartels,  the  zealous 
rector  of  the  congregation  at  Teutopolis,  who, 
in  the  spring  of  1858,  laid  the  corner-stone  of 
the  old  church  of  St.  Anthony's  congrega- 
tion, at  present  the  school  bouse  of  the 
church.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  the 
Rev.  Father  of  the  order  of  St.  Francis  took 


163 


HISTOllY   OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


charge  of  the  congregation  at  Teutopolis, 
where  a  convent  had  been  built.  From  the 
convent,  the  several  Catholic  congregations  of 
the  neighborhood  were  attended  as  missions 
by  the  Rev.  Fathers.  Among  others,  also 
that  of  St.  Anthony's  congregation  at  Ef- 
fingham was  given  to  their  charge.  The 
Kev.  Father  Capestran  said  the  first  holy 
mass  in  the  new  church  on  Christmas 
morning,  1S5S.  In  succession  the  fol- 
lowing priests  of  the  order  of  St.  Francis 
had  charge  of  St.  Anthony's  Church:  Rev. 
Father  Servatene,  Heribert,  Raynerius,  Kill- 
ian,  Ferdinand,  then  Rev.  Killian  again.  In 
September,  1871,  Rev.  Michael  Weis,  sec- 
ular priest  of  the  diocese  of  Alton,  was  ap- 
pointed rector  of  St.  Anthony's  congregation 
at  Effingham,  and,  on  the  23d  of  March, 
1877,  Rev.  Father  Jimgmann,  the  present 
rector,  took  charge. 

When  the  first  church  was  built,  the  follow- 
ing Catholic  families  then  lived  around  here: 
C.  and  Joseph  Bloemer,  and  their  mother 
(widow  of  Arnold  Bloemer),  Henry  Herboth, 
Hille,  Wilenborg,  Peter  Thoele,  Ferdinand 
Messmanu,  H.  H.  Dust,  Bernard  Dassen- 
brook,  Fred  Braun,  Joseph  Feldhake,  the 
Koesters,  Buessing,  Husmann,  Matthias  Mo- 
ening,  J.  F.  Schwerman,  Knage,  Herman 
Fechtrup,  Gerhard  Osthoff,  Mindrup,  Vogt, 
Gebbon  Vogt,  Fredrick  Hoffmann,  William 
Messmann,  H.  Harmann,  B.  Kemper,  Gerhard 
H.  Ney,  John  Ney,  Bernard  Ney,  Herman  Ney, 
John  Fechtrup,  Arnold  Kreke,  Bernard  Bet- 
ters, Dreymann,  Alshop,  Mette — about  forty 
families  altogether.  The  congregation  grew 
rapidly  and  in  the  course  of  time  the  church 
became  too  small  to  hold  the  faithful. 
Hence,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Father 
Weis,  the  erection  of  a  large,  beautiful  church 
was  agitated.  In  February,  1873,  the  fij-st 
contract  for  material  was  made.  The  mag- 
nificent building  as  it  now  stands  was  finished 


in  1875.  Solemn  blessing  of  the  newcharch 
took  place  on  the  13th  of  June  of  the  same 
year,  by  the  Right  Rev.  Joseph  Baltes,  Bishop 
of  Alton,  to  whose  diocese  St.  Anthony's  be- 
longs. The  church  is  an  ornament  to  the  city 
and  an  honor  to  the  Catholic  inhabitants. 
Its  cost  was  about  $40,000;  its  size,  06x165 
feet—  steeple,  181  feet  without  cross  or  vane. 
The  present  number  of  families  who  worship 
in  it  are  180,  comprising  about  1,000  persons. 
The  Trustees  are  John  J.  Rickelmann,  with 
the  pastor.  Bishop  and  Vicar  General, 

A  parochial  school  was  established  in  con- 
nection with  the  congregation,  and  has  been 
in  operation  since  about  1858.  It  was  at 
first  in  charge  of  men  teachers,  but  for  nine 
years  it  has  been  under  the  supervision  of  the 
pastor,  assisted  by  the  Sisters  of  Notre  Dame. 
The  school  at  present  consists  of  three  de- 
partments, numbering  about  180  pupils. 

"The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South, 
was  organized  by  Rev..  Mr.  Luther  in  the  year 
1865.  The  original  members  were  Samuel 
Fortney.  Class-Leader,  Mr.  Bright  and  wife, 
T.  J.  Gillenwaters.  Mrs.  Filler,  Thomas 
Thayer  and  wife.  The  society  was  organized 
in  the  court  house,  and  services  held  there 
and  at  private  residences  until  1870,  when 
the  present  church  building  was  erected,  26x 
40  feet,  at  a  cost  of  $1,700.  Judge  Gillen- 
waters donated  the  ground  on  which  it  is 
erected,  and  contributed  the  larger  part  of 
the  money  needed  for  its  completion.  The 
following  pastors  have  been  in  charge  of  the 
church:  Revs.  Luther,  Divender,  Bigel, 
Deeds,  Bigel,  Bundel,  etc.  The  society  has 
become  extinct,  and  the  house  is  now 
owned  by  Judge  Gillenwaters. 

St.  Mary's  Mission  Episcopal  Church  first 
held  services  in  Effingham  about  twelve  years 
ago,  under  the  supervision  of  Rev.  John  W. 
Osborne,  who  organized  a  parish  and  remained 
with  them  about  a  year.     The  parish  consist- 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


163 


ed  of  six  families  and  met  for  religious  wor- 
ship in  the  Southern  Methodist  Church, 
which  they  rented  for  that  purpose.  After 
Rev.  Osborne  left,  no  services  were  held  until 
the  fall'of  1879,  when  Eev.  W.  H-  Steele,  of 
Centralia,  took  charge  of  the  mission  acd 
conducted  monthly  services  to  June,  1880,  at 
which  time  he  left  and  moved  to  Colorado. 
The  Rev.  Jesse  Higgins  succeeded  Kev. 
Steele  at  Centralia,  and  continued  the  serv- 
ices at  EflSngham  for  a  few  months,  when 
Kev."  Mr.  Gray  settled  here  ag  resident  mis- 
sionary, but  had  served  the  mission  only  three 
Sundays  when  he  was  taken  sick  and  died  in 
the  hospital  at  this  place.  In  May,  1881, 
Rev.  Mr.  Steele  returned  from  Colorado  and 
settled  here  as  resident  missionary,  and  has 
been  with  the  charge  ever  since. 

In  the  fall  of  1879,  Mrs.  F.  M.  Bagg,  Mrs. 
S.  N  Scott  and  Mrs.  Mary  Thiolger,  three 
estimable  ladies  of  the  mission,  organized  a 
Sunday  school,  into  which  they  gathered  the 
poor  childi'en  of  the  city  that  had  been  unable 
to  attend  any  of  the  other  schools  on  account 
of  clothing,  want  of  shoes,  etc.  Their  defi- 
ciencies were  supplied  by  those  three  good  Sa- 
maritans, who  went  out  into  the  highways  and 
byways,  and  gathered  in  the  waifs  and  fitted 
them  for  school  by  a  generous  outlay  of  their 
own  private  means.  The  school  has  been 
conducted  with  the  most  remarkable  success, 
and  now  has  an  attendance  of  over  thirty-five 
children.  Since  the  organization  of  the 
school  thirty-one  of  these  children  have  been 
baptized.  Mrs.  Bagg  carried  wood  from  her 
own  wood  pile  during  the  cold  weather  to 
warm  the  house.  Ah!  reader,  think  you  not 
that  when  these  noble  women  reach  the  other 
shore,  they  will  receive  crowns  bright  with 
many  jewels?  It  is  under  the  influence  of 
such  as  they  that  stern  men  of  the  world  who 
have  squandered  life  and  innocence  without 
a  sigh,  may  see'  the  distant  gates   of   Eden 


gleam  and  catch  a  foretaste  of  heaven.  The 
mission  owns  no  church  edifice,  but  holds 
services  in  the  Southern  Methodist  building. 
On  the  first  visit  of  the  Bishop,  he  consecrated 
the  grave  of  Rev.  Mr.  Gray  in  the  public 
cemetery,  and  two  other  private  lots  at  the 
same  time,  and  confirmed  three  adults.  The 
mission  is  as  yet  weak  in  members,  there  be- 
ing but  seven  families  and  eleven  communi- 
cants belonging  to  it.  It  is  the  deanery  of 
Mattoon  and  in  the  diocese  of  Springfield. 
The  first  officers  were  Mr.  E.  R.  Connolly, 
Senior  Warden;  S.  P.  Simpson,  Junior  War- 
den; F.  M.  Bagg,  Treasurer,  and  S.  N.  Scott, 
Secretary. 

The  first  Presbyterian  Cbm-ch  of  Effing- 
ham^ was  organized  November  13,  1864,  in 
the  court  house,  by  Revs.  A.  T.  Norton  and 
S.  R.  Bissel.  The  following  were  the  origi- 
nal members:  Solomon  Swingle,  Mrs.  M.  E. 
Swingle,  Mrs.  Sarah  Bissel,  Isaac  Bates  and 
Mrs.  Jane  Bates.  Previous  to  this,  Mr.  Bis- 
sel had  been  preaching  to  the  Presbyterian 
congregation,  and  he  still  continued  to  sup- 
ply the  pulpit  in  connection  with  his  labors 
in  conducting  a  private  school.  The  services 
were  held  for  one  year  in  the  court  house, 
and  afterward  in  Mr.  Bissel' s  schoolroom. 
Ml'.  Bissel  served  the  church  until  1869.  He 
was  assisted  in  church  and  school  work  by 
his  excellent  wife,  whose  memory  is  still  pre- 
served as  a  lady  of  superior  education  and 
perfect  consistency  in  her  daily  life.  Under 
their  united  labors  the  church  membership 
increased  to  twenty. 

In  1869,  Rev.  Ernest  A.  Pollock  accepted 
a  call  to  supply  the  pulpit,  and  entered  upon 
his  labors  in  December.  He  came  to  this 
place  under  the  appointment  of  the  Board  of 
Home  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
He  gave  one  half  of  his  time  to  Effingham, 
and  also  served  other  points  in  the  vicinity. 
After  he  came  to  the   church,  services  were 


164 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


held  in  the  Baptist  Church  every  alternate 
Sabbath.  The  m(-.mbers,  however,  soon  be- 
gan a  church  of  their  own,  which  was  com- 
pleted in  October,  1870.  It  is  a  fine  brick 
building,  and  cost,  furnished,  §4,300.  It 
was  dedicated  to  the  worship  of  God  on  the 
23d  of  October — Eev.  Dr.  Jewett,  of  Terre 
Haute,  preaching  the  sermon  on  that  occasion 
and  the  pastor  oifering  the  prayer.  Rev.  S. 
R.  Bissel,  former  pastor,  Rev.  Mr.  Powers,  of 
the  Methodist  Church,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Rhodes, 
of  the  Baptist,  assisting  in  the  services. 
This  church  was  partly  unroofed  and  suffered 
other  damages  in  a  severe  storm  some  years 
ago,  but  was  immediately  repaired.  Mr. 
Pollocli  continued  pastor  for  eight  years — 
in  the  first  four  the  church  became  self-sup- 
porting. He  resigned  in  December,  1S77, 
and  accepted  a  call  to  Mendota.  During  his 
pastorate  of  eight  years,  220  were  added  to 
the  membership),  and  in  the  same  period  some 
$14,000  was  raised  and  expended  in  the  work 
of  the  church.  After  the  departure  of  Rev. 
Mr.  Pollock,  ii  call  was  extended  to  Rev.  Mr. 
Cort,  then  a  student  of  theology  of  the  North- 
western University  of  Chicago.  After  his 
graduation,  he  nettled  in  Effingham  as  stated 
supply  of  the  church,  but  the  ill  health  of 
his  wife  caused  his  resignation  at  the  end  of 
one  year.  The  church  was  then  without 
regular  preaching  for  a  short  time,  when  a 
call  was  extended  to  Rev.  Moses  Paisley,  of 
Hillsboro,  in  October,  1879,  for  one  year. 
He  is  now  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
at  Lomonauk,  HI.  Rev.  Thomas  E.  Green 
was  the  next  pastor,  and  remained  six  mouths, 
when  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  First  Presby- 
terian Chui-ch  at  Sparta,  111.  Next  came 
Rev.  George  D.  McCulloch,  who  took  charge 
of  the  chm-ch  July  1,  1881,  and  continued 
until  the  fall  of  1882,  when  he  accejjted  a 
call  to  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Hillsboro, 
and  there  is  at  present  no  regular  pastor. 


The  Sabbath  school  work  began  with  the 
church's  first  existence,  being  carried  on  first 
in  Mr  Bissel's  schoolroom,  and  afterward  in 
the  church.  At  present  the  corps  of  teachers 
numbers  thirteen,  and  the  average  attendance 
130  pupils.  S.  F.  Gilmore  is  Superintend- 
ent, and  Alex  Phelon,  Secretary. 

"  A  history  of  this  church,"  says  Rev.  Mr. 
McCulloch,  who  furnished  us  this  sketch, 
"would  be  incomplete  which  did  not  recog- 
nize the  efficient  help  the  women  have  given 
in  every  department  of  its  labors.  They 
have  been  ready  in  every  good  word  and  work. 
The  Ladies'  Aid  Society  has  existed  since 
the  beginning  of  the  church.  It  has  con- 
tributed largely  to  meet  the  espenses^and 
monthly  "  socials "  have  ministered  to  the 
life  and  the  enjoyment  of  the  congregation. 
A  women's  prayer  meeting  has  met  regularly 
for  several  years.  A  women's  missionary  so- 
ciety has  been  organized,  and  meets  monthly 
in  the  interest  of  missionary  work.  The  re- 
port given  to  Presbytery  last  year  contained 
these  items:  Given  to  benevolent  boards  of 
the  church,  $5,500;  expenses  for  all  church 
purposes,  $1,230." 

St.  John's  Lutheran  Church  was  organized 
in  1864,  at  the  residence  of  Charles  Hartman, 
with  a  membership  of  six  families,  viz., 
Ch.arles  Hartman,  Jacob  Bauer,  Gottlieb  Nol- 
ler.  Christian  Alt,  John  Lunow  and  Henry 
Shulte.  The  organization  was  effected 
through  the  influence  of  Rev.  Charles  Meyer, 
of  Kankakee.  For  two  years  services  were 
held  at  private  residences  and  at  the  court 
house,  and  in  the  absence  of  ministers  were 
conducted  by  Charles  Hartman.  The  pres- 
ent church  house  was  built  in  1S6S,  on  ground 
donated  by  Christian  Alt.  The  building  is 
a  frame,  30x50  feet,  and  cost  §2,200.  It 
was  dedicated  in  December,  1808,  by  Reva 
Charles  Meyer  and  Hemy  Holterman.  Eev. 
Meyer  was  the  first  pastor  and  served  at  in- 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


165 


tervals  from  1864  to  1S67.  He  was  succsed- 
ed  by  Rev.  Henry  Holterman,  from  1867  to 
1870;  then  came  Rev.  G.  A.  Feustel,  who 
tended  the  flock  until  1876.  The  church  was 
without  a  pastor  now  for  one  year,  but  serv 
ices  were  held  every  Sabbath  by  the  members. 
Rev.  Lewis  Frase  came  in  1877,  and  labored 
here  until  1881,  and,  in  February,  1882,  the 
present  pastor,  Rev.  W.  Lewerens,  took 
charge.  The  church  has  a  membership  of 
forty-two  families.  A  Sunday  school  was  or- 
ganized in  1864,  at  Hartman's  residence,  and 
has  been  aa  important  factor  in  the  church 
ever  since.  Mr.  Hartman  was  elected  Super- 
intendent, and  the  first  attendance  was  some 
forty  children 

A  parochial  school  was  established  in  con- 
nection with  the  church  by  Rev.  Holterman, 
who  taught  in  Jacob  Bauer's  residence,  with 
an  attendance  of  about  thirty  scholars.  A 
neat  school  building  was  erected  in  1870  at 
a  cost  of  i?SOO.  It  stands  on  the  church  lot 
and  is  an  honor  to  the  conrregation.  The 
present  attendance  will  average  about  fifty 
children. 

Benevolent  Institutions. — Secret  societies 
and  institutions  have  existed  so  long  that  no 
history  tells  of  their  beginning,  and  they 
will,  doubtless,  continue  "  until  time  shall  be 
no  more."  The  history  of  Freemasonry,  the 
most  ancient  of  these  societies,  is  veiled  and 
clouded  by  almost  unwritten  centiu-ies;  yet, 
amid  the  political  fluctuations  of  the  earth, 
and  the  downfall  of  States  and  Empires,  its 
traditions  have  been  borne  to  us  on  the  cur- 
rent of  time,  and  been  gathered  together  by 
the  Masonic  student  for  the  meditation  and 
instruction  of  the  craft  All  who  have  con- 
sidered the  origin  of  Freemasonry  have  been 
convinced  that  the  germ  from  which  it  sprang 
was  coeval  with  that  wonderful  command  of 
Jehovah:  "  Let  there  be  light,"  and  from  the 
coincidences  found  to   exist  between  it  and 


the  ancient  mysteries,  they  were  very  similar 
in  character.  We  know  that  the  aims  of 
these  institutions  are  good,  because  the  re- 
sults achieved  are  so  grand  and  glorious. 
We  believe  the  world  is  better  for  their  ex- 
istence, secret  though  they  are  in  their  work- 
ings, and  agree  not  with  those  who  believe 
that  everything  is  evil  which  is  veiled  in  se- 
crecy, and  hidden  from  the  eyes  of  the  curi- 
ous. 

Freemasonry  is  represented  iu  Eflfingham 
by  a  lodge  and  by  a  chapter  of  Royal  Arch 
Masons.  The  lodge  was  originally  organized 
at  Ewington,  when  that  city  was  in  the  hey- 
day of  its  glory  and  prosperity.  The  first 
record  was  as  follows:  "  Ewington  Lodge,  U. 
D.,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  met  in  regu- 
lar communication  February  10,  1854.  At 
that  meeting  James  M.  Long  was  Master; 
Elisha  D.  Cunningham,  Senior  Warden; 
John  H.  Crocker,  Junior  Warden,  and  Eli 
Philbrook,  Secretary.  The  lodge  was  char- 
tered by  the  Grand  Lodge  in  the  following 
October  as  Ewington  Lodge,  No.  149,  and 
the  first  ofiScers  elected  under  the  charter 
were  James  M.  Long,  Master;  E.  D.  Cun- 
ningham, Senior  Warden;  James  M.  Healey, 
Junior  Warden;  D.  Rhinehart,  Treasurer; 
John  S.  Kelly,  Secretary;  Samuel  Moffitt, 
Senior  Deacon;  John  LeCrone,  Junior  Dea- 
con, and  John  G.  Gamble,  Tiler.  After  the 
county  seat  was  moved  to  Effingham,  the 
lodge  was  also  moved,  and  at  the  session  of 
the  Grand  Lodge,  held  in  October,  1869,  the 
name  was  changed  to  Effingham  Lodge,  and 
the  number  (149)  retained.  The  present 
officers  are:  W.  H.  Barlow,  Master;  E.  C. 
Van  Home,  Senior  Warden;  W.  W.  Gibbons, 
Junior  Warden;  H.  B.  Kepley,  Treasurer;  A. 
W.  LeCrone,  Secretary;  R.  C.  Harrah,  Sen- 
ior Deacon;  J.  N.  Murphy,  Junior  Deacon, 
and  L.  J.  Harding,  Tiler. 

Effingham  Chapter,   No.    87,    Royal  Arch 


160 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


Masons,  was  organized  under  a  dispensation 
from  W.  M.  Egan,  M.  E.,  Grand  High  Priest 
of  the  State.  Among  the  original  members 
were  William  B.  Cooper,  Joseph  B.  Jones, 
Jacob  Goddard,  H.  Buflfner,  J.  Claypool,  J. 
Niernan,  N.  C.  Turner,  H.  B.  Turner,  J. 
Barkley  and  N.  C.  Kitchell,  of  whom  Will- 
iam B.  Coojaer  was  the  first  High  Priest; 
Joseph  B.  Jones,  King,  and  W.  H.  Sinclair, 
Scribe.  There  is  at  present  twenty-eight 
names  upon  the  records,  with  the  following 
officers,  viz.:  Owen  Scott,  High  Priest;  B.  F. 
Kagay,  King;  J.  H.  I.  Lacy,  Scribe;  Will- 
iam Bear,  Captain  of  the  Host;  H.  B.  Kep- 
ley,  Principal  Sojom-ner;  Gus  Elbow,  Royal 
Arch  Captain;  Charles  Busse,  D.  J.  McCabe 
and  R.  C.  Harrah,  Grand  Masters  of  the 
Veils;  Samuel  Allsop,  Treasurer;  John  Jones, 
Secretary,  and  L.  J.  Harding,  Tiler. 

A  Council  of  Royal  and  Select  Masters 
was  in  existence  here  until,  by  the  authority 
of  the  Grand  Bodies,  the  Council  was  merged 
into  the  Royal  Arch  Chapter. 

Dallas  Lodge,  No.  85,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was  in- 
stituted at  Ewingtou  by  H.  D.  Rucker,  Grand 
Master,  October  17,1851.  The  chai-ter  mem- 
bers were  John  S.  Kelly,  K.  H.  Biu-ford, 
James  M.  Fergus,  S.  B.  Holcomb  and  Joel 
Elam.  Mystic  Lodge,  No.  420,  instituted  at 
Edgewood  in  July,  1870,  was  consolidated 
vith  Dallas  Lodge,  No.  85,  in  1876.  Jupiter 
Lodge,  No.  455  (German),  instituted  in  July, 
1871,  in  Effingham,  was  consolidated  with 
Dallas  Lodge  in  December,  1874.  It  is  esti- 
mated by  accurate  calculation  (says  Mr.  Le 
Crone,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  this  in- 
formation), that  Dallas  Lodge  has  paid  out, 
since  its  institution,  $1,500  in  benefits  to  its 
members:  Present  membership,  sixty-one; 
funds  on  hand,  $900,  and  a  flourishing  lodge. 
The  names  of  the  officers  were  not  furnished. 

The  Encampment  of  this  order  was  insti- 
tuted May   12,  1882,   by  J.  C.  Smith,  Grand 


Scribe.  The  charter  members  were  J.  A. 
Anderson,  W.  W.  Simpson,  D.  B.  Coleman, 
C.  E.  Williamson,  John  Alt,  S.  N.  Scott,  Os- 
car Johnson  and  B.  Berman.  It  was  insti- 
tuted under  the  title  of  Royal  Encampment, 
No.  134,  and  has  now  a  membership  of 
twenty  five.  The  present  officers  are  J.  A. 
Carson,  C.  P. ;  D.  B.  Coleman,  H.  P. ;  B. 
Fortuey,  S.  W.;  John  Taut,  Scribe,  and 
John  Alt,  Treasurer. 

The  Schools. — The  educational  history  of 
Effingham  dates  back  to  the  very  commence- 
ment of  the  town.  The  first  school  was 
taught  by  John  Hoeny,  beginning  in  the 
spring  of  1855.  It  was  carried  on  in  a  house 
built  by  Richard  Dorsey,  a  brother  to  William 
Dorsey,  the  merchant,  and  is  now  owned  and 
occupied  by  the  widow  of  Charles  Bourland. 
Alexander  S.  Moffitt  taught  the  next  school  in 
a  house  now  owned  by  Charles  Troy.  Both 
of  these  schools  were  non-sectarian  private 
schools.  In  the  spring  of  1856,  the  Cath- 
olics built  a  small  log  house  (already  alluded 
to)  on  the  lot  in  the  rear  of  Funkhouser's 
"  Trade  Palace,"  which  for  some  time  an- 
swered the  double  purpose  of  both  school - 
house  and  church.  The  first  teacher  to  oc- 
cupy this  house  was  Barney  Wernsing,  the 
present  County  Treasurer.  His  school,  as 
well  as  those  of  all  other  teachers  for  some 
ten  or  twelve  years,  was  attended  by  children 
of  all  denominations  then  residing  in  the 
village. 

The  schools  of  the  city  now  occupy  two 
brick  buildings,  one  on  the  east  and  one  on 
the  west  side,  of  four  rooms  each.  The  two 
buildings  cost  something  like  $22,000  origi- 
nally, and  have  since  been  refitted  at  a  cost 
of  about  $2,000  a  piece.  Nine  teachers  are 
employed,  as  follows:  Prof.  N.  B.  Hodsden, 
Superintendent;  Pi-of.  F.  L.  West,  Principal 
of  the  High  School;  Hester  Spencer,  Mary 
Hasbrouck,  Ollie  Buchanan,  west  side;  Prof. 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


167 


S.  F.  Smith,  Principal  Grammar  School; 
Jennie  Stewart,  Emma  LeCrone,  Genevieve 
Cook,  eapt  side  building. 

The  cost  of  running  the  schools  is  annually 
about  §6.000;  teachers'  salaries,  $3,960;  en- 
rollment of  pupils,  604;  average  attendance, 
450.  The  buildings  are  comfortable,  but  are 
of  an  inferior  quality,  when  compared  to 
many  school  buildings  of  other  cities  in  the 
State,  of  Effingham's  size  and  importance. 

Mercy  Hospital  is  a  city  institution  deserv- 
ing of  mention.  It  was  built  about  the  year 
1866,  by  the  St.  Anthony's  congregation  of 
Effingham,  under  the  auspices  of  Bishop 
Baltes,  of  this  diocese.  Six  acres  of  ground 
within  the  city  limits  were  donated  by  Mat- 
thias Moening.  It  is  under  the  control  of 
the  Franciscan  Sisters  of  Mercy,  and  is  open 
to  all  classes  and  denominations.  The  build- 
ing cost  $15,000  and  stands  west  of  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad.  It  is  one  of  the  best 
institutions  of  the  kind  in  the  State.  Di-s. 
J.  N.  Groves  and  L.  J.  Schefferstein  are  the 
attending  physicians. 

This  brings  us  to  the  end  of  our  sketch  of 
Effingham.  Thirty  years,  laden  with  sorrows 
and  joys,  bright  anticipations  and  vanished 


hopes,  have  added  both  age  and  dignity  to 
the  little  city  since  it  was  laid  out.  Many  of 
the  old  citizens  who  were  wont  to  indulge  in 
pleasant  dreams  over  what  the  town  would 
some  day  be,  are  quietly  sleeping  their  last 
sleep.  The  boys  and  girls  of  those  early 
times  are  boys  and  girls  no  longer;  they  have 
taken  the  places  of  men  and  women  in  the 
ranks,  and  are  earnestly  endeavoring  to  do 
the  work  laid  out  for  them.  The  reflections, 
however,  of  what  they  were  in  their  youthful 
days,  can  be  seen  in  the  many  bright  and 
happy  faces  of  the  scholdrs  who  now  attend 
the  public  schools  Dm'ing  these  years — al- 
most a  third  or  a  centm-y — Effingham  has 
steadily  gained  in  financial  strength,  and  it  is 
to  day  one  of  the  solid  little  cities  of  South- 
ern Illinois.  Nature  has  laid  a  golden  offer- 
ing at  her  feet,  but  only  those  found  on  the 
siu'face  have  as  yet  been  utilized.  But  some 
day  in  the  future  she  may  muster  sufficient 
courage  to  investigate  the  mysteries  beneath 
her  feet,  and  when  once  the  light  of  day  is 
permitted  to  shine  upon  them,  a  trausfoi'ma- 
tion  of  the  town  may  take  place,  as  amazing, 
perhaps,  as  those  accomplished  by  Aladdin 
and  his  wonderful  lamp. 


CHAPTER    XIV.* 


SUMMIT    TOWN\SHIP— INTROUCTORY    AND    DESCRIPTIVE— TIMBER,    SURFACE    FEATURES,    ETC.- 
SETTLEMENT  OF  WHITE  PEOPLE— THEIR  ROUGH  LIFE    AND    HABITS— HUNTING  AS  A 
PASTIME— FIRST    SCHOOLS   AND    PRESENT    EDUCATIONAL    FACILITIES- 
EARLY  CHURCHES— PIONEER    PREACHERS,  ETC.— TOWNS    AND 
VILLAGES— THE   OLD    COUNTY   SEAT,    ETC.,    ETC. 

/~\LD  Times!  It  is  a  subject  that  wakes  in 
^-^  the  mind  of  the  aged  pioneer  a  feeling  of 
enthusiasm  for  the  free,  wild  life  of  the  fron- 
tier, when,  like  the  old  soldier,  he  will  sit 
down  with  you  by  the  quiet  fireside,  or  under 
the  friendly  shade  tree,  and  "  fight  his  battles 

*By  W.  H.  Perrin. 


o'er  again,"  and  tell  you, of  the  days  when 
he  went  forty  miles  to  mill,  riding  on  a  bag 
of  corn,  and  had  to  camp  at  the  mill  three  or 
four  days,  living  on  parched  corn  until  his 
"turn"  came  "to  grind;"  of  the  good  old 
days  when  you  could  go  out  in  the  morning 
and  kill  a  turkey  or  deer  for  breakfast,  and 


168 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


when  a  bushel  of  corn  passed  current  any- 
where for  a  gallon  of  whisky.  Those  were 
the  good  old  times  that  the  pioneer  will  tell 
you  were  better  than  the  present;  that  all 
men  were  not  only  "  free  and  equal,"  but  on 
the  most  intimate  terms  of  fi'iendship,  and 
the  word  neighbor  had  something  of  that 
broad  and  liberal  significance  given  to  it  by 
the  Man  of  Nazareth  nineteen  hundred  years 
ago.  As  he  recalls  the  pioneer  simplicity  of 
the  early  pei-iod,  he  will  sadly  shake  his  head, 
and  with  a  sigh,  tell  you  that  the  world  is 
going  to  the  devil  as  fast  as  the  "  unclogged 
wheels  of  time  can  roll  it  on."  Well,  we  all 
have  our  hobbies,  and  "  good  old  times  "  is 
the  pioneer's  hobby. 

Summit  Township,  the  subject  matter  of 
this  chapter,  lies  west  of  the  city  of  Effing- 
ham, and  is  mostly  a  fine  body  of  land.  It 
is  pretty  well  divided  between  prairie  and 
woodland,  the  latter  lying  contiguous  to  the 
"Wabash  River,  and  the  other  small  water 
courses,  principally  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
township,  while  the  weateru  part  is  a  broad 
rolling  prairie,  and  is  as  fine  land  "  as  ever  a 
crow  flew  over."  Along th-i  water  courses  in 
the  bottoms  were  a  heavy  growth  of  walnuts, 
sugar  maple,  burr  oak,  poplar,  Cottonwood, 
buckeye,  hackberry,  soft  maple,  etc.,  while  on 
the  ridges  were  to  be  found  in  profusion 
white  oak,  pin  oak,  post  oak,  red  oak  and  hick- 
ory. It  is  well  drained  by  the  Little  Wabash 
and  its  numerous  tributaries.  The  W^ abash 
flows  nearly  south  through  the  eastern  part, 
receiving  as  a  tributary  Blue  Point  Creek. 
This  latter  stream  rises  in  the  edge  of  Moc- 
casin Creek  Township,  and  flowing  almost 
southeast  through  Summit,  mingles  its  wa- 
ters with  the  Wabash  about  a  mile  north  of- 
the  old  town  of  Ewington,  and  receiving  in 
its  tortuous  course  several  small  and  name- 
less streams.  Funkhouser  Creek,  with  its 
tributary  of  Long  Branch,  are  small  streams 


in  the  southwestern  part  of  Summit  Town- 
ship. A  number  of  other  little  branches  and 
brooks  are  laid  down  on  the  maps,  but  they 
are  too  small  and  insignificant  to  have  names. 
They  contribute  their  part,  however,  toward 
the  natui-al  drainage  of  the  land  through 
which  they  flow.  Summit  originally  in- 
cluded the  present  township  of  Banner 
within  its  limits.  It  was  not  until  the 
June  term,  1874,  of  the  Supervisors'  Court, 
that  Banner  was  set  off  from  Summit. 
At  present.  Summit  Township  is  bounded 
on  the  north  by  Banner,  on  the  east  by 
Douglas,  on  the  south  by  Jackson,  on  the 
west  by  Moccasin,  and,  according  to  the  Con- 
gressional survey,  is  Township  8  north  and 
Range  5  east  of  the  Third  Principal  Meridi- 
an. It  is. well  adapted  to  agricultural  pur- 
poses, and  its  people  are  industrious  and  en- 
terprising farmers,  and  have  some  of  the 
best  and  most  productive  farms  in  the  coun- 
ty. It  is  well  supplied  with  railroads, 
though  there  are  not  many  shipping  points 
within  its  borders.  The  Vandalia  lino  and 
two  branches  of  the  Wabash  pass  through  it, 
but  only  the  Vandalia  has  a  station  and  ship- 
ping point. 

This  township  is  noted  for  having  con- 
tained the  first  county  seat  of  Effingham — 
the  town  of  Ewington.  At  this  place  once 
centered  the  business  enterprise  of  all  the 
surrounding  country,  and  congregated  the 
beauty,  the  wealth  and  intelligence  of  the 
county.     Like 

"Athens,  the  eye  of  Greece,  mother  of  arts 
Anil  eloquence,  native  to  famous  wits," 

it  was  the  glory  of  Effingham,  the  common 
center,  around  which  revolved  the  business, 
the  intelligence  and  the  moral  and  social  in- 
fluences. But,  like  everything  human,  it  had 
its  time  to  die.  The  removal  of  the  coi^nty 
seat  sealed  its  doom,  and  from  that  event  we 
may  date  its   "  decline   and  fall."     Its  mold- 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


169 


ering  turrets  and  broken  columns,  its  ruined 
palaces  and  temples,  are  but  another  les- 
son of  the  immutable  certainty  of  the  de- 
cay of  all  earthly  glory.  We  shall  have  more 
to  say  of  this  old  town  further  on  in  this 
chapter,  as  well  as  in  other  portions  of  this 
work. 

The  settlement  of  Summit  Township  dates 
back  more  than  half  a  century.  So  far  as  we 
can  definitely  learn,  the  first  whites  who 
straggled  in  here  came  about  the  year  1830 
Those  who,  it  is  claimed,  settled  within  the 
present  limits  of  Summit  in  that  j'ear,  were 
Alexander  McWhorter,  Robert  Moore,  John 
Trapp  and  the  Rentfros.  The  latter  were 
from  Tennessee,  and  consisted  of  T.  J.  Rent- 
fro,  Matt,  Jesse,  John,  Joseph  and  Eli,  all 
brothers.  T.  J.  and  Matt  Rentfi-o  are  still 
living  in  the  towasliip,  but  the  others  are 
long  since  dead  and  gone.  They  brought 
with  them  when  they  came  here  a  four-horse 
team  and  an  ox  team,  which  conveyed  all  their 
worldly  wealth  to  the  land  of  jsromise.  They 
settled  in  the  Little  Wabash  bottom,  a  short 
distance  north  of  Ewington,  or  rather,  where 
that  town  was  afterward  located.  Until  they 
could  provide  shelter  for  their  families  by 
the  erection  of  cabins,  they  occupied  a  de- 
serted Indian  camp,  which  was  on  what  is 
since  known  as  the  old  Reynolds  place.  This 
camp  was  made  of  linn  puncheons  pinned  to 
the  trees  with  woodea  pins,  and  at  the  time 
it  was  occupied  by  the  Rentfros,  although  in 
March  a  heavy  snow  covered  the  ground,  which 
rendered  it  rather  an  airy  habitation.  They 
built  cabins  on  the  hill  above  the  river  bot- 
tom at  a  spring,  as  the  Tennesseans  knew 
nothing  of  wells,  and  would  have  expected  to 
die  of  thirst  unless  every  cabin  was  supplied 
with  a  never-failing  spring.  They  tapped  a 
number  of  sugar  trees  as  soon  as  locatincr, 
and  made  considerable  sugar.  Joseph  was 
appointed  the  "  bread  finder."  and  if   he  did 


not,  like  his  namesake  of  old,  go  down  into 
Egypt  for  corn,  he  at  least  went  as  far 
as  Paris  on  horseback,  and  brought  back 
corn  or  meal  in- sacks.  During  the  first 
summer  the  Rentfros  lived  in  the  town- 
ship, they  cleared  a  small  piece  of  ground 
and  planted  a  "  patch"  of  corn,  and  also  of 
cotton.  The  latter,  however,  did  not  ma- 
ture, but  the  corn  did  well.  They  used  to 
pound  corn  in  a  mottar,  and  use  the  finest 
for  bread  and  the  coarser  for  hominy. 
Often,  when  pounding  meal  for  breakfast, 
they  would  be  answered  by  wild  turkeys,  gob- 
bling in  the  woods,  so  plenty  were  they  in 
those  days.  This  was  much  the  experience 
of  all  the  early  settlers  of  the  county,  as  well 
as  this  particular  section. 

Robert  Moore  was  from  the  South,  but  it 
is  not  known  whether  from  Kentucky  or  Ten- 
nessee. He  was  careful  and  prudent  in  his 
dealings,  and  accumulated  considerable  prop- 
erty— mostly  land.  Judge  Gillenwaters  has 
now  in  his  possession  a  grindstone  that  was 
brought  to  this  county  in  1830  by  Mr. 
Moore.  He  died  many  yeai's  ago,  and  his 
widow  married  a  man  who  spent  her  money 
as  rapidly  as  Mr.  Moore  had  made  it.  John 
Trapp  was  from  Tennessee,  and  belonged  to 
the  first  importation  of  settlers.  He  was  the 
second  Sheriff  of  the  county,  and  finally  lo- 
cated in  Effingham,  where  he  died.  Alex- 
ander McWhorter,  who  completes  the  list  of 
those  settling  in  the  township  in  1830,  was 
from  Tennessee,  and  came  here  a  young  man. 
Soon  after  coming,  however,  he  married  a 
Miss  Loy. 

The  next  year,  1831,  added  a  few  more 
families  to  the  little  settlement.  Amonc 
these  were  the  Loys,  William  J.  Hankins, 
John  Galloway,  William  Clark,  Gilbert,  who 
was  a  liquor  dealer  and  tavern  keeper,  Sey- 
mour Powell,  the  Reeds,  Shorts,  etc.,  etc. 
The  LovB  were  from  Alabama,  and  afterward 


170 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


moved  into  what  now  forms  Watson  Town- 
ship, where  many  descendants  still  reside. 
Hankins  came  from  Tennessee  and  settled 
first  in  Fayette  County,  but  in  that  portion 
which  was  cut  off  into  Effingham  at  the  time 
of  its  formation.  He  had  a  large  family, 
many  of  whom  still  live  in  Summit  Township, 
but  he  himself  is  long  since  dead.  Mr. 
Hankins  worked  on  the.  old  National  road 
and  built  the  bridge  where  it  crossed  the 
Little  Wabash  in  this  township.  He  is  more 
fully  noticed,  however,  in  a  preceding  chap- 
ter of  this  work-  John  Galloway  was  a  noted 
fiddler,  and  we  may  add  that,  like  the  ma- 
jority of  this  class  of  individuals,  he  was 
good  for  but  little  else.  He  did  not  remain 
long,  but,  with  his  fiddle  under  his  arm,  he 
started,  like  Ole  Bull,  for  a  "  farewell  tour" 
of  the  country,  and  was  never  more  heard  of. 
"William  Clark  came  fi'om  the  South  and 
lived  in  the  township  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  long  ago.  Gilbert  kept  a  saloon  or 
grocery,  as  they  were  then  called,  the  first 
shop  of  that  kind  perhaps  in  the  township. 
He  was  an  Eastern  man  and  quite  a  noted 
character  in  his  way.  One  day  he  borrowed 
a  horse  from  Judge  Gilleawaters  to  ride  to  a 
certain  place,  and  on  his  return  asked  Mr. 
Gillenwaters  what  he  charged  him  for  the 
horse,  to  which  he  replied  in  true  Southern 
style  and  with  pioneer  liberality  that  he 
loaned  him  the  horse  and  did  not  charge  him 
anything.  But  true  to  his  New  England  in- 
stincts, he  insisted  upon  paying  for  the  use 
of  the  hcrse,  while  Gillenwaters  as  steadily 
refused  to  accept  pay,  and  in  the  end  he  had 
his  way  about  it. 

The  Reeds  and  Shorts  did  not  remain  long 
in  the  township,  but,  like  little  Joe,  "moved 
on. "  Seymour  Powell  came  from  Tennessee. 
A  son.  Wash  Powell,  still  represents  thiis  old 
pioneer  in  Summit  Township. 

The  following  additional  settlers  moved  in 


prior  to  1835;  Joe  Gillespie,  Samuel  Parks, 
John  C.    Spriggs,   Thomas  J.    Gillenwaters, 
Dr.  John  Gillenwaters,  William   H.  Blakely, 
Byron    Whitfield,    Michael    Beem,    Samuel 
White  and  others.     Gillespie  Was  from  Ala- 
bama,  and   was   the   first   County  Clerk   of 
Effingham  County.     Samuel  Parks  was  from 
Tennessee  and  settled  here  in  1834.     He  was 
one    of    Effingham's    first   County    Judges. 
Spriggs  was  the  first  Circuit  Clerk,  but  after- 
ward moved  to  Springfield.      Judge  Gillen- 
waters came  from  Tennessee  in  1833,  and  is 
now  a  resident  of  Effingham,    and   is  well 
known   throughout  the  county.     He  settled 
on  the  old  Cumberland  road  near  Ewington, 
vyhere  he  kej^t  tavern  many  years.      Dr.  Gil- 
lenwaters was  also  from   Tennessee,  and  was 
a  p)hysician,    the    first   perhaps    in    Summit 
Township,  or   in  the  county.     He  came  here 
before  there  were  enou  h  people  in  the  sur- 
rounding country  to  support  a  doctor,  and  so 
he  had  to  turn  his  attention  to  other  pursuits 
to  make  a  living,  and  became  the  first  peda- 
gogue in  the  neighborhood,  as  well   as  the 
first  physician.      He  has   been    dead    many 
years.     Death  is  no  respector  of  persons,  but 
takes  the  physician   as  well  as  his  patient, 
and  "  six  feet  of  earth  make  us  all  one  size. " 
William  H.  Blakely  came  from  New  York,  and 
is  said  to  have  been  a  man  of  more  than  or- 
dinary intelligence.     He  was  the  exact  oppo- 
site of  much  of  the  larger  portion  of  the  pio- 
neers who  had   preceded  him,  and  was  very 
precise   and  methodical    in   his  habits    and 
business  transactions.      The  county  sent  him 
to  the  Legislature  and  also  elected  him  to 
the  Constitutional  Convention.     He  kept  the 
first  store  in  Summit  Townshiji,  and  has  been 
dead  for  a  number  of  years,  but  his  widow 
still   lives  on   the    homestead   just   west   of 
Ewington.        Judge    Gillenwaters    says    the 
first  cooking  stove  he   ever  saw  was  brought 
here  by  Mr.  Blakely,  and  so  great  a  cm'iosity 


^'J .  (9uuAl  eyf((>JJ  ^^f^-^O^  cJ;f^^ 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


173 


was  it  that  people  came  for  miles  and  miles 
to  see  it.  Whitfield  was  an  early  settler  near 
Ewiagt(5n,  where  he  carried  on  a  store,  which 
was  owned,  however,  by  a  man  named  Lynn. 
Samuel  White  was  a  pioneer  school  teacher, 
and  taught  the  second  school  in  the  town- 
ship. Michael  Beem  came  from  Ohio.  He 
lived  here  some  twenty-five  years,  then  moved 
to  the  north  part  of  the  county,  and  now  lives 
in  the  city  of  Effingham. 

This  brings  the  settlement  down  to  1835, 
a  period  when  people  were  pouring  into  the 
county  so  rapidly  that  it  is  impossible  to  keep 
up  with  them.  The  rich  lands  attracted  the 
farmer  and  agriculturist,  the  profusion  of 
game  brought  the  hunter,  while  the  law,  or 
rather  the  absence  of  pretty  muah  all  law, 
rendered  it  for  a  time  a  kind  of  safe  resting 
place  for  those  fleeing  from  justice.  The 
latter  class,  however,  did  not  remain  long  in 
the  community,  but  left  it  for  its  good.  As  the 
better  elements  of  society  prevailed,  the  rough 
class  were  forced  ^o  flee  farther  West.  Thus 
the  hard  characters  are  kept  upon  the  verge 
of  civilization.  Fifty  years  ago,  when  the 
first  settlers  came  to  the  countj'  of  Effingham, 
it  was  not  the  civilized  land  that  it  is  now. 
There  were  no  railroads,  no  productive  farms, 
no  pleasant  homes,  no  churches,  no  school - 
houses,  with  their  refining  influences,  bat  on 
every  hand  an  almost  impenetrable  wilder- 
ness, in  which  wild  and  savjige  beasts  roamed 
at  will  and  disputed  the  white  man's  right  to 
the  country.  The  rod  sons  of  the  forest  still 
lingered  in  numbers  loath  to  give  up  their 
rich  hunting-grounds,  and,  though  compara- 
tively friendly  toward  the  whites,  were  scarce- 
ly to  be  fully  trusted.  With  all  these  obsta- 
cles to  be  surmounted,  and  the  numerous 
difficulties  suiTouuding  them  to  be  overcome, 
it  seems  needless  to  say  that  the  first  years  of 
occupation  by  the  whites  were  years  of  toil, 
privation   and  self-denial.      When   they  left 


their  homes  beyond  the  Ohio,  they  left  com- 
fort and  civilization  behind  them — bade  fare- 
well to  ease  aud  luxury  and  entered  upon  a 
life  of  hardship^  that  must  at  the  least  last 
for  a  number  of  years.  Their  first  years  here 
was  a  struggle  for  existence — a  fight  with 
beasts,  reptiles  and  insects,  and  verily,  the 
latter  were  not  the  least  dreaded  foe.  None, 
whose  recollection  extends  back  forty  or  fifty 
years,  but  i-emember  the  green-head  flies, 
those  little  monsters  that  rendered  stock  fran- 
tic, and  prevented  the  farmer  from  plowing 
a  large  portion  of  the  day  because  his  horses 
became  unmanageable  under  the  tormenting 
power  of  the  flies.  Other  troubles  and  an- 
noyances beset  their  paths  and  met  them  at 
every  turn.  To  procure  the  necessaries  of 
life  often  taxed  their  utmost  capacity.  The 
forest  furnished  an  abundance  of  game,  but 
meat  without  bread  or  salt,  while  it  may  sat- 
isfy hunger,  is  far  from  palatable.  Bread- 
stuff was  scarce  and  not  easily  obtained. 
Many  went  to  the  "  Big  Prairie, "  as  it  was 
termed,  beyond  Paris,  for  corn,  which  was 
then  pounded  in  a  mortar,  for  there  were  no 
mills  near  by.  Clothing  was  another  tax 
upon  the  settler's  ingenuity.  Much  of  that 
worn  by  the  men  were  made  of  the  skins  of 
wild  animals,  while  that  of  women  was  man- 
ufactured at  home,  from  cotton  and  flax  raised 
by  their  own  hands.  Everything  else  was 
in  keeping  and  was  as  primitive  in  style  as 
the  food  and  clothing.  But  with  passing 
years,  improvement  came  in  every  degree  of 
life  and  in  every  line  of  industry.  The 
country  has  grown  wealthy  and  productive, 
the  wilderness  has  "  rejoiced  and  blossomed 
as  the  rose,"  and  the  people  are  civilized,  re- 
fined, intelligent  and  happy. 

The  first  birth,  death  and  marriage  are  al- 
ways matters  of  considerable  importance  in 
a  new  settlement.  They  cannot,  however, 
always  be  given  with  certainty.     The  first 


174 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


birth  in  Summit  Township  is  lost  in  the 
mists  of  obscurity,  but  that  there  was  not 
only  a  first  one,  but  that  it  was  followed  by 
many  others,  is  indicated  by  the  present 
population.  The  first  marriage  is  supposed 
to  have  been  Alexander  McWhorter  and  a 
Miss  Loy.  He  came  to  the  township,  a 
young  man,  in  1830,  the  year  the  first  settle- 
ments were  made,  and,  in  1836,  married  Miss 
Loy,  as  above  noted,  and  no  one  remembers 
an  earlier  marriage.  The  angel  of  death 
came  first  to  old  "  Grandaddy  "  Hankins,  the 
father  of  William  Hankins.  He  was  an  old 
man  when  he  came  to  the  settlement,  totter- 
ing on  the  brink  of  the  grave,  and  survived 
the  rigors  of  the  climate  but  a  short  time. 
He  was  the  first  one  buried  in  the  graveyard 
at  Ewington,  since  the  resting-place  of  many 
of  the  pioneers.  Most  of  the  first  settlers 
have  followed  him  to  the  land  of  dreams,  and 
the  few  that  are  left,  stand  among  their  fel- 
lows "  like  the  scattered  stalks  that  remain  in 
the  field  when  the  tempest  has  passed  over 
it." 

The  old  National  road,  or  old  "  Cumber- 
land "  road,  as  better  known,  passed  through 
the  southern  part  of  this  towns\iip,  near 
where  the  Vandalia  Kailroad  now  runs. 
Along  this  old  National  road  the  first  busi- 
ness  enterprises  were  begun.  On  this  road 
the  first  taverns  were  kept,  the  first  goods 
nold  and  the  first  shops  established.  A  man 
named  Reed,  mentioned  among  the  early  uet- 
tlers,  kept  the  first  tavern.  At  least  it  was 
as  near  approach  to  a  tavern  as  the  keeping 
of  a  few  boarders  could  be.  From  keeping 
boarders,  he  got  to  taking  in  the  wayfaring 
man  and  travelers  generally,  and  finally  his 
place  was  called  a  tavern.  Judge  Gilleu- 
waters  kept  a  tavern  on  this  old  National 
thoroughfare,  a  little  west  of  Ewington,  from 
the  time  of  his  settlement  there  in  1833  until 
his  removal  to  Effingham.     Charles  Kinzie 


kept  a  tavern  later  in  the  town  of  Ewington. 
He  was,  as  will  be  seen  by  a  sketch  on  an- 
other page,  a  man  of  eccentricities  and  pecu- 
liarities. The  first  goods  sold  in  the  town- 
ship were  sold  here  by  William  H.  Blakely, 
who  opened  a  store  soon  after  his  settlement. 
A  man  named  Fisher  is  believed  to  have  been 
the  first  blacksmith,  or  among  the  first.  He 
was  not  much  of  a  workman,  but  sufficient 
for  that  day.  Henry  Bailey  "  tinkered  a 
little  at  smithing,"  about  the  same  time. 
Other  industries  sprang  up,  and  then  Ewing- 
ton was  laid  out  and  business  was  then  con- 
centrated in  the  town  instead  of  being  scat- 
tered for  miles  along  the  National  road. 

Mills  were  a  necessity  that  was  not  sup- 
plied for  several  years  after  the  first  settle- 
ments were  made.  Says  Mr.  Rentfro:  "  The 
corn  was  pounded  in  wooden  mortars,  or  in  a 
stump  which  had  been  scooped  out  for  the 
purpose.  A  pole  was  attached  to  this,  wliich 
worked  something  after  the  fashion  of  a  well- 
swoep."  They  would  rise  in  the  morning 
and  make  meal  by  this  "  patent  process  "  for 
bi'eakfast.  In  a  few  years  a  horse-mill  was 
built  on  the  Okaw,  thirty -five  miles  distant. 
To  this  mill  Mr.  Rentfro  says  the  people 
used  to  go  from  this  neighborhood  to  get  corn 
ground,  and  sometimes  had  to  remain  four 
or  five  days,  sleeping  in  the  mill  at  night  and 
living  on  jiarched  corn.  The  journey  to  mill 
was  made  by  ox  team  across  the  prairies  and 
on  horseback.  It  often  looked  like  a  camp- 
meeting  at  the  mill,  with  so  many  people  en 
camped  about  it.  The  first  mill  built  in 
Summit  Township  was  a  saw-mill,  about 
1832-33,  and  stood  near  Ewington.  It  is 
not  Icnown  now  who  biiilt  it,  but  it  was  being 
run  by  a  man  named  Mcintosh  when  Judge 
Gillenwaters  came.  Reed  built  a  horse-mill 
in  Ewington,  the  tirst  grist  mill,  a  few  years 
later.  There  were  never  any  mills  of  much 
note,  except  saw-mills,  in  the  township,  and 


HISTORY   OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


175 


the  people  had  to  go  elsewhere  for  their  mill- 
ing. A  niimbor  of  good  saw-mills  and 
several  steam  saw-mills  have  flourished  at 
different  periods. 

The  first  road  laid  out  through  Summit 
Township  was  from  Ewington  to  the  county 
line  in  the  direction  of  Witherspoon's  Mill, 
in  Shelby  County.  The  next  was  a  road  run- 
ning from  Fairfield  to  Shelbyville,  via 
Ewington.  The  old  Cumberland  or  National 
road  passed  through  the  township,  and  was 
a  great  thoroughfare  in  its  time.  A  full  his- 
tory of  it  is  given  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
The  first  bridge  was  built  over  the  Little 
Wabash  when  this  road  crossed  it.  It  was  a 
poor  affair,  and  was  soon  washed  away. 
Another  bridge  was  built  about  1838-40  and 
was  a  toll-bridge.  That  is,  all  living  outside 
of  the  county  had  to  pay  toll  for  crossing  on 
it.  In  1847,  it  was  made  free  by  act  of  the 
Legislature,  to  take  effect  ten  years  later. 
This  bridge  was  washed  away  about  the  year 
1872-73,  and  has  never  been  rebuilt.  •  A 
good  bridge  spans  the  Wabash  some  two 
miles  north  of  where  this  one  was  washed 
away,  and  is  used  extensively  during  high 
water.  The  first  mail  which  came  to  the 
citizens  of  Summit  was  a  weekly  mail  over 
the  National  road  from  Terro  Haute  to  St. 
Louis.  Another  mail  was  soon  established 
from  Fairfield  to  Shelbyville.  which  passed 
through  Ewington. 

The  name  of  "  Summit "  was  bestowed  on 
the  township  at  the  time  of  township  organi- 
zation, on  account  of  the  elevated  nature  of 
the  larger  portion  of  the  land  within  its 
limits,  and  because  in  reruin  natura,  every- 
thing must  have  a  name,  and  "  Summit "  ap- 
peared to  the  "  Committee  on  Internal  Rela- 
tions "  as  well  adapted  to  this  township  as 
any  name  in  their  vocabulary. 
GThe  settlers  of  Summit  Township  gave  their 
attention  early  to  education.      The  first  school 


was  taught  by  Dr.  John  Gillenwaters.  He 
came  to  the  country  a  full-fledged  phy- 
sician, for  the  purpose  of  practicing  his  pro- 
fession, but  there  was  nobody  for  him  to  ex- 
periment on,  owing  to  the  sparsely  settled 
country,  so  he  taught  the  few  children  within 
reach.  He  was  a  good  scholar,  and  Judge 
Gillenwaters  told  him  to  go  ahead  and  teach, 
and  he  would  see  that  he  was  paid  for  his 
services.  The  schools  were  all  supported  by 
subscription  until  1838,  when  we  find  on  the 
township  records  the  following  edict: 

The  reaitlentsof  this  township  shall  each  piiy  the 
Slim  of  two  dollars  per  quarter  for  each  scholar  they 
send  to  school,  and  non-residents  shall  pay  the  sum 
of  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  per  quarter  for  eacli 
scholar  they  may  send. 

T.  J.  Gillenwaters,  President  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  August  17,  1838. 

Thus  education  in  the  township  in  a  small 
way  commenced,  and  has  grown  gradually  to 
its  present  excellent  and  high  standard. 

Dr.  Gillenwaters  taught  until  his  medical 
practice  justified  him  in  devoting  his  whole 
time  to  it.  Samuel  White  was  the  next  teacher 
after  him.  Mr.  White  taught  two  terms  in  a 
part  of  Judge  Gillenwater's  house,  before  the 
neighborhood  had  become  sufficiently  strong 
and  able  to  build  a  schoolhouse.  As  the  set- 
tlements increased  in  population  and  the 
township  in  wealth  and  prosperity,  educa- 
tional facilities  expanded  to  suit  the  wants 
of  the  times,  until  at  the  present  day  we  find 
a  numbHr  of  good  comfortable  schoolhouses 
dotting  the  township  at  intervals,  and  of  ca- 
pacity to  satisfy  the  wants  of  the  youth  of 
the  respective  neighborhoods.  The  houses 
and  districts  support  excellent  schools  bj^  com- 
petent teachers  for  the  usual  period  each  year. 

Church  history,  like  the  educational  his- 
tory of  the  township,  dates  back  prior  to  the 
building  of  churches.  The  first  preacher  in 
the  settlement  was  an  old  wheel-horse  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  whose  name  is  forgotten 


176 


HISTORY   OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


He  was  succeeded  by  a  rather  young  man 
named  Chamberlain,  who  worked  zealously 
in  his  Master's  cause  and  preached  "  in  sea- 
son and  out  of  season  "  for  the  purpose  of 
building  up  the  cause  of  religion  in  the  wil- 
derness. Hia  appointment  to  this  frontier 
field  came  about  in  this  wise:  The  old 
preacher  first  mentioned  left  the  circuit  be- 
fore his  year  was  out,  and  some  time  after  a 
man  stopped  at  Gillenwaters'  tavern  who 
bore  a  kind  of  ministerial  appearance,  but, 
like  many  of  his  kind,  was  somewhat  reti- 
cent in  his  manner.  Gillenwaters  finally 
asked  him  if  he  was  not  a  preacher  on  his 
way  to  conference,  and  after  a  moment  of 
hesitation  the  man  acknowledged  that  he  was 
the  Presiding  Elder  of  the  district.  Gillen- 
waters then  asked  him  to  send  them  a  preach- 
er, for  they  needed  one  badly.  He  promised 
to  do  all  he  could  for  them.  The  result  was 
that  Chamberlain  was  sent.  His  circuit  ex- 
tended as  far  north  as  Paris  and  to  Shelby- 
ville,  and  east  to  Greenup,  and  equally  as 
far  in  other  directions.  The  first  society  was 
organized  by  Rev.  Chamberlain  at  the  resi- 
dence of  Judge  Gillenwaters.  His  house 
was  used  as  a  preaching  place  for  four  or  five 
years,  when  the  society  moved  to  the  court 
house  in  Ewington.  Afterward  a  camp 
ground  was  occupied  for  a  number  of  years 
norih  of  the  present  city  of  Effingham.  After 
Chamberlain,  an  old-time  Methodist  prerxher 
named  Blondell  was  on  the  circuit  for  a  time, 
but  he  has  been  dead  for  years. 

The  first  church  edifice  built  in  the  town- 
ship, perhaps,  was  a  log  structure  in  the 
north  part,  on  Section  2,  and  was  free  to  all 
denominations;  likewise  was  used  for  school 
purposes.  It  was  a  log  building  and  erected 
in  1852.  It  was  long  used  for  school  and 
church  pm-poses,  then  sold  and  moved  away 
and  converted  into  a  bai-n.  In  the  mean- 
time, Ebenezer  Methodist  Episcopal   Church 


had  been  organized,  and  after  the  old  log 
church  had  been  sold  and  moved  away,  they 
set  about  the  erection  of  a  new  church.  This 
was  accomplished  in  18(59,  at  a  cost  of  SG44 
in  money,  and  donations  in  material  and  la- 
bor sufficient  to  increase  the  cost  to  about 
$1,000.  The  membership  is  about  sixty,  and 
the  present  pastor  is  Rev.  H.  K.  Jones.  An 
interesting  Sunday  school  is  maintained. 

Good  Hope  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
was  built  in  the  fall  of  1868,  and  cost  some 
$600.  The  church  grew  out  of  a  Sunday 
school  which  was  organized  the  previous 
spring  by  Mrs.  Capt.  Hyden  under  an  ajiple 
tree  at  her  home.  The  Sunday  school  was 
held  there  for  a  few  times,  and  then  moved 
to  a  sehoolhonse  near  by,  where  it  thrived  so 
well  that  it  was  resolved  to  build  a  church. 
This  resolution  led  to  the  organization  of  a 
church  society  and  the  building  of  Good 
Hope  Church.  It  was  a  frame  building  and 
was  burned  about  the  year  1871.  The  next 
year  another  house  was  built  upon  the  same 
spot,  also  a  frame,  and  costing  about  $600. 
It,  too,  was  burned  in  1875  or  1876.  Both 
it  and  its  predecessor  were  supposed  to  have 
been  fired  by  an  incendiary.  When  the  last 
one  was  bu.rned  the  society  had  about  ceased 
to  exist.  No  regular  preaching  was  had  and 
no  Sunday  school.  A  man  was  going  to 
move  into  it,  and  thus  convert  it  into  a  resi- 
dence. The  night  before  this  sacrilege  was 
to  be  committed,  the  church  burned  down 
and  to  this  time  it  has  not  been  rebuilt. 

Blue  Point  Bajstist  Church  was  built  in 
1872.  The  land  on  which  it  stands  was 
deeded  to  the  Trustees  by  P.  C.  and  S.  F. 
Hankins  for  church  purposes.  The  chiu'ch 
was  organized  several  years  before  the  house 
was  built,  in  a  schoolhouse  which  stood  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  church.  It  is  a 
frame  building,  and  cost,  in  money  and  work, 
perhaps  $1,200.     Elder  T.  M.  Griffith  is  the 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


177 


present  pastor  of  the  church,  and  the  mem- 
bership is  about  seventy-five  or  eighty,  many 
having  died  and  others  moved  away.  The 
Sunday  school  is  kept  up  all  the  year. 

Dowell  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South 
was  built  about  1874-75,  and  is  a  frame 
structure.  A.  B.  Dowell  was  instrumental  in 
its  organization  and  erection,  and  hence  it 
has  always  been  known  as  the  "  Dowell 
Church."  The  land  upon  which  it  stands 
was  deeded  to  the  church  by  William  Blakely 
for  that  purpose.  The  cost  of  the  building 
was  about  $000  in  money,  while  nearly  as 
much  more  was  contributed  in  work.  There 
are  now  no  regular  church  services  or  Sunday 
school.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Jones  preaches  occa- 
sionally to  the  congregation. 

Villages. — More  than  one  village  has  been 
laid  out  in  Summit  Township  since  its  settle- 
ment by  white  people,  but  all,  except  one, 
have  disappeared,  leaving  little  trace  to  show 
us  where  or  when  or  how  they  went.  Upon 
their  ruins  the  word  "  Ichabod  "  is  written, 
and  tells  to  the  passing  traveler  their  story 
in  brief. 

Ewington,  the  original  county  seat  of 
E£Bngham  County,  was  situated  on  Section 
35  of  this  township,  and  was  laid  out  on  the 
land  donated  to  the  county  by  Joseph  and 
James  Duncan  for  public  buildings.  It  was 
surveyed  and  platted  September  5,  1835,  by 
William  J.  Uankins,  County  Surveyor,  and 
was  named  for  Gen.  W.  L.  D.  Ewing,  one  of 
the  tii'st  lawyers  who  practiced  in  this  county. 

The  first  house  erected  in  Ewington  was  a 
little  like  Bradsby's  first  birth  in  the  county: 
it  was  several — log  cabins  or  shanties — which 
had  been  put  up  by  the  hands  engaged  in 
building  the  National  road.  This  cluster  of 
cabins,  perhajjs,  led  to  the  town  being  located 
upon  that  particular  spot.  A  store  was 
opened  as  soon  as  the  town  was  laid  out,  by 
William  H.  Blakely,  and  who,  it  is  contended 


by  some,  had  the  first  store  in  the  county. 
He  had  opened  a  store  a  little  farther  west, 
near  the  present  village  of  Funkhouser,  and 
when  Ewington  was  laid  out  and  become  the 
seat  of  justice  of  the  county,  he  moved  his 
store  to  the  new  town.  He  carried  on  busi- 
ness here  for  a  number  of  years.  The  next 
stores  were  kept  by  Judge  Parks  and  Judge 
Gillenwaters.  After  them  came  Lynn,  who 
opened  the  largest  stock  of  goods  yet  brought 
to  the  town.  He  did  not  live  in  Ewington 
himself,  the  store  being  operated  by  Mr. 
Whitfield.  Other  stores  followed  as  they 
were  needed,  and  Ewington  became  quite  a 
business  town. 

A  tavern  was  opened  by  Eli  Cook,  the  first 
in  the  village,  and  was  really  kept  as  such 
before  the  town  was  laid  out.  The  next  was 
kept,  perhaps,  by  Samuel  Fleming,  well 
known  as  a  pioneer  tavern-keej)er  of  the 
county,  and  whose  widow  now  owns  the 
Fleming  House  of  Effingham.  One  of  the 
popular  hotels  of  Ewington  was  kept  by 
Charles  Kinzoy,  but  he  came  upon  the  scene 
at  a  later  date. 

Kinzey,  who  was  a  remarkable  character, 
deserves  more  than  a  casual  mention  in  the 
history  of  Ewington.  He  came  to  the  county 
some  time  before  work  was  commenced  on  the 
Hiinoig  Central  Eailroad,  in  1852.  He  was 
from  the  city,  was  city  born  and  city  bred, 
and  brought  with  him  all  the  airs  of  city  life. 
He  was  arrayed  in  "purple  and  fine  linen  and 
fared  sumj^tuously  every  day,"  or,  in  other 
words,  wsre  good  clothes,  a  plug  hat,  patent 
leather  boots  and  had  the  appearance  gener- 
ally of  having  just  dropped  out  of  a  band- 
box. He  was  of  medium  heiglit,  had  a  com- 
manding form,  drove  fast  horses  and  the 
finest  "  rigs  "  hitherto  seen  in  the  county, 
and  prided  himself  iipon  all  these  good 
things  and  enjoying  them  as  only  one  can  do 
who  has   been   brought  up  with  them.     He 


178 


HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


opened  a  hotel  in  Bwington  when  it  was  in 
the  zenith  of  its  glory.  It  was  marvelous  in 
its  metropolitan  character,  and  it  was  as  ele- 
gant and  sumptuous  as  Kinzey  was  in  his 
dress  and  habits.  His  first  wife  was  an  ele- 
gant and  handsome  English  woman,  and,  ac- 
cording to  all  reports  and  traditions,  some- 
what of  a  shrew.  When  Charley,  as  he  wa^ 
familiarly  called,  took  his  lordly  sprees,  she 
would  follow  him  and  beard  the  lion  in  his 
den,  and  in  the  saloon,  gambling  room,  or 
wherever  she  happened  to  light  upon  him, 
she  collared  him  and  trotted  him  home,  as  a 
mother  would  do  a  truant  child  caught  in 
some  petty  mischief.  Sometimes  she  stepped 
in  on  him  unceremoniously,  with  a  long  car 
riage  whip  in  her  hand,  an  instrument  she 
could  handle  with  groat  dexterity,  as  he  knew 
to  his  cost,  and  with  this  she  would  larrup 
him  all  the  way  home,  or,  after  getting  him 
home,  would  lock  him  in  a  room,  strip  him  to 
his  shirt,  then  give  him  what  Paddy  did  the 
drum,  the  devil,  until  he  cried  for  quarter,  or 
buried  himself  in  the  bed  clothes. 

He  was  passionately  fond  of  horse-racing, 
and,  indeed,  of  all  kinds  of  gambling.  Often 
he  would  get  a  few  sports  and  kindred  spirits 
in  a  room  of  his  tavern,  and  play  "  draw  "  as 
long  as  he  was  successful.  But  no  sooner 
did  luck  turn  against  him  than  by  some  in- 
tuition his  wife  stepped  in,  and,  with  the 
long  carriage  whip,  sent  him  howling  from 
the  room  like  a  whipped  cur.  Such  incidents 
led  to  the  insinuation  that  his  wife  had  a 
"  peeping  place,"  and  as  long  as  "  Charley" 
scooped  in  the  ducats,  she  suffered  the  game 
to  go  on;  but  no  sooner  did  fortune  frown 
upon  him  than  she  summarily  blocked  the 
game  as  above  described,  and  sent  him  smart- 
ing to  bed. 

Kinzey,  as  we  have  said,  was  smart,  well- 
bred,  naturally  a  "city  man,"  and  nothing 
was  more  incongruous  than  his   appearance 


here,  in  what  was  then  the  most  intense  back- 
woods community  to  be  found.  The  people 
could  not  understand  him,  and  he  looked 
down  upon  them  with  the  most  unbounded 
contempt.  He  was  extremely  fond  of  prac- 
tical joking,  and  in  this  it  was  a  game  of 
"give  and  take."  The  following  is  an  illus- 
tration:  A  man  with  whom  he  was  at  bitter 
enmity  called  him  up  once  at  midnight  on  a 
very  cold  night,  and  made  a  long  apology  for 
asking  his  enemy  for  a  favor,  but  was  com- 
pelled to  do  BO,  assuring  him  that  he  was  a 
man  of  too  much  sense  uot  to  understand  the 
needs  of  the  case.  Kinzey  eagerly  inquired 
what  h6  wanted,  and  when  the  fellow  could 
no  longer  delay,  he  answered:  "I'm  a  candi- 
date for  Constable;  have  to  have  it;  it's  a 
ground-hog  case,  and  now  if  you  will  only 
aoree  to  vote  against  me  it  will  elect  mo  cer- 
tain  siure."  Kinzey  enjoyed  this  joke  im- 
mensely, and  good-naturedly  asked  the  fel- 
low who  sent  him  and  who  made  up  the  joke 
for  him.  So  cunningly  and  skillfully  did  he 
work  upon  him  that  the  fellow  confessed  the 
boys  of  the  village  had  concocted  the  joke, 
and  he  had  only  carried  out  instructions. 

The  young  folks  of  Ewington  one  daj'  took 
advantage  of  the  first  snow  to  have  a  sleigh 
ride,  and  numberless  sleighs  of  all  kinds 
were  out  enjoying  the  sport.  Kinzey  was 
full  as  a  tick,  as  the  saying  goes,  and  hitched 
up  his  splendid  trotters,  putting  every  bell, 
cow-bell,  dinner-bell,  etc.,  he  could  raise  on 
them,  until  he  had  a  dozen  or  two  of  differ- 
ent sizes  and  tones.  He  then  hitched  his  team 
to  an  old  dry  cow-skin,  with  the  hairy  side 
down.  On  this  he  squatted,  Indian  fashion, 
and  dashed  into  the  streets  under  whip.  In 
five  minutes  he  had  run  off  every  horse  and 
sleigh  that  was  out;  some  of  the  horses  were 
so  frightened  that  they  tore  everything  to 
pieces  tumbling  the  young  folks  out  into  the 
snow  drifts.      Here  and  there  and  everywhere 


HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


179 


went  Kinzey,  sometimes  sitting  flat  on  the 
cow-skin,  sometimes  dragging  on  the  ground, 
then  bouncing  back  on  the  skin  and  whoop- 
ing and  yelling,  pell-mell  through  the  town, 
until  the  "  storm  was  spent  through  the  force 
of  its  own  fury." 

His  hotel  was  finally  burned,  and,  having 
a  great  many  enemies,  the  fact  of  its  de- 
struction gave  rise  to  stories  rather  detri- 
mental to  his  honor  and  credit  in  the  com- 
munity, but  what  grounds  there  were  for  the 
reports  is  not  known. 

In  company  with  Sam  Winters,  Kinzey 
took  a  company  of  about  400  men  to  the 
army.  He  went  to  St.  Louis  with  them, 
where  he  made  strong  efforts  to  get  them  into 
different  Missouri  regiments.  After  many 
failures  and  disappointments,  he  left  St. 
Louis,  and  under  promises  of  Illinois 
Colonels,  went  to  Springfield,  whei'e  he  was  ar- 
rested and  kept  in  prison  for  months.  He 
was  finally  released  at  St.  Louis,  where  he 
fell  into  the  hands  of  Frank  Blair,  with 
whom  he  went  to  W^ashington  City.  Blair 
had  him  appointed  Lieutenant  in  the  regu- 
lar army,  secured  his  liack  pay,  amounting  to 
some  $5,000,  together  with  an  order  for  him 
to  go  and  take  his  men  wherever  he  might 
find  t'  em,  and  fill  up  his  regiment,  if  ho 
could,  for  the  regulai-  service.  Here  we  will 
leave  him,  and  retornous  a  nos  moutons,  or, 
as  we  might  say  in  English,  return  to  other 
mutton-heads  of  Ewintrton. 

o 

The  first  "grocery" — what  we  call  in  this  en- 
lightened day,  "saloon,"  "gin-mill,"  "whisky 
shop,"  "groggery,"  etc.,  was  kept  by  one 
Charles  Gilkey.  It  is  told  of  him  that  in  order 
to  make  a  barrel  of  whisky  last  as  long  as  pos 
sible,  he  would  keep  filling  it  up  with  water 
and  putting  in  a  little  tobacco  to  color  it. 
This  plan  might  be  followed  now,  not  only 
with  success,  but  with  beneficial  results,  as 
tobacco  is  said  to  be  an  antidote  for  some  of 
the  strongest  poison. 


A  post  ofiSee  was  established  about  the 
year  1835,  and  William  J.  Hankins  was  ap- 
pointed Postmaster.  Hankins  at  one  time 
held  all  the  offices  in  the  county,  and,  like 
Alexander  the  Great,  he  wept  that  there  were 
no  more  offices  for  him  to  hold.  He  was  a 
Justice  of  tho  Peace,  Surveyor,  Postmaster, 
Clerk  of  the  Court,  and  held  a  number  of 
other  offices  "  too  tedious  to  mention."  Judge 
Gillenwaters  says  he  was  a  great  hunter,  and 
when  meat  run  short  in  the  neighborhood, 
Hankins  would  mount  his  old  "sway-backed" 
sorrel  horse,  take  his  old  fliut-lock  rifle  on 
his  shoulder,  and,  starting  out  at  daylight, 
would  usually  return  in  a  few  hom-s  with 
two  or  throo  deer,  or  as  many  turkeys  as  his 
old  horse  could  carry. 

The  first  school  in  Ewington  has  already 
been  described  under  the  schools  of  the  town- 
ship. It  was  taught  in  a  room  of  a  private 
residence.  Some  years  later,  a  schoolhouse 
was  built  in  connection  with  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  the  upper  story  being  used  by  the 
Masons  as  a  lodge  room,  and  the  lower  story 
as  a  schoolhouse.  The  Masonic  Lodge  was 
organized  in  l854,  mainly  through  the  in- 
strumentality of  Dr.  James  M.  Long,  who 
was  the  first  master.  It  was  organized  as 
Ewington  Lodge,  U.  D.,  but  was  chartered 
as  Ewington  Lodge,  No.  149.  After  the  re- 
moval of  the  county  seat,  together  with  most 
of  the  town,  the  lodge  was  also  moved  to 
Effingham,  where  it  still  flourishes  and  is 
more  fully  mentioned. 

The  history  of  Ewington's  manufaetm'ing 
interests  is  brief  and  soon  told.  They  con- 
sisted of  a  horse-mill  and  acarding-machine, 
the  latter  run  by  Anthony  Rhodes.  These, 
with  a  few  blacksmith,  wagon  and  other 
shops  constituted,  outside  of  its  mercantile 
trade,  its  entire  business  industries.  As  a 
flourishing  trade  center,  though,  equal,  per- 
haps, to  a  majority  of  towns  of  its  size  at 
that  day,  it  amounted  to  but  little. 


180 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


Ewington  was  incorporated  as  a  village 
under  the  law,  and,  on  the  10th  of  April, 
1855,  the  first  Board  of  Trustees  was  elected 
as  follows:  D.  S.  Mitchell,  H.  H.  Wric^rht,  A. 
G.  Hughes,  W.  T.  N.  Fisher  and  Josephus 
Scoles.  The  following  iron-clad  oath  was 
administered  to  the  Trustees  by  Thomas  Loy, 
Clerk  of  the  Court,  before  they  were  allowed 
to  take  upon  themselves  the  dignity  of  the 
"city  fathers."  "  I "  (here  follows  the  names  of 
each)  "  do  hereby  solemnly  swear  that  I  will 
support  the  constitution  of  the  United  States 
and  of  this  State,  and  that  I  will  discharge 
the  duties  of  trustees  of  incorporation  of  the 
town  of  Ewington  tn  the  best  of  my  ability, 
and  further  swear,  that  I  have  not  fought  a 
duel,  nor  sent  a  challenge  to  figb  t  a  duel,  the 
probable  result  of  which  might  have  been  the 
death  of  either  party,  nor  in  any  manner  aid- 
ed or  assisted  in  such  dael,  nor  have  been 
knowingly  the  beai'er  of  such  challenge  or 
assistance  since  the  adoption  of  the  constitu- 
tion, and  that  I  will  not  so  engage  or  concern 
myself  directly  or  indirectly  in  or  about  any 
such  duel  dui'ing  my  continuance  in  office.  So 
help  me  God."  This  good  wholesome  docu- 
ment was  subscribed  and  sworn  to  by  the 
Trustees  before  Loy,  the  Clerk.  The  board 
organized  by  electing  D.  S.  Mitchell,  Presi- 
dent, and  B.  F.  Kagay,  Clerk.  At  the  first 
meeting  of  the  board,  W.  T.  Myers  was 
elected  Assessor;  Thomas  M.  Loy,  Treasurer, 
and  J.  H.  T.  Lacy,  Constable. 

The  Trustees  met  quite  regiilarly  for  most 
of  the  first  year,  but  after  that  appeared  to 
become  rather  lukewarm  and  met  less  punct- 
ually, and  finally  met  at  rare  intervals.  On 
the  7th  of  February,  1857.  some  three  years 
before  the  removal  of  the  county  seat,  they 
mot  for  the  last  time.  The  principal  busi- 
ness transacted  at  this  last  meeting  was  the 
imposing  of  a  fine  of  $1  on  Mr.  Coopei', 
President,  for  non-attendance  upon  the  meet- 


ings of  the  board.  The  last  Board  of  Trust- 
ees were  William  B.  Cooper,  President;  A. 
G.  Hughes,  W.  J.  Sparks  and  Samuel  Moffitt. 
They  still  remain  in  ofiice.  Cooper  to  this 
day  holds  the  office  of  President  of  the  board, 
an  office  which  Brad  says  he  discharges  with 
maiked  ability. 

Ewington,  although  the  capital  of  the 
county  from  the  time  of  its  organization  up 
to  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  in  1859, 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  yet  it  at 
no  time  had  over  two  hundred  inhabitants, 
according  to  the  United  States  census,  dur- 
ing its  existence  as  a  town,  and,  upon  the 
removal  of  the  seat  of  justice  to  Effingham, 
it  be;:^an  rapidly  to  decline,  From  this  pe- 
riod dates  its  waning  prosperity.  The  popu- 
lation followed  the  capital  to  its  new  location, 
and  the  spot  that  knew  the  old  town  now 
knows  it  no  more.  Like  ancient  Rome,  the 
"  spider  weaves  its  web  in  her  palaces,  the 
owl  sings  his  watch-song  in  her  towers." 
Troja  fuit !  The  old  coiirt  house  was  still  re- 
tain ed  in  the  service  of  the  county,  and  con- 
verted into  a  poor-house,  in  which  capacity  it 
served  until  the  county  purchased  a  poor- 
farm  a  year  or  two  ago.  The  establishment 
was  then  moved  to  the  new  purchase,  and  the 
old  temple  of  justice,  with  a  few  dilapidated 
buildings,  marks  the  spot  where  once  stood 
the  town.     Its  fate  is  described  by  Bryant: 

"Foundations  of  old  cities  and  long  streets 
Where  never  fall  of  hunaan  foot  is  beard 
Upon  tlie  desolate  pavement." 

The  village  of  Granville  is  claimed  by 
some  to  have  been  in  Summit  Township, 
while  others  locate  it  in  Jackson.  From  re- 
cent investigation  the  latter  is  probably  more 
correct,  but  as  it  has  wholly  disappeared,  even 
from  the  maps,  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  point 
out  its  site,  and  doubtless  the  precise  spot  is  of 
but  little  interest  to  our  readers.  In  Jackson 
Township  we  will  allude  further  to  its  history. 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


181 


The  villageof  Funkhouser  was  surveyed  and 
laid  out  September  20,  1869,  by  C.  A.  Van 
Allen  for  John  J.  and  William  L.  Funkhous- 
er, on  a  part  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  Sec- 
tion 34  of  Summit  Township.  Wilson  Funk- 
houser had  a  store  here,  and  at  one  time 
bought  grain  extensively.  He  kept  the  post 
office,    which    had     been      established,      or 


moved  from  some  other  place.  John 
Funkhouser  handled  grain  here  for  sev- 
eral years,  and  built  a  grain  warehouse. 
But  lately,  the  business  has  been  moved 
to  other  points  along  the  railroad,  and 
at  present  there  are  but  some  halt  a 
dozen  houses  remaining  to  point  out  the 
place. 


CHAPTER  XV.* 


MOUND   TOWNSHll'  — INTRODUCTION,    DESCRIPTION    AND   TOPOGRAPHY —  SETTLEMENT    OF    THE 

TOWNSHIP— PIONEER  LIFE— CHURCHES  AND   SCHOOLS— BLUE  MOUND— THE  VILLAGE 

OF  ALTAAIONT— ITS    GROWTH    AND    DEVELOPMENT  — GRAIN    BUSINESS 

AND  MANUFACTORIES— SCHOOLS,    CHURCHES,    ETC.,    ETC. 


"From  the  weather-worn  liouse  on  the  brow  of  the 
hill 
We  are  dwelling  afar,  in  our  manhood  to-day; 
But  we  see  the  old  gables  and  hollyhocks  still. 

As  they  looked  when  we  left  them  to  wander  away. 
But  the  dear  ones  we  loved  in  the  sweet  long  ago, 
In  the  old  village  churehyard  sleep  under  the  snow." 

— Etigene  Hall. 

THE  past,  with  all,its  momentous  changes, 
has  ever  been  regarded  as  important  and 
richly  deserving  of  record.  Long  before  let- 
ters were  invented,  legendary  tales  and  tra- 
ditions were  employed  to  perpetuate  impor- 
tant events  and  transmit  the  same  to  succeed- 
ing generations.  Hieroglyphics  were  after- 
ward used  for  the  same  purpose.  But  all 
these  forms  of  memorial  have  long  since  given 
place  to  the  pen  and  the  type  among  civilized 
nations.  The  introduction  of  modern  alpha- 
bets made  writing  less  difficult,  and  the  in- 
vention of  the  art  of  printing  aiforded  facili- 
ties for  publishing  books  before  unknown. 
The  thirst  for  knowledge  produced  by  the 
press  and  Reformation,  and,  the  growing 
taste  for  history  created  by  the  latter  brought 
out  a  host  of  historians,  rendered  their  works 
voluminous,  and  scattered  them  broadcast  over 

»By  W.  H.  Perrin. 


the  world.  Many  of  them,  read  in  the  light  of 
civilization,  have  all  the  fascinations  of  a  ro- 
mance,which  increases  in  interest  as  time  rolls 
on.  The  papyrus  roll  of  ancient  Egypt,  con- 
taining mysterious  records  of  the  Dark  Ages, 
and  the  ponderous  folios  of  Confucius,  that 
antedate  tradition  itself,  were  not  more  val- 
uable to  the  sages  and  philosophers  of  old 
than  the  printed  page  of  the  nineteenth  cent- 
ury is  to  the  scholarly  and  enlightened  in- 
dividual of  the  present.  And  of  all  histor- 
ical records  there  are  none  more  interesting 
and  valuable  than  local  annals.  Ux^on  the 
pages  of  this  volume  we  shall  endeavor  to 
preserve  some  of  the  reminiscences  of  early 
days  in  this  section,  and  in  this  chapter  re- 
cord the  history  of  this  division  of  the  county. 
Mound  Township  lies  in  the  western  part  of 
Effingham  County,  and  is  perhaps  one  of  the 
richest  and  best  in  it.  The  surface  is  gen- 
erally level,  or  rolling,  with  slight  iuclina- 
tion  to  hills  along  the  water-courses.  It  is 
mostly  prairie  and  is  a  very  line  farming  re- 
gion. Big  Creek  flows  through  the  town- 
ship east  and  west,  a  little  south  of  Alta- 
mont,  having  its  source  in  the  west  part, 
passing  into  Jackson  Township  through  Sec- 


182 


HISTORY   OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


tion  25.  Coon  Creek  rises  a  little  north  of 
Altamont,  and  flows  southeast,  uniting  with 
Big  Creek  in  Jackson ;  Second  Creek  rises  in 
Section  4,  near  the  north  line  of  the  township, 
and  flows  southeast,  passing  out  of  the  town- 
ship and  emptying  into  the  Little  Wabash. 
There  are  a  few  other  small  and  nameless 
streams,  which,  witli  those  mentioned,  aiford 
ample  means  of  drainage.  The  timber,  which 
lies  mostly  along  the  water -courses,  is  similar 
to  that  described  in  other  chapters.  Mound  is 
bounded  north  by  Moccasin  Township,  east 
by  Jackson,  south  by  West  and  west  by  Fay- 
ette County;  it  is  Township  7  north,  in  Range 
4  east.  The  Vandalia  line,  the  Springfield 
Division  of  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  and  the 
Wabash  Railroads  intersect  it,  thus  affording 
transporation  to  all  points  of  importance. 

The  settlement  of  Mound  Township  is  com- 
pratively  modern,  owing  to  the  fact  that  most 
of  the  land  is  prairie,  which  was  uninhabitable 
until  the  cultivation  of  adjacent  portions  of 
the  country  led  to  its  drainage.  While  the 
settlements  were  not  so  far  back  as  those 
made  on  the  Wabash,  yet  it  is  somewhat  diffi- 
cult to  get  the  first  settlers'  names  with  cer- 
tainty. They  are  mostly  gone,  and  later  im- 
portations know  little  concerning  them.  One 
of  the  first  families  probably  was  that  of 
Moore,  who  settled  in  the  east  part  of  the 
township.  The  name  of  the  elder  Moore  is 
not  remembered.  He  had  two  sons,  viz., 
Delevan  and  Delancy,  who  were  quite  promi- 
nent citizens,  though  of  a  rough  character. 
They  were  great  politicians  and  took  an  ac- 
tive interest  in  all  questions  requiring  a  settle- 
ment by  the  ballot,  their  zeal  sometimes  ren- 
dering them  aggressive.  At  the  commence- 
ment  of  the  war,  they  took  ground  against 
its  prosecution  in  their  usual  vigorous  style, 
which  led  them  into  ditfioulties.  One  of 
them  finally  enlisted  and  went  to  the  front, 
and  came  back  a  stronger  Republican,  if  pos- 


sible, than  he  was  a  Democrat  before.  The 
old  man  has  been  dead  many  years,  and  the 
sons  moved  to  Missouri  some  fifteen  years 
ago.  This  family  of  Moores,  however,  were 
not  related  to  the  Moores  that  settled  about 
Blue  Mound.  Of  the  latter  there  were  five 
brothers,  viz.,  Albert  S.,  Levi  R.,  Charles 
S.,  W.  H.  and  Samuel,  three  of  whom,  Al- 
bert, W.  H.  and  Samuel,  are  now  among  the 
business  men  of  Effingham. 

Johu  C.  Deffenbaugh  was  also  a  very  early 
settler.  He  entered  land  in  the  east  part  of 
the  township,  where  he  lived  a  few  years, 
and  then  removed  to  Freeman  ton  and  engaged 
in  business.  He  was  a  prominent  and  high- 
ly respected  citizen,  and  at  one  time  sold 
more  goods  than  any  merchant  in  the  county. 
He  is  still  living.  William  Ashton  was  here 
among  the  first.  He  was  an  Englishman, 
but  came  here  from  Ohio,  settling  in  the 
northeastern  portion  of  the  township.  He 
is  still  living,  and  is  one  of  the  wealthy  men 
of  the  county.  James  Grant  came  from 
Ohio  and  settled  in  the  western  part  of  the 
township,  and  is  still  one  of  the  prosperous 
farmers.  Peter  Coleman  and  Daniel  Conner 
were  also  from  Ohio.  Coleman  settled  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  township,  and  is  long 
dead.  Conner  settled  in  the  southeastern 
part,  and  is  still  living  on  the  place  vrhere 
he  settled. 

From  Pennsylvania  came  John  Armstrong. 
He  settled  here  about  1S37-3S,  and  is  still 
living  on  the  place  of  his  original  settlement. 
Alfred  Newman  settled  in  the  southeast  part 
of  the  township,  and  is  living.  James  Wood- 
ruff settled  in  the  east  part — the  place  now 
owned  by  the  Smith  family.  He  was  a 
public-spirited  man,  and  now  lives  near 
Shumway.  Nelson  Wallace  settled  in  the 
east  part.  He  has  a  fine  orchard,  and  is  one 
of  the  largest  fi-uit-growers  in  the  county. 
Peter  Poorman  came  from  Ohio,  where  Buck- 


HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


183 


eye  statesmen  spring  up  spontaneously,  and 
settled  north  of  Blue  Mound,  where  he  still 
lives. 

One  of  the  most  brilliant  men  ever  in  the 
township  was  James  Stevenson.  He  came 
from  Virginia,  aud  was  a  man  of  tine  intel- 
lect and  a  finished  education.  A  good  con- 
versationalist, he  was  at  home  upon  any  sub- 
ject, and  was  able  to  entertain  the  most  high- 
ly educated  and  select  company.  But  he 
was  as  shiftless  as  brilliant,  moving  about 
from  place  to  place,  and  accomplishing 
nothing  more  than  a  mere  living.  He  died 
some  five  years  ago.  A  character  wholly  op- 
posite to  Stevenson  was  George  Ingraham. 
He  settled  near  Altamont,  where  he  lived  un- 
til recently,  when  he  moved  into  Jackson 
Township.  He  was  rather  ignorant,  but  was 
elected  Justice  of  the  Peace,  an  office  he  was 
unable  to  fill  on  account  of  being  unable  to 
read  or  vnrite.  He  enjoyed  the  honor,  how- 
ever, and  was  as  highly  elated  at  his  success 
and  popularity  as  the  modern  statesman  is 
of  his  election  to  Congress.  This  completes 
the  list  of  the  early  settlement  of  Mound 
Township  so  far  as  we  could  obtain  facts. 

The  modern  data  of  the  settlement  in  this 
township  gave  its  pioneers  a  much  better  op- 
portunity of  starting  in  their  now  homes 
than  was  enjoyed  by  those  who  came  twenty 
years  earlier,  when  the  entire  country  was  an 
unbroken  wilderness.  The  fii-st  settlers  en- 
countered all  the  dangers  and  hardships 
known  to  the  frontier.  Those  who  settled  in 
Mound  found  many  improvements  that  were 
unknown  to  the  first  settlers  of  the  county. 
Civilization  had  advanced,  the  ease  of  living 
had  improved,  and  the  facilities  for  cultivat- 
ing the  soil  had  kept  pace  with  both.  It 
was  no  longer  a  struggle  with  hardship  and 
danger  to  eke  out  a  precarious  existence,  but 
the  rich  lands  brought  forth  the  most  bounti- 
ful   forests.      The   trackless   forests,  the  un- 


bridged  streams,  the  pangs  of  hunger,  and 
the  days  and  nights  of  struggle  and  fear,  were 
rajndly  becoming  things  of  the  past,  and  a 
better  day  dawning.  Their  paths,  however, 
were  not  strewn  with  roses,  nor  their  lives 
made  up  of  sunshine,  but  many  trials  and 
troubles  met  them  on  every  hand.  These 
they  met  with  strong  hearts  and  brave  right 
arms,  and  the  land  "  where  nothing  dwelt 
but  boasts  of  prey"  soon  became,  under  their 
might  and  perseverance,  a  region  but  little 
surpassed  by  "  the  rose  gardens  of  the  gods. " 

The  township  of  Mound  contains  little  his- 
tory outside  of  its  settlement,  and  outside  of 
the  town  of  Altamont.  Two  Lutheran 
Churches  are  situated  in  the  township.  The 
Hilleman  Church  stands  one  mile  southwest 
of  the  town.  The  first  church  was  a  log 
building,  erected  about  18G2,  which  served 
until  the  present  frame  building  was  put  up, 
in  1875,  at  a  cost  of  -$2,500.  It  is  a  large 
church,  and  in  a  good,  healthy  condition. 

Bethlehem  Lutheran  Church  is  located  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  township,  in  a  large 
German  settlement.  The  church  was  organ- 
ized prior  to  18G0.  as  soon  as  there  were 
enough  families  to  support  it.  A  building 
was  erected  in  1860,  which  served  the  con- 
gi-egation  until  1868,  when  the  present  ele- 
gant chm-ch  was  built.  It  is  said  to  be  the 
finest  and  best  country  church  in  Effingham 
County,  and  cost  some  $8,000.  The  numeri- 
cal strength  of  the  church  is  between  500  aud 
600  communicants.  A  town  plat  was  made 
around  the  church  in  1868,  and  the  ground 
sui'voyed  into  lots.  A  store  was  ojaened  and 
a  post  office  established,  but  these  have  both 
been  discontinued,  and  there  are  at  present 
no  buildings  here  except  the  chiu-ch. 

The  schools  of  the  township  are  of  as  high 
a  character  as  those  in  any  part  of  the  coun- 
ty. Every  neighborhood  has  a  comfortable 
schoolhouse,  and  in  every  schoolhouse  good 


184 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


schoolB  are  taught  each  year,  by  competent 
teach  ers. 

The  uame  of  Mound  Township  was  bestowed 
upon  it  in  consequence  of  what  is  known  as 
the  neighborhood  of  Blue  Mound,  a  slight 
elevation  of  Section  S,  which  is  nearly  all  a 
kind  of  mound,  the  apex  being  in  the  center 
of  the  section,  and  having  an  altitude  of  sev- 
enty-eight feet  above  the  bed  of  the  Vandalia 
Railroad,  which  passes  near  it.  Recently, 
the  Government  has  erected  a  signal  observ- 
atory upon  it,  some  seventy-five  to  one  bun 
di-ed  feet  in  height,  from  the  top  of  which 
one  may  look  across  the  States  of  Missouri 
and  Arkansas  and  see  the  cow-boys  watching 
their  herds  on  the  prairies  of  Texas. 

Altatnont. — The  village  of  Altamont  was 
laid  out  by  J.  W.  Conologue,  the  original 
plat  embracing  the  southeast  part  of  the 
southeast  quarter  of  Section  9  of  Mound 
Township.  Mr.  Conologue  was  the  first  Su- 
perintentent  of  the  Vandalia  Railroad,  and, 
owning  a  tract  of  land  here,  he  conceived  the 
idea  that  this  spot  was  an  eligible  and  desir- 
able location  for  a  town,  and  thus  had  it  sur- 
veyed and  platted  bj'  C.  A.  Van  Allen,  an 
engineer  of  the  road,  and  the  plat  recorded 
July  19,  1870.  The  first  lot  sold  was  bought 
by  Abner  Dutton,  who  erected  a  storehouse 
and  opened  a  store,,  the  first  in  the  place. 
R.  S.  Cutter  bought  the  next  lot,  and  built 
a  storehouse  and  opened  a  store  the  very  next 
day  after  Dutton.  These  two  pioneer  mer- 
chants are  gone  from  the  town — Dutton  is 
dead,  and  Cutter  moved  West.  The  next 
lots  were  bought  by  Daniel  Boyer,  Dr.  J.  N. 
Groves,  H.  H.  Brown,  J.  C.  Russell,  Broom 
and  others.  The  sale  continued  until  some 
four  hundred  were  sold — lots,  not  the  men 
who  bought  them,  for  it  jjroved  a  good  in- 
vestment to  the  buyers.  The  lots  were  all 
sold  at  private  sale,  and  not  at  public  auc- 
tion. 


Altamont  is  beautifully  situated  on  a  roll- 
ing prairie,  at  the  crossing  of  the  Vandalia 
Ac  Springfield  Division  of  the  Ohio  &  Missis- 
sippi Railroads,  and  at  the  southern  terminus 
of  a  division  of  the  Wabash  system.  Since 
it  was  laid  out,  the  following  additions  have 
been  made  to  the  original  plat:  An  addition 
by  William  Buckholtz,  April  11,  1871,  of  a 
part  of  the  west  half  of  the  soiith  west  quarter 
of  Section  10;  an  addition  by  J.  W.  Cono- 
logue of  a  part  of  the  southeast  part  of  Sec- 
tion 9,  October  26,  1871;  an  addition  by 
Elizabeth  Ellis  of  a  part  of  the  west  half  of 
the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  10,  January 
8,  1872;  an  addition  by  Anna  E.  Hilleman 
of  a  part  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  the 
northwest  quarter  of  Section  15,  April  4, 
1872;  an  addition  by  J.  W.  Conologue,  May 
22,  1874.  of  the  west  part  of  he  southeast 
quarter  of  Section  9;  an  addition  by  S.  B. 
Chittinden  of  a  part  of  the  northeast  quarter 
of  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  16,  and 
platted  August  15,  1881.  These  additions 
give  the  town  a  broad  foundation  and  plenty 
of  room  fo)'  improvement. 

The  name  Altamont  is  derived  from  the 
same  source  the  township  received  its  name 
— the  peculiar  mound  on  the  adjacent  section 
of  land  already  mentioned;  the  first  part  of 
the  word  meaning  altitude,  the  latter  part 
mount  or  mound,  and  was  given  by  Mr.  Con- 
ologue. He  was  a  widower  at  the  time,  and 
supposed  to  have  an  eye  and  an  ear  for  the 
beautiful,  and  hence  gave  this  romantic  name 
to  his  new  town — a  name  that  all  must  ac- 
knowledge is  tipprojariate. 

The  first  residence  in  Altamont  was  the 
upper  part  of  Cutter's  store,  which  he  used 
as  a  dwelling.  Daniel  Boyer  put  up  the 
first  regular  dwelling  house;  Russell  fol- 
lowed with  the  next.  Brown  built  a  store 
and  residence  combined.  Dutton  also  put 
up  a  residence  soon  after  erecting  his  store- 


HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


185 


house.  Boyer,  in  1871,  built  the  first  hotel, 
which  is  still  owned  by  him,  and  is  known  as 
the  Boyer  House,  but  is  operated  as  a  hotel 
by  E.  L.  Brown.  The  Boyer  House  has  been 
greatly  enlarged  and  improved  sinco  it  was 
built,  and  is  now  au  excellent  hostelry.  It 
and  the  Altamont  House  are  the  only  two  reg- 
ular hotels  in  the  town.  Of  the  latter  house, 
Henry  Davis  is  proprietor.  Ben  Brazil  was 
the  first  blacksmith,  and  had  there  been  a 
"  spreading  chestnut  tree"  in  the  village,  the 
"  smithy  "  no  doubt  would  have  been  built 
under  it.  Brazil  is  gone  from  the  place,  but 
has  a  number  of  successors  iu  his  line  of 
business. 

A  post  office  had  been  established  at  a  lit- 
tle place  called  Montville,  a  mile  or  so  south 
of  Altamont,  on  the  National  road,  but  never 
amounted  to  anything  as  a  town,  and  whou 
Altamont  was  laid  out  (in  1870),  the  post 
office  was  moved  to  the  new  place,  and  in 
1871  the  name  was  changed  to  Altamont.  G. 
H.  Melville  was  Postmaster  at  the  time  of 
removal,  and  his  salary  was  $36  a  year.  Mr. 
P.  K.  Johnson  is  now  Postmaster,  and  re- 
ceives $900  per  annum  for  handling  the  mail 
bags.  This  fact  is  indicative  of  the  growth 
of  the  town  for  the  first  dozen  years  of  its  ex- 
istence. 

Altamont  is  becoming  quite  a  manufactur- 
ing town,  and,  with  its  railroad  facilities,  is 
admirably  situated  for  manufacturing  indus- 
tries. Two  excellent  steam  flouring-mills 
rank  among  its  best  enterprises.  The  first 
w;is  built  by  Erdman  Wurl  in  1872.  It  is  a 
substantial  frame  building,  with  three  run  of 
buhrs,  and  originally  cost  about  $3,000.  Mr. 
Wurl  is  dead,  and  the  mill  is  now  owned  by 
George  Goeting,  who  paid  $8,000  for  it,  and 
has  greatly  improved  the  property.  The 
second  mill  was  built  in  1873,  by  Weber  & 
Co.,  and  is  now  owned  by  Louis  Vauclair, 
of  St.  Louis.      It  is  a  two-story  frame  build- 


ing, and  cost  about  $4,500.  It  was  built  on 
a  much  more  improved  system  than  the  other, 
but  smaller  in  all  respects,  except  that  it  con- 
tained the  same  number  of  buhrs — three  run. 
The  present  owner  paid  something  over  $5,  - 
000  for  it.  Both  of  these  mills  are  A  1,  and 
do  an  excellent  business. 

In  1879,  a  furniture  factory  was  started  by 
Jacob  Stair  &  Son.  A  year  or  so  afterward, 
they  associated  Arthur  M.  Dawson  with  them, 
whi/  still  remains  a  member  of  the  firm. 
The  factory  building  is  60x100  feet  and  two 
stories  high.  It  is  operated  by  steam.  All 
kinds  of  furniture  are  manufactured,  and 
twenty  hands  are  employed. 

A  baby  wagon  factory  was  established  dur- 
ing the  past  summer  (1882),  by  Speuce  Bro- 
thers &  Howor.  Their  building  is  a  frame, 
about  40x50  feet,  two  stories  high,  with  shed 
for  boiler  and  engine.  Eight  hands  are  em- 
ployed, and  a  full  line  of  baby  wagons,  bug- 
gies, and  carriages  are  manufactured. 

Ortman  &  Co.  commenced  the  manufacture 
of  wagons  in  1876  on  a  small  scale.  Their 
business  is  rapidly  increasing  and  they  are 
enlarging  and  improving  their  works  all  the 
time,  and  are  now  putting  up  from  forty  to 
fifty  wagons  each  year. 

The  grain  business  is  no  small  part  of  the 
town's  enterprise.  There  is  probably  more 
grain  shipped  from  Altamont  than  from  any 
other  po.nt  in  the  county  C.  A.  Van  Allen 
CQmmenced  buying  grain  here  for  Miner  & 
Jeniungs  on  Monday,  August  1,  1870,  and 
Boyer  commenced  buying  on  Tuesday  follow- 
ing. Van  Allen  piled  up  a  parcel  of  railroad 
ties,  covered  them  over  with  boards,  and 
this  constituted  his  warehouse.  He  bought 
from  wagons,  put  it  on  the  scales  and  weighed 
it,  and  then  loaded  it  into  the  cars  from  his 
rude  platform.  Miner  &  Jennings  are  well- 
known  grain-buyers  still,  not  only  in  the 
county,  but  in  all  the  siuTounding  coimtry. 


18C 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


There  are  now  four  firms  handling  grain  here, 
viz.,  Miner  &  Jennings,  Snook  &  Shoemaker, 
Cooper  &  Rhodes  and  Ensign  &  Co.  They 
all  do  a  larce  business  and  have  good  wf\re- 
houses.  The  first  year,  the  two  firms  then 
in  the  business  shipped  176  car-loads  of 
grain.  Each  of  the  four  firms  perhaps  now 
ship  that  much  annually. 

The  Altamont  Bank  was  established  in 
July,  1874,  by  George  Mittendorf,  and,  in 
March,  1876,  C.  M.  Wright  &  Co.  also  es- 
tablished a  bank.  Mittendorf  sold  out  to 
them,  and  since  then  the  business  has  been 
conducted  by  Wright  &  Co.  It  is  one  of  the 
substantial  banks  of  the  country. 

The  railroad  station  was  opened  Septem- 
ber 4,  1870.  C.  A.  Van  Allen  was  the  first 
agent,  and  for  a  time  served  both  roads. 
The  Springfield  &  Illinois  South-Eastern 
(now  a  division  of  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi) 
ran  the  first  train  to  Altamont  October  1, 
1871;  and  the  first  train  on  the  Wabash  came 
in  on  schedule  time  June  29, 1874.  Van  Al- 
len was  their  agent  for  three  years.  The 
roads  have  a  kind  of  union  depot,  but  differ- 
ent agents.  An  immense  amount  of  freight 
is  annually  shipped  from  this  place,  mostly 
grain  and  stock. 

The  Altamont  News  is  a  sprightly  news- 
paper, edited  by  C.  F.  Coleman.  The  Cou- 
rier was  the  first  newspaper  started  in  Alta- 
mont, and  was  run  by  Q.  W.  Grove.  As  the 
press,  however,  receives  an  extended  notice 
in  a  preceding  chapter,  we  omit  further 
mention  here. 

The  first  school  was  taught  in  Altamont 
by  George  Poorman,  and  the  first  school- 
house,  a  frame  building,  wan  erected  in  1870. 
It  soon  became  too  small  for  the  growing 
town,  and  in  1874  the  present  school  building 
was  erected.  It  is  a  two-story  brick,  with 
two  rooms,  and  furnished  in  the  latest  ap- 
proved style.     The  school  is  large  enough  to 


employ  three   teachers,    viz.:      Prof.    J.    G. 

Wright,  Principal,  with  Misses  Portmess  and 
Zinn,  assistant  teachers. 

Altamont  is  well  supplied  with  church  fa- 
cilities. The  first  religious  society  organized 
was  by  the  Evangelical  Alliance.  But  it  has 
become  extinct,  and  the  members  have  moved 
away,  died  and  joined  other  denominations. 

The  German  Reformed  Church  was  organ- 
ized in  1872.  It  had  been  established  some 
time  previously,  in  the  country,  about  two 
miles  from  the  village.  The  first  pastor  was 
Rev.  L.  M.  Kischner,  followed  by  Rev.  S.  P. 
Myers,  and  he  by  Rev.  Mr.  Hassler.  The 
present  pastor  is  Rev.  J.  H.  Schuford.  The 
building  is  a  frame,  and  was  erected  in  1872, 
at  a  cost  of  $1,800.  The  original  members 
were  fifteen.  The  membership  now  is  about 
thirty-two,  with  services  every  two  weeks. 
A  Sunday  school  is  kept  up,  with  an  attend- 
ance of  about  forty  children,  under  the  su- 
perintendence of  G.  W.  Poorman. 

Emanuel  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church 
was  organized  in  1873,  by  Rev.  G.  Waiigrin, 
with  nine  members.  The  first  services  were 
held  in  private  residences,  when  Mr.  William 
Krull  bought  the  old  public  school  building 
and  fitted  it  up  for  a  church.  Rev.  Waugrin 
was  the  first  pastor,  and  served  from  the  or- 
ganization of  the  church  until  1879,  when  he 
was  succeeded  by  Rev.  George  Goeswein. 
There  are  now  some  thirty  odd  members.  A 
school  was  established  in  1879,  which  is 
taught  by  the  pastor  in  the  church  building. 

The  United  Brethren  Church  was  organized 
in  1874,  and  the  first  preachers  were  Revs. 
.J.  A.  Smith  and  Alex  Helton.  The  original 
members  were  Jacob  Yates,  Mary  Yates,  John 
Cole,  Sabie  Cole,  Samuel  Kyner,  Rebecca 
Kyner,  Delilah  Kyner,  Kate  Kyner,  Mollie 
Kyner  and  Laura  Ordner.  The  church  was 
erected  in  1874,  at  a  cost  of  about  §3,300. 
The    present   pastor  is  Rev.   S.  C.    Stewart. 


HISTORY  or  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


187 


The  membership  is  twenty  five.  The  Sunday 
school  has  an  avera<^e  atteadance  of  twenty- 
eight,  of  which  John  Cole  is  Superintendent. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  society 
was  organized  m  1872,  and  the  first  preacher 
was  Rev.  Mr.  Crum.  Altamont  Circuit  was 
formed,  and  originally  comprised  Altamont, 
Dexter  and  Gillmore,  and  at  one  time  Moc- 
casin and  Crum's  Chapel.  The  Altamont  so- 
ciety is  now  a  station,  organized  as  such  in 
1882.  and  Kev.  G.  W.  Butler  appointed  pas- 
tor. The  church  was  built  in  1879,  costing 
$3,000,  and  is  a  handsome  frame  building. 
The  membership  is  eighty.  A  Sunday  school 
is  carried  on,  with  a  regular  attendance  of 
125  children,  superintended  by  G.  W.  Given. 
The  society  is  now  engaged  in  building  an 
$800  parsonage. 

St.  Clare's  Roman  Catholic  Church  was  or- 
ganized in.  1874,  and  the  church  building 
finished  in  1875.  The  church  was  organized 
by  the  Franciscan  Fathers  from  Teutopolis. 
The  building  is  a  frame,  .33x68  feet,  and  cost 
$3,000.  The  society  has  been  administered 
to  by  Rev.  Fathers  Francis.  Michael,  Her- 
man, Clementine  and  Jerome.  The  last  has 
been  with  them  three  years.  The  present 
membership  is  fifty  families.  A  school  was 
established  in  1882,  in  a  frame  building,  two 
stories  high  and  two  rooms  each,  with  an  at- 
tendance of  about  fifty  children. 

Altamont  has  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
little  cemeteries  in  the  country.  Mr.  Couo- 
logue  donated  four  acres  for  that  purpose 
when  he  laid  out  the  town.  It  has  been  hand- 
somely improved  by  the  people,  and  is  kept 
in  the  most  perfect  order.  The  Board  of 
Town  Trustees  has  the  supervision.  The 
first  interments  in  it  were  bodies  taken  up 
and  brought  from  other  graveyards  and  re- 
interred  in  this.  Beautiful  white  stones  and 
monuments  stand  here  and  there  in  it,  like 
lonely  sentinels,  and  symbolize  the  affection 


of  surviving  friends  for  their  loved  and  lost 
ones. 

Hale  Johnson  was  the  first  man  who  pod- 
died  law  in  Altamont.  He  came  here  in 
1873,  and  remained  until  1875,  and  is  now 
Prosecuting  Attorney  in  Jasper  County. 
Messrs.  W.  S.  Holmes  and  P.  K.  Johnson 
are  young  disciples  of  Blackstone,  and  attend 
to  "  law  business  "  for  the  citizens  of  Alta- 
mont. 

The  Masonic  Lodge  now  held  here  was 
originally  organized  in  Freemanton,  October 
1,  1807.  After  this  town  was  laid  out,  the 
lodge  was  moved  here  (in  1872),  and  is  now 
known  as  Altamont  Lodge,  No.  533,  A.,  F.  & 
A.  M.  The  charter  members  were  Jacob  Ba- 
ker, James  C.  Walker,  H.  S.  Hook,  I.  P. 
Carpenter,  B.  W.  Eakin,  W.  F.  Ingraham, 
J.  F.  Hipsher,  J.  H.  Said,  J.  C.  Russell,  J. 
Harrison,  John  Armstrong,  W.  A.  Broom,  J. 
H.  C.  Smith,  8.  Cochoran  and  A.  Tipsword. 
The  first  officers  were:  J.  C.  Russell,  Mas- 
ter; Jesse  H.  Said,  Senior  Warden;  Jacob 
Bakei',  Junior  Warden;  H.  S.  Hook,  Treas- 
urer; and  James  C.  Walker,  Secretary.  Ihe 
lodge  first  met  in  a  small  hall  for  two  years, 
and  since  that  time  have  been  meeting  in  a 
hall  belonging  to  J.  C.  Russell.  It  is  in  a 
flourishing  condition;  has  fifty-seven  mem- 
bers, and  is  officered  as  follows:  George  W. 
Gwinn,  Master;  J.  H.  Johnson,  Senior  War- 
den; David  Piper,  Junior  Warden;  J.  C. 
Russell,  Treasurer;  and  S.  S.  Rice,  Secre- 
tary. 

Altamont  Lodge,  No.  500,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was 
instituted  by  J.  F.  Bross,  Grand  Master,  Oc- 
tober 14,  1873.  The  charter  members  were 
Joel  L.  Cox,  J.  W.  Hotz,  Jr. ,  Henry  Stevens, 
H.  P.  Simonton  and  W.  A.  Jackson.  The 
first  officers  were:  JoelL.  Cox,  N.  G. ;  Henry 
Stevens,  V.  G. ;  J.N.  Groves,  Secretary;  and 
J.  W.  Hotz,  Jr.,  Treasurer.  Eight  more 
members  were  initiated  at  the  first  meeting. 


188 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


The  lodge  met  in  Cockenower's  Hall  until 
1876,  when  they  moved  into  Ensign's  Hall, 
which  they  still  occupy.  It  has  thirty-two 
members,  and  $750  in  the  treasury.  The 
present  officers  are:  Jacob  Zimmerman,  N. 
G. ;  H.  N.  Drewry,  V.  G. ;  T.  L.  Elliott,  Ee- 
cording  Secretary;  P.  K.  Johnson,  Perma- 
nent Secretary;  and  S.  N.  Young,  Treas- 
urer. 

Altamont  was  first  organized  as  a  town  in 
1871,  and  as  a  village  in  1872,  by  a  vote  of 
the  people,  at  which  time  there  were  twenty- 
two  votes  cast  for  village  organization.  The 
first  Board  of  Trustees  were:  Dan  Boyer, 
J.  M.  Huffman,  J.  Hotz,  A.  H.  Dutton  ana 
"W.  L.  Snook.     The  board  organized  for  work 


by  electing  Boyer  President,  and  J.  M.  Huff- 
man, Clerk.  The  present  board  is  as  follows: 
S.  S.  Rice,  H.  Munzell,  M.  Reis,  S.  M.  Coo- 
per, W  L.  Snook  and  H.  Schlotterbeck,  of 
which  S.  S.  Rice  is  President,  and  T.  G. 
Boyer,  Clerk. 

The  foregoing  pages  comprise  a  pretty 
correct  and  complete  history  of  this  growing 
and  flourishing  little  city  of  the  plain.  From 
the  center  of  a  broad,  rolling  prairie,  the 
church  steeples  point  to  heaven,  and  point 
out  to  the  "  wayfaring  man, "  while  yet  "  afar 
off,"  the  way  to  shelter  and  repose.  Alta- 
mont has  a  prosperous  future,  if  her  citizens 
so  will  it,  and  continue,  as  they  always  have, 
to  exert  thefr  wonted  energy. 


CHAPTER  XYI.* 


MASON  TOWNSHIP— TOPOGRAPHICAL  AND   DESCRIPTIVE— SETTLEMENT— BROOM,  THE  STEWARTS 
AND  OTriER  PIONEERS— A  FOURTH  OF  JULY  CELEBRATION— SCHOOLS  AND  CHURCHES 
—AN  INCIDENT— VILLAGES— GROWTH    .AND    DEVELOPMENT   OF   MASON- 
ITS    BUSINESS    IMPORTANCE— EDGEWOOD  — LAID    OUT    AS    A 
TOWN— STORES,  SHOPS,  CHURCHES  AND  SOCIETIES. 


" he  T\bo  goes 

In  the  full  strength  of  years,  matron  and  maid, 
And  the  sweet  babe,  and  the  gra3r-headed  man — 
Shall,  one  by  one.  be  gathered  to  thy  side 
By  those  who,  in  their  turn,  shall  follow  them." 

— Bryant. 

HISTORICALLY,  Mason  holds  a  front 
place  among  the  townships  of  EflSng- 
ham  County.  More  than  fifty  years  have 
dissolved  in  the  mists  of  the  past  since  the 
echoes  of  the  woodman's  ax  first  rang  through 
the  lofty  forests  of  Mason  as  he  felled  the 
treas  for  his  lone  cabin,  or  cleared -away  the 
timber  for  a  garden,  or  for  a  "  patch  "  of 
corn.  Its  forests  and  prairies  are  now  fer- 
tile fields,  dotted  over  with  prosperous  homes, 
and  the  Indians,  who  once  hunted  the  deer 
in  their  midst,  have  disappeared  in  the  dis- 

*  By  W.  n.  Ponin. 


tant  "West.  The  young  men  have  grown  old, 
and  the  old  men  are  in  their  graves,  who 
first  saw  this  country  in  its  pristine  beauty, 
and  joined  hands  to  reduce  it  from  a  wilder- 
ness to  its  present  state  of  civilization  and 
prosperity. 

Mason  Township  lies  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  county,  and,  according  to  the  Congres- 
sional survey,  is  Township  6  north,  and 
Range  5  east.  It  is  pretty  well  divided  be- 
tween woodland  and  prairie;  the  latter  is 
rolling  sufficiently  to  drain  naturally.  The 
woodland  is  somewhat  hilly,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  few  post-oak  flats,  and  along  the 
river  and  other  streams  it  rises  in  places  to 
abrupt  bltiffs.  The  timber  is  white,  black 
and  post  oak  and  hickory  on  the  high  lands, 
and  in  the  bottoms,  cottonwood,  walutit,  su- 


aJ^-A^    J3y, 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


191 


gar  maple,  sycamore,  hackberry,  soft  maple, 
elm,  etc.,  with  a  thick  g^rowth  of  hazel  in 
many  parts  of  the  township.  The  water- 
courses are  the  Wabash  and  its  numerous 
tributaries.  The  Little  Wabash  just  touches 
the  northeast  corner  as  it  trends  southeast- 
wardly.  Fulfer  Creek  enters  the  township 
through  Section  7,  from  West  Township,  re- 
ceiving on  its  way,  in  Mason,  Limestone 
Creek  and  several  smaller  streams,  and  finally 
emptying  into  the  Wabash  in  Section  1; 
Willow  Branch  in  the  south  part,  the  North 
Fork  of  which  heads  near  Mason  Village, 
and,  flowing  southward,  unites  with  the  main 
stream  in  Section  34,  when  it  passes  out 
through  Section  35  into  Clay  County;  Coon 
Creek  has  its  source  in  Section  14,  and  pass- 
es into  Union  Township,  whore  it  empties  in- 
to the  Wabash.  Jackson  Township  lies  on 
the  north.  Union  Township  on  the  east.  Clay 
County  on  the  south  and  West  Township  on 
the  west.  The  Chicago  Branch  of  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad  passes  diagonally 
through  Mason,  and  the  Springfield  Division 
of  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  passes  through  the 
southwest  corner,  crossing  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral at  Edgewood.  These  roads  furnish  the 
township  and  its  inhabitants  communication 
with  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  bring  the 
best  markets  to  their  very  doors. 

The  settlemeDt  of  Mason  Township  dates 
back  more  than  half  a  century.  The  first 
white  people  who  came  here  were  from  the 
South — mostly  fi-om  Tennessee.  The  first 
settlements  of  which  we  have  any  account 
were  made  in  1829.  Jonathan  Parkhurst 
was  one  of  the  first,  and  came  originally 
from  New  Jersey,  but  had  lived  some  years 
in  Tennessee  before  emigrating  to  Illinois. 
When  he  came  to  the  State,  he  settled  in 
White  County,  then  an  almost  unbroken  wil- 
derness, and,  a  few  years  later,  came  here  and 
located  in  Mason   Township,  afterward  mov- 


ing over  into  Jackson.  John  McCoy,  Alex- 
ander Stewart  and  some  of  the  Lillys  also 
came  in  1829.  McCoy  moved  to  Indiana, 
remained  awhile,  and  then  came  back  here, 
where  he  lived  until  his  death.  The  Lillys 
were  either  from  Kentucky  or  Tennessee. 
William  settled  on  the  Bailie  place,  and  af- 
terward moved  to  the  southern  part  of  the 
State.  Andi-ew,  a  son  of  William,  married 
McCoy's  daughter,  moved  with  him  to  In- 
diana, came  back  with  him,  and  afterward 
moved  down  near  Cairo,  where  he  died. 
Stewart  moved  back  to  Tennessee,  remained 
awhile,  then  came  back  to  Illinois,  and,  some 
years  later,  moved  to  Missouri. 

John  Broom  came  also  in  1829.  He  is  a 
native  of  Tennessee,  and  he  and  his  father- 
in-law,  Benjamin  Allen,  with  their  families, 
came  to  Illinois,  arriving  iri  this  township  in 
the  early  part  of  November,  1829.  He  set- 
tled on  Limestone  Creek,  some  three  miles 
west  of  Mason.  He  was  penniless  when  he 
arrived,  and  in  debt,  besides,  to  his  father-in- 
law;  but,  nothing  daunted,  he  went  to  work 
with  a  stout  heart  and  willing  hands.  For 
the  first  years  of  his  wilderness  life,  he  subsist- 
ed on  the  products  of  his  rifle,  deer,  bear, 
turkeys  and  other  game  being  quite  abun- 
dant. The  first  land  he  owned  was  an  eighty- 
acre  tract,  which  he  paid  for  with  money 
earned  in  blasting  rock  in  the  quarries,  for 
the  National  road,  when  it  was  in  course  of 
construction,  and  for  which  he  received  the 
liberal  sum  of  37|  cents  per  day.  By  per- 
severing industry,  he  has  accumulated  con- 
siderable property,  and  now  as  he  is  pass- 
ing down  the  shady  side  of  life,  he  is  enjoy- 
ing the  fruits  of  a  well-spent  life.  For  sev- 
eral years  he  has  been  a  resident  of  Mason 
Village,  his  health  preventing  him  from  ac- 
tive life  on  the  farm.  He  has  held  many 
ofiices — Constable,  Justice  of  the  Peace,  As- 
sociate County  Judge,  etc.     la  his  youth. 


192 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


poverty  prevented  him  from  receiving  an  ed- 
ucation, and  thus,  realizing  the  need  of  it, 
he  has  always  been  a  zealous  friend  of 
schools,  and  an  earnest  supporter  of  all  meas- 
ure^ for  the  benefit  of  learning.  His  father- 
in-law,  Benjamin  Allen,  was  a  good  farmer 
and  a  respected  citizen.  He  died  on  the  place 
where  he  settled,  and  the  bones  of  himself  and 
wife  molder  together  in  the  dust  upon  the 
old  homestead,  the  place  now  owned  by  Mr. 
Dovore.  Mrs.  Charlotte  Kepley  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Allen,  and  a  widow.  Afterward,  she 
married  John  Allen,  who,  although  of  the 
same  name  of  her  father,  was  not  related  to 
him. 

The  first  wheat  sowed  in  Effingham  Coun- 
ty was  by  Judge  Broom  and  Mr.  Allen. 
They  went  all  the  way  to  Shelby  County, 
and,  with  their  horses,  assisted  Andrew 
Wakefield  to  tramp  out  wheat  in  the  old- 
fashioned  way,  by  laying  the  wheat  on  the 
ground  and  driving  horses  over  it — receiving 
for  themselves  and  their  horses  a  bushel  and 
a  half  of  wheat  per  day.  They  worked  long 
enough  to  obtain  four  bushels  of  wheat.  This 
they  brought  home  with  them  on  horseback, 
and  prepared  a  piece  of  ground,  in  which  it 
was  sown. 

Additional  settlers  in  Mason  Township 
were  John  and  Josiah  Stewart,  Andrew  Mar- 
tin, John  Trapp,  a  man  named  Frost  and  an- 
other named  Winkler,  Micajah  Davidson, 
Wesley  Robinson,  Vincent  McGuire,  Gideon 
Loiider,  etc.,  etc.  John  and  Josiah  Stewart 
were  brothers  to  Alexander  Stewart,  and  both 
finally  moved  back  to  Tennessee  and  re- 
mained there.  Martin  was  from  Kentucky, 
and,  a  few  years  after  settling  here,  moved 
into  Jackson  Township,  where  he  died. 
John  Trapp  lived  on  the  Horton  farm,  and 
is  elsewhere  mentioned.  Frost  was  one  of 
the  first  settlers  in  the  township,  and  moved 
some  years  later  to  the  Sangamon  country. 


Winkler  moved  into  Jackson  Township,  and 
died.  Davidson  first  settled  in  Jackson,  then 
moved  into  Mason.  He  had  a  horse-mill  in 
Jackson,  and,  after  moving  here,  built  one 
in  this  township.  He  was  a  great  mechan 
ical  genius,  and  could  make  almost  anything 
he  tried  to  make.  Robinson  came  from  In- 
diana in  1830-31  and  was  unmarried.  He 
followed  hauling  salt  from  -the  works  and 
selling  it  to  the  settlers.  He  married  and 
settled  down  to  business  on  the  place  now 
occuf)ied  by  his  son  Jonathan.  McGuire 
was  an  Irishman,  and  had  a  son  named  John, 
who  was  killed  while  at  work  on  the  old  Na 
tional  road,  by  a  bank  caving  in  on  him. 
The  old  man  was  a  miser,  and  a  great  lover 
of  the  "  crayther."  Both  he  and  his  wife,  it 
is  said,  used  to  get  gloriously  drunk.  Judge 
Broom  and  Uncle  Jimmy  Tm'ner  often  cra- 
dled wheat  for  him.  He  finally  left  the  town- 
ship and  moved  to  the  south  part  of  the 
State,  where  he  died  many  years  ago.  Lou- 
der was  from  Tennessee,  and  came  to  Illi- 
nois, first  settling  in  Clay  County,  and  after- 
ward in  this  county  in  Jackson  Township, 
making  his  home  at  Ben  Campbell's,  whose 
wife  was  Louder's  aunt.  He  finally  moved 
over  into  Mason  and  settled  in  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  {ownship,  where  he  died,  and 
where  his  widow  still  lives.  This  brings  the 
settlement  down  to  a  period  where  emigrants 
were  coming  ia  rapidly  and  the  country  was 
fast  settling  iip. 

Among  the  later  settlers  we  mention  a  few 
whose  names  have  become  prominent  in  the 
history  of  the  township  and  the  county.  At 
the  head  of  the  list  stands  the  name  of  Hon. 
Isaac  L.  Leith.  He  came  fi-om  Ohio  and  set- 
tled here  in  1840,  and  since  that  time  has 
been  closely  identified  with  the  interests  of 
the  county,  holding  a  number  of  important 
positions  of  honor  and  trust.  He  was  one  of 
the  Commissioners  for  laving  out  the  county 


HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


193 


into  townships,  and  devised  a  plan  of  organ- 
ization, which  was  accepted.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention, 
and  on  the  Building  and  Finance  Commit- 
tees for  building  the  present  court  house  of 
Effingham.  Although  the  "  frosts  of  many 
winters  "  rest  upon  his  head,  he  is  still  hale 
and  hearty,  and  good  for  many  years  of  life. 
James,  David  and  Wilkinson  Leith  are  his 
brothers,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  the  same 
year  (1840),  and  are  all  now  dead. 

Stephen  Hardin,  Dr.  Matthews,  Martin 
Eobinson,  Eobert  Kankin,  David  Tm-ner,  Eli- 
jah Henry,  IMorgan  Wright,  Jacob  Goddard, 
A.  W.  Henry,  and  a  number  of  others,  past 
arid  present,  were  early  settlers,  or  at  least 
came  in  from  1840  to  1850.  They  have 
borne  a  prominent  part  in  the  history  of  the 
county,  and  in  the  development  of  that  por- 
tion in  which  their  lots  have  been  cast.  In 
the  biographical  part  of  this  work  they  are 
more  fully  noticed. 

In  the  pioneer  days,  the  people  had  their 
sports,  which  were  perhaps  as  enjoyable  to 
them  as  our  more  refined  amusements  are  to 
us  in  this  fast  age.  Log-rollings,  house- 
raisings,  corn-huskings,  usually  accompa- 
nied with  the  old-fashioned  quilting  pai'ties, 
were  common  occurrences.  These  gather- 
ings were  heartily  enjoyed  by  all.  The  mus- 
ter and  election  days,  and  Fourth  of  July 
celebrations  were  important  events.  Dr. 
Matthews,  in  his  pioneer  sketches  of  Mason, 
thus  describes  a  "Glorious  Fourth,"  which 
is  worthy  of  reproduction  in  these  pages: 
"  On  the  Fourth  of  July,  1832,  a"  grand  bar- 
becue was  instituted  by  Judge  Broom  and  a 
few  of  the  Vaudalia  boys,  at  Ewington. 
Bear  meat  and  venison  smoked  upon  the 
spits,  whisky  toasts  were  drunk  freely  in  tin 
cups  and  gourds,  red-hot  speeches  were  made, 
and  the  American  Eagle  flopped  his  wings 
and  crew  with  patriotic  pride  above  the  hills 


of  the  Wabash.  Judge  Broom  was  selected 
to  read  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and 
he  did  so,  standing  on  aa  old  cottonwood 
log  just  north  of  the  bridge.  He  says  he 
couldn't  spell  half  the  words  of  the  sacred 
document,  and  to  this  day  is  in  total  igno- 
rance as  to  how  he  blundered  through  it.  But 
nobody  was  competent  to  criticise  him,  and 
nobody  laughed.  The  Judge  pronounces 
that  the  happiest  day  of  his  life.  Of  that 
jolly  band  of  celebrators,  he  is  the  sole  sui-viv- 
or  in  Effingham  County.  They  all  have 
dropped  away,  weary  of  the  march,  long  ago. " 
The  above  was  no  doubt  the  first  Fourth  of 
July  celebration  ever  held  in  the  county. 

Education  was  not  neglected  by  the  pio- 
neers, and  schools  were  established  very  early. 
The  first  school  taught  in  Mason  Township, 
and  perhaps  the  first  in  the  county,  was 
taught  by  Col.  Sam  Houston.  Judge  Broom 
signed  one  scholar,  for  which  he  was  to  pay 
the  sum  of  $2.50.  To  obtain  the  money  nec- 
essary to  liquidate  this  liability,  Mr.  Broom 
"  pulled  fodder  "  for  old  Vincent  McGuire, 
at  IGj  cents  a  day.  He  received  the  money 
in  half-dollars  (Hull's,  perhaps),  without 
holes  in  them,  and  paid  his  tuition  on  the 
day  the  school  was  out.  As  the  country 
prospered  and  the  population — in  the  way  of 
children — increased,  schoolhouses  were  built 
and  schools  established.  Every  neighborhood 
now  has  a  good,  comfortable  schoolhouse,  and 
maintains  a  flourishing  school. 

Among  the  first  preachers  who  proclaimed 
the  Word  in  this  neighborhood  were  Revs. 
Whitoly  and  Surrells.  They  were  Regular 
Baptists,  and  preached  in  j)eople's  houses  in 
many  parts  of  the  county,  long  before  any 
churches  were  built.  The  Wabash  Chiirch 
(Missionary  Baptists)  was  organized  as  early 
as  1845.  The  first  building  was  a  log  struct- 
ure, put  up  for  both  church  and  school  pur- 
poses, and  was  used  until  the  present  frame 


1U4 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


church  was  built,  about  the  year  1860.  It  is 
a  comfortable  church  building  with  a  large 
membership,  but  no  regular  pastor  at  present. 
The  Sunday  school  is  kept  up.  This  church 
has  been  the  mother  of  churches,  as  a  num- 
ber of  those  in  the  surrounding  country  have 
been  started  with  members  from  this  church. 
An  incident  occurred  in  the  township  in 
September,  1857,  little  to  its  credit  as  a  com- 
munity— the  murder  of  Martin  S.  Hammond. 
Although  he  was  a  desperado,  whose  taking- 
off  may  have  proved  advantageous  to  the 
country,  yet  the  manner  in  which  it  was 
done  was  cowardly  beyond  all  question.  He 
was  riding  along  one  day  with  a  Mrs.  Lang- 
ford,  when  a  shot  was  fired  from  ambiish, 
by  whom  has  to  this  day  remained  a  mystery. 
But  one  shot  was  fired,  and  it  was  a  load  of 
buckshot.  Two  shots  took  effect  in  Hammond 
— one  in  his  arm  and  one  in  his  back — from 
which  he  died  some  fourteen  days  after.  Mrs. 
Langford  received  a  shot  in  the  left  shoul- 
der, which  was  supposed  at  first  to  be  fatal, 
but  from  which  she  finally  recovered.  John 
T.  Martin  and  L.  Mulinix  were  arrested  as 
suspected  parties,  tried  and  acquitted.  Ham- 
mond, at  the  time  he  was  assassinated  was 
under  arrest  and  bond  for  counterfeiting,  and 
it  was  believed  that  he  was  shot  by  those 
interested  in  his  eternal  silence. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  hard  times  en- 
dured by  the  pioneers.  Judge  Broom  says 
that,  for  the  first  two  or  three  years  after  he 
came  here,  he  took  his  plows  on  horseback, 
and  sometimes  on  foot,  four  or  five  miles 
north  of  Shelby ville,  to  a  blacksmith,  named 
Thomas  Jackson,  who  was  a  Methodist 
preacher,  and  knew  him  (Broom)  in  Tennes- 
see, before  they  moved  to  Illinois,  and  would 
sharpen  his  plows  on  a  credit.  He  could  not, 
in  summer  time,  travel  with  horses  during  the 
day,  on  account  of  the  "  green-head  "  flies, 
which  were  such  torments  the  horses  became 


almost  unmanageable  from  their  annoyance. 
Judge  Broom  also  relates,  by  way  of  illus- 
trating the  pioneer  period,  how,  when  he 
came  here,  he  had  nothing,  and  was  in  debt 
besides.  He  went  to  Vandalia  and  stated 
his  circumstances  to  a  merchant  there,  who 
sold  him  on  credit  a  few  plates,  knives  and 
forks,  and  a  pot  or  two  for  cooking.  The 
next  spring,  he  took  beeswax,  deerskins  and 
venison  hams  enough  to  him  to  pay  for  the 
things. 

Villages. — The  village  of  Mason  is  situat- 
ed in  the  midst  of  a  beautiful  rolling  prai- 
rie, on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  about 
twelve  miles  south  of  Effingham.  The  orig- 
inal plat  comprised  the  southeast  quarter  of 
the  northwest  quarter,  a  part  of  the  northeast 
quarter  of  the  southwest  quarter,  and  a  part 
of  the  southwest  quarter  of  the  northeast 
quarter  of  Section  22,  of  Mason  Township. 
It  was  surveyed  and  platted  February  26, 
1853,  by  George  Wright,  surveyor,  for  Aaron 
W.  Henry,  Josiah  W.  Eobinson  and  Robert 
M.  Eankin,  proprietors  of  the  land. 

A  number  of  additions  have  been  made  to 
the  town  since  it  was  originally  laid  out, 
some  of  which  are  as  follows:  An  addition 
was  made  by  Stephen  Hardin,  embracing  a 
portion  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  the  north- 
east quarter  of  Section  22,  and  the  plat  re- 
corded August  9,  1859.  An  addition  was 
made  by  H.  E.  Wolcott,  of  a  part  of  north- 
east quarter  of  southwest  quarter  of  Section 
22,  and  the  plat  dated  September  22,  1859. 
An  addition  was  made  by  J.  J.  W.  Billings- 
ley  of  a  part  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  the 
northeast  quarter  of  Section  22,  and  platted 
January  10,  1860.  An  addition  was  made 
by  A.  Kimbourt  of  a  part  of  the  southeast 
quarter  of  the  northwest  quai'ter  of  Section 
22,  and  submitted  to  record  June  29,  1860. 
An  addition  was  made  by  S.  H.  Bailey,  of 
what  was  known  as  "Bailey's  Addition,"  and 


I 


I 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


195 


the  plat  recorded  May  1,  1863.  And  on  the 
29th  of  Jane,  1868,  an  addition  was  made  by 
A.  J.  Starr,  of  a  part  of  the  north  half  of  the 
southwest  quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of 
Section  22,  all  of  Mason  Township.  These 
numerous  additions  give  Mason  plenty  of  el- 
bow room,  and  plenty  of  space  for  spreading 
out  her  wings.  There  need  be  no  more  ad- 
ditions made  until  it  becomes  a  city  of  5,000 
inhabitants. 

There  is  a  prologue  to  the  history  of  Ma- 
son, in  what  was  once  known  as  the  village 
of  Bristol,  and  in  order  to  get  back  to  the 
commencement  of  Mason,  it  will  be  necessary 
to  say  a  few  words  of  Bristol.  It  was  laid  out 
by  A.  W.  Henry  and  his  father,  Elijah  Hen- 
ry. It  was  situated  about  one  mile  south- 
east of  i\[ason,  on  the  place  now  owned  by 
David  Turner. 

A.  W.  Henry  opened  a  small  store  about 
the  time  the  place  was  laid  out.  A  post 
office  was  established,  of  which  Henry  was 
Postmaster.  Elijah  Henry  Lad  a  blacksmith 
shop,  and,  although  not  much  of  a  workman, 
he  used  to  hire  a  blacksmith  to  carry  on  his 
shop.  This  comprised  about  the  sum  total 
of  Bristol. 

When  Mason  was  laid  out,  Bristol  took  it 
into  its  head  to  move  over  and  start  the  new 
town.  This  little  feat  is  thiis  described  by 
Dr.  Matthews  in  the  Effingham  Republican  : 
"  On  a  lovely  morning  in  the  spring  of  1852, 
tradition  informs  us  that  the  town  of  Bristol, 
Effingham  County,  was  ruthlessly  torn  from 
its  foundations,  loaded  upon  an  ox  wagon 
and  quietly  hauled  away.  Its  departure  from 
the  venerable  forests  that  had  so  long  pro- 
tected it  from  the  howling  tempests  was  her- 
alded only  by  the  rumble  of  the  vehicle  that 
bore  it  away.  There  was  no  weeping,  no 
sighing,  no  tender  ties  broken  as  the  moving 
town  passed  over  the  hills  and  was  lost  to 
sight,   for  be  it  known  that    the   citizens  of 


Bristol,  one  and  all,  trudged  along  in  the 
rear  of  their  departing  metropolis,  like  in- 
fatuated school-boys  after  a  brass  band,  re- 
solved to  share  alike  in  its  prosperity  or 
downfall.  It  was  almost  sunset  when  Bristol 
reached  its  destination.  The  spot  was  an 
enchanting  one,  on  a  beautiful  elevation,  just 
over  the  border  of  a  fertile  and  rolling  prai- 
rie. And  there,  as  twilight  darkened  upon 
the  scene,  our  pioneer  fathers,  with  little  re- 
gard to  ceremony,  unloaded  their  much-loved 
town."  Such  was  the  existence  of  Bristol. 
The  building  of  the  railroad  gave  birth  to 
Mason,  and  the  laying-out  of  Mason  was  the 
death  of  Bristol.  It  was,  after  all,  but  a 
change  of  base.  Mr.  Henry  was  the  proprie- 
tor of  Bristol,  and,  when  the  railroad  went 
through,  leaving  his  town  out  in  the  cold, 
he,  together  with  Rankin  and^Robinson,  laid 
out  Mason  on  the  railroad,  and  moved  his 
town  over  as  a  starter.  His  store  was  raised 
and  put  on  "  skid-poles,"  six  yoke  of  cattle 
hitched  to  it,  and  hauled  over  to  the  new 
town,  as  described  in  the  extract  above  made. 
The  little  storehouse  thus  moved  across  the 
prairie  is  still  standing,  and  is  used  by  Dr. 
P.  G.  Paugh  as  an  office. 

A.  W.  Henry  was  the  first  merchant  of 
Mason,  as  well  as  of  Bristol.  He  opened  his 
store  door  in  Mason  as  soon  as  his  store  ar- 
rived and  was  unloaded.  He  continued  in 
business  until  1857-58,  when  he  retired,  and 
is  still  living,  some  three  miles  from  the  vil- 
lage. He  was  the  first  Postmaster  of  Bristol 
and  of  Mason,  the  post  office  having  been 
moved  hither  with  his  store,  and  its  name 
afterward  changed  to  Mason,  to  correspond 
with  the  name  of  the  village.  Henry  Clay 
Henry,  a  nephew  of  Aaron  Henry,  is  the  pres- 
ent Postmaster.  Mr.  Henry  was  a  man  of  en- 
terprise and  of  considerable  business  energy. 
He  sold  gocds  to  the  people,  and,  in  return, 
bought  their  surplus  products,  thus  keeping 


196 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


trade  going  and  business  prospering.  The 
next  store  was  kept  by  Stephen  Hardin,  still 
a  respected  citizen  of  the  village,  and  a  man 
who  has  served  not  only  the  people  of  his 
town,  but  of  the  county.  He  has  long  since 
retired  from  the  mercantile  business,  and  now 
devotes  his  attention  to  other  pursuits.  He 
moved  his  store  from  Georgetown,  in  Clay 
County,  to  this  place  in  1856,  and,  in  part- 
nership with  William  McCracken,  followed 
merchandising  for  several  years.  Other 
stores  were  opened  as  the  increase  of  popu- 
lation demanded.  Shops  were  established  and 
all  kinds  of  business  inaugurated  as  the  town 
grew  in  importance. 

The  first  residence  was  built  by  Afr.  Ran- 
kin, one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  town,  and 
opened  by  him  as  a  hotel.  He  afterward 
sold  to  Michael  Sprinkle.  It  finally  became 
the  property  of  Jacob  Goddard,  who  kept  it 
as  a  hotel.  It  was  owned  by  him  and  occu- 
pied as  a  hotel  until  Goddard  built  the  pres- 
ent brick  hotel,  now  kept  by  his  widow. 
The  next  house  built  after  that  by  Rankin 
was  erected  by  Greenberry  Wright.  It  was 
long  known  as  the  Winteringer  property,  and 
stood  on  the  east  side  of  the  main  street. 
But  after  the  completion  of  these  buildings, 
there  was  a  cessation  in  improvements  for  a 
few  years,  and  not  until  1855-56  did  a  new 
spirit  of  industry  in  this  line  strike  the  peo- 
ple. Then  buildings  sprang  up  on  every 
hand,  and  the  town  grew  rapidly. 

In  this  connection,  another  extract  from 
Dr.  Matthews'  correspondence  comes  appro- 
priately in  place:  "  To  such  an  extent  were 
business  enterprises  advancing  that  a  lack  of 
shipping  facilities  became  apparent,  and, 
about  the  year  1856,  Messrs.  I.  L.  Leith  and 
Stephen  Hardin  opened  negotiations  with  the 
of&cers  of  the  railroad  company,  and  obtained 
the  privilege  of  laying  a  side-track.  In  sev- 
en days  from  the  time  ground  was  first  brok- 


en, the  grading  was  completed,  the  ties  all 
hewed  and  hauled,  and  everything  was  in 
readiness  for  the  laying  of  the  iron,  which 
was  done  by  the  request  and  at  the  expense 
of  the  people. "  Immediately  upon  the  lay- 
ing of  a  side  track,  the  shipping  of  stock 
and  grain,  and  particularly  the  latter,  be- 
came an  extensive  business.  A  grain  ware- 
house was  put  up  by  J.  J.  Billingsley,  which 
is  still  standing,  and  was  the  first  erected  for 
that  purpose  in  the  town.  There  are  now  four 
grain  warehouses,  which  are  operated  by 
Gibson,  and  Wade,  and  William  Donnelson, 
and  Thistlewood.  A  large  amount  of  grain 
is  annually  shipped  from  this  point — some- 
times as  much  as  six  and  eight  carloads  in  a 
single  day. 

Mason  has  never  made  any  pretensions  to 
manufactories.  A  few  shops,  an  occasional 
kiln  of  brick,  a  few  saw-mills  and  the  pres- 
ent flouriug-mill  cover  its  manufacturing 
industries.  The  flouring-mill  was  built  in 
1863  by  Luther  &  Sisson.  The  latter  gen- 
tleman still  owns  it,  and  has  considerably 
improved  it  since  it  was  first  built.  It  is  a 
substantial  frame  building,  with  three  run 
of  buhrs,  worth  some  $6,000  or  $8,000,  and 
has  all  the  modern  improvements. 

The  first  school  in  Mason  was  taught  in 
1853,  by  Whiting  Avery.  It  was  on  the  sub- 
scription plan,  and,  owing  to  the  sparsely  set- 
tled community  and  the  slimly  populated 
village,  it  was  hard  work  to  get  enough  pu- 
pils to  form  a  school.  In  1860,  the  hand- 
some two-story  brick  schoolhouse  was  built. 
The  building  was  put  up  by  the  School  Board 
and  the  Masonic  fraternity  together — the 
lower  story  for  the  school  and  the  uj^per 
story  for  the  Masons.  The  school,  however, 
grew  so  rapidly  and  increased  in  numbers 
that  the  board  finally  bought  out  the  Masons, 
and  since  then  the  entire  building  has  been 
used  for  the  school,  of  which  the  usual  at- 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


197 


tendance  is  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  pu- 
pils. Three  teachers  are  employed  most  of 
the  time,  Mr.  Duncan  being  the  Principal  of 
the  school. 

There  are  two  church  buildings  in  Mason 
— Methodist  and  Baptist.  The  Methodist 
Church  was  built  in  the  fall  of  1853,  and 
Tided  until  the  building  of  the  present  one,  in 
1868-70.  The  membership  is  nearly  one  hun- 
dred, and  the  pastor  (1882)  Eev.  Mi-.  Harper. 
The  building  is  a  frame,  and  cost  perhaps 
$1,000.  A  good  Sunday  school. is  kept  up 
throughout  the  year.  The  old  church,  the 
first  one  built  by  the  Methodists,  was  taken, 
when  abandoned  as  a  church,  for  a  pork 
house.  It  was  occupied  as  such  a  year  or 
two,  and  then  it  "became  a  saw-mill,  later  a 
stave  factory,  and  is  now  standing  idle,  after 
a  long  and  useful  life. 

The  Baptist  Church  grew  out  of  the  old 
Wabash  Baptist  Church,  one  of  the  old 
chm-ch  organizations  of  the  township.  The 
building  was  erected  about  1858,  and,  a  few 
years  ago,  repaired  and  much  improved  in 
appearance.  It  is  now  an  excellent  church 
edifice,  barring  a  little  paint  which  is  lack- 
ing, and  which  would  be  of  considerable 
benefit  to  it.  A  goodly  number  of  members 
belong  here,  but  they  are  without  a  regular 
pastor.  A  Sunday  school  is  maintained,  un- 
der the  superintendence  of  Mi-.  Holbrook. 

A.  Presbyterian  Church  was  organized  here 
and  kept  up  for  several  years.  They  occu- 
pied the  lower  story  of  the  Masonic  Hall, 
but,  after  a  brief  existence,  it  finally  died  a 
natural  death. 

The  Masons  first  met  in  Goddard's  Tavern, 
and  afterward  in  the  upper  story  of  Hardin's 
store.  After  they  sold  their  interest  in  the 
brick  building  to  the  School  Board,  they  built 
a  new  hall,  which  they  now  own.  The  lower 
story  is  rented  out  for  any  purpose,  such  as 
meetings,  dances,  etc.,  and  the  upper  story 


for  a  lodge  room.  The  Presbyterians  rented 
the  lower  story  and  "seated"  it,  but,  after  the 
church  became  extinct,  the  Masons  bought 
the  seats  and  took  charge  of  the  room.  There 
is  a  lodge  and  chapter  as  follows; 

Mason  Lodge,  No.  217,  A.,  F.  &  A.  M., 
was  organized  as  a  lodge  with  the  following 
charter  members:  John  S.  Wilson,  J.  H. 
Robinson,  Morgan  Wright,  Isham  Mahon, 
Owen  Wright  and  Greenberry  Wright.  The 
last-name"d  was  the  first  Master;  John  S. 
Wilson,  first  Senior  Warden;  and  J.  H.  Rob- 
inson, first  Junior  Warden.  There  are  now 
fifty  members,  officered  as  follows:  H.  N 
Ruffner,  Worshipful  Master;  T.  J.  Bowling, 
Senior  Warden;  J.  C.  Leith,  Junior  Warden; 
L.  Smith,  Treasurer;  Isaac  S.  Reed,  Secre- 
tary: C.  R.  Hanson,  Senior  Deacon;  A.  Bai- 
lie, Junior  Deacon;  and  S.  H.  Bailie,  Tiler. 

Mason  Chapter,  No.  76,  R.-.A.-.M.".,  was  or- 
ganized March  21,  1865,  and  the  charter 
members  were  C.  B.  Kitchell,  Isaac  H.  Elkin, 
Jacob  Goddard,  J.  D.  Moody,  B.  H.  Bod- 
well,  Thomas  H.  Heeley,  William  H.  Wal- 
lace, William  McNeile  and  William  B. 
Cooper.  The  first  officers  elected  were: 
James  Claypool,  High  Priest;  I.  L.  Leith, 
King;  and  Jacob  Goddard,  Scribe.  There 
are  now  thirty-five  members,  and  the  follow- 
ing are  the  officers:  H.  N.  Ruffner,  High 
Priest;  H.  B.  Turner,  King;  Stephen  Har- 
din, Scribe;  T.  J.  Bowling,  Captain  of  the 
Host;  C.  R.  Hanson,  Principal  Sojourner; 
J.  C.  Leith,  Royal  Ai-ch  Captain;  John  Mc- 
Cloy,  W.  F.  Scott  and  J.  L.  Furneaux, 
Grand  Masters  of  the  Veils;  Laurence 
Smith,  Treasurer;  J.  L.  Goddard,  Secretary; 
and  Henry  M.  Drewry,  Tiler. 

The  railroad  accommodations  of  Mason  are 
not  the  best  to  be  seen  in  the  count}',  by  any 
means,  and  scarcely  up  to  what  might  natur- 
ally be  expected  of  a  town  from  which  so 
much  shipping   is  done.      In  support  of  this 


198 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


assertion,  we  make  one  other  extract  from  the 
Mason  correspondence  of  the  Republican: 
"  There  is  probably  no  village  on  the  Central 
Railroad  entitled  to  as  much  sympathy  and 
assistance  as  our  own  town,  and  there  is  cer- 
tainly none  that  has  received  less.  We  shall 
make  no  pitifnl  month  of  the  matter,  nor 
cherish  ill  feelings  about  it,  but  it  is  a  fact 
that  scores  of  places  far  less  deserving  than 
this  have  been  the  objects  of  repeated  and 
lavish  expenditures  by  the  company.  Thus 
far,  however.  Mason  has  paddled  her  own 
canoe  siiccessfully,  and,  thanks  to  the  vim  of 
her  citizens  she  can  continue  to  do  so,  with 
credit  to  herself  and  country.  '  Never  say 
die '  is  her  motto.  But  there  is  one  consol- 
ing thought,  the  people  of  Mason  are  inde- 
pendent. Whenever  panics  drive  them  to 
'brown  jeans  '  and  '  shoddy,'  they  lose  none 
of  their  native  pride.  They  dance  and  have 
festivals  and  church  fairs,  and  get  drunk, 
with  as  much  dignity  and  regularity  as 
though  their  purses  were  stuffed.  The  aver- 
age Masonite  is  irrepressible.  He  can  play 
billiards  and  pray  and  shout  and  dance  with 
equal  vivacity."  Under  this  veil  of  humor 
and  sarcasm  is  concealed  a  palpable  fact,  and 
that  is,  that  the  old,  tumble-down,  rickety 
railroad  buildings,  depots,  etc. ,  are  a  disgrace 
to  a  great  railroad  such  as  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral, and  the  people  are  justified  in  grum- 
bling. They  certainly  deserve  a  respectable 
depot,  if  nothing  more. 

The  history  of  Mason  during  the  late  war 
belongs  in  part  to  a  distinct  chapter.  But  a 
brief  mention  of  the  part  taken  in  the  great 
struggle  by  the  town  cannot  be  well  avoided. 
In  1861,  the  village  of  Mason  was  a  micro- 
cosm. Not  a  movement  of  Scott,  an  order  of 
the  President  nor  an  editorial  of  Greeley  "but 
was  discussed  and  thoroughly  ventilated  by 
the  people  here,  utterly  regardless  (jf  what 
others  might  say  or  think.     A  few  days  after 


the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter,  a  flag,  half  as  big  as 
a  quarter- section  of  land,  was  raised  in  the 
central  part  of  the  town,  bearing  the  pat- 
riotic inscription,  "Death  to  Traitors!"  Pol- 
itics was  a  study  for  each  one,  and  there  was 
much  whistling  to  keep  up  a  show  of  courage 
and  hopefulness.  Mason  was  no  more  loyal 
or  disloyal  than  other  portions  of  the  coun- 
try. There  were  those  who  opposed  the  war, 
and  those  who  favored  the  most  vigorous 
measures  for  prosecuting  it  until  the  rebell- 
ion should  "be  crushed  out;  and  this  class 
predominated.  Excitement  was  high,  and 
the  drum  was  heard  daily  as  it  beat  for  vol- 
unteers. 

In  the  spring  of  1863,  a  paper  called  the 
Loi/alist  was  established,  the  lietter  to  aid 
the  cause  of  the  Union,  and  its  loyal  bolts 
were  hurled  at  the  heads  of  traitors  with  a 
boldness  and  a  bitterness  unequaled  by  Pren- 
tice or  Brownlow.  But  these  subjects  are 
fully  given  in  preceding  chapters,  and  are 
merely  alluded  to  here  as  a  part  of  the  his- 
tory of  the  village,  which  could  not  be  wholly 
omitted. 

Toward  the  latter  years  of  the  war,  and  es- 
pecially in  1863,  the  village  of  Mason  im- 
proved and  prospered  as  it  never  had  before. 
Indeed,  at  such  a  rate  did  it  travel  on  the 
high  road  to  wealth  that  it  really  had  the 
cheek  to  set  itself  up  as  a  rival  to  Effingham. 
A  large  number  of  buildings  were  erected, 
and  some  of  the  best  yet  put  up  in  the  town, 
among  them  Vey's  brick  store,  and  Karelin's 
and  Baker's  dwellings.  After  the  close  of 
the  war,  however,  and  the  general  stagnation 
of  business  which  followed,  together  witli  the 
contraction  of  the  currency,  a  check — a  very 
material  one — was  put  to  the  prosperity  of  the 
place.  Improvements  were  few  and  of  an 
vmimportant  character,  and  for  the  last  dec- 
ade the  increase  in  population  and  impor- 
tance have  been  exceedingly  small. 


I 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY, 


19» 


The  village  was  incorporated  in  1865,  un- 
der an  act  of  the  Legislature.  Its  charter  was 
amended  by  legislative  enactment  in  1S67. 
Since  then  it  has  been  governed  by  a  Board 
of  Trustees  who  look  faithfully  to  the  inter- 
ests of  its  citizens.  The  present  board  is  as 
follows,   viz. :     Stephen    Hardin,   Ross    Bil- 

lingsley,     James     Drewry,     Goddard, 

James  Richmond  and  D.  S.  Turner.  Of  this 
board,  Stephen  Hardin  is  President;  Willis 
Richmond,  Clerk;  George  Mills,  Treasurer; 
and  Joseph  Donnelson,  Marshal. 

The  business  of  Mason  at  the  present  time 
may  be  thus  summarized:  Seven  dry  goods 
and  grocery  stores,  by  R.  G.  Gibson,  A.  Con- 
oway,  Henry  Hoggs,  H.  Tyner,  Lawrence 
Smith,  Ross  Billingsley  and  Wiley  Burk; 
one  hardware  store,  by  Hom-y  Rankin;  two 
drug  stores,  by  R.  S.  Miller  and  J.  P.  Hutch- 
inson; and  two  millinery  stores,  three  black- 
smith shops,  three  wood  shops,  two  butcher 
shops,  two  shoe  shops,  one  harness  shop,  one 
copper  shop,  one  hay-i:)ress,  one  saw -mi  11,  one 
grist  mill,  one  liverj'  stable,  four  grain  ware- 
houses, a  post  office,  schoolhouse,two  churches 
and  two  lodges. 

Edge  wood  is  situated  about  three  miles 
south  of  Mason  Village,  at  the  crossing  of 
the  Illinois  Central  and  the  Springfield  Di- 
vision of  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  Railroads. 
It  is  located  on  the  south  half  of  the  north- 
east quarter,  the  north  half  of  the  southeast 
quarter,  the  southeast  quarter  of  the  north- 
west quarter,  and  the  northeast  quarter  of 
the  southwest  quarter,  of  Section  32,  of  Ma- 
son Township.  It  was  surveyed  and  plat- 
ted December  24,  1857,  for  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral Railroad.  The  first  house  built  was  a 
dwelling  erected  by  James  Buckner;  the  next 
was  put  up  by  Byron  Woodhull.  The  first 
store  was  a  general  assortment  of  goods  kept 
by  Ichabod  Stedman  in  the  station  house, 
and  was  o[>ened   in  1859.      A  storehouse  was 


erected  in  the  latter  part  of  1859  by  Stephen 
Balcom,  and  is  now  occupied  by  the  hard- 
ware store  of  T.  A.  Scheiflin.  Mr.  Balcom 
was  in  business  for  two  years,  and  was  one 
of  the  most  enterprising  business  men  ever 
in  the  town.  He  built  the  "  Balcom  Corner" 
in  1861,  on  Broad  and  Chestnut  streets,  con- 
sisting of  four  large  storerooms,  offices.  Ma- 
sonic Hall,  etc.  His  death,  in  1863,  was  a 
severe  loss  to  the  little  town.  Stedman  & 
Emery  built  the  tine  store  now  occupied  by 
Dr.  Joseph  Hall  as  a  drug  and  jewelry  store. 
In  1864,  J.  N.  Faulk  put  up  a  large  building 
in  the  east  part  of  town.  A.  Goodnight  was 
the  first  blacksmith. 

The  post  oiHce  was  e.stablishod  in  1858, 
and  Byron  Woodhull  was  appointed  Postmas- 
ter. Joseph  Hall  is  the  present  Postmaster. 
The  first  school-teacher  was  Malissa  Sted- 
man. The  schoolhouse  was  erected  in  1864, 
and  is  a  frame  building.  Miss  Lilly  Land- 
enbergnow  teaches  the  young  idea  to  shoot — 
paper  wads. 

Ichabod  Stedman  erected  a  flouring-mill, 
saw  mill  and  carding  machine  combined  in 
1 862,  which  was  quite  a  mammoth  establish- 
ment. He  operated  it  until  1862,  doing  a 
large  and  profitable  business,  when  it  was 
destroyed  by  fii-e.  Charles  Heilgenstein  built 
a  steam  flouring-mill  in  1868,  which  was 
also  bui-ned.  It  was  rebuilt  by  Kay  &  This- 
tlewood  some  five  years  ago,  and  is  a  large— 
three-story  building,  containing  three  run  of 
buhrs,  and  does  a  fine  business. 

The  first  religious  organization  was  made 
by  the  Methodists  several  years  before  any 
church  building  was  erected.  They  built  a 
house  in  1870,  at  a  cost  of  $1,800,  but  were 
unable  to  pay  for  it,  and  had  to  give  it  up. 
It  is  now  used  as  a  public  hall,  and  the 
church  occupies  the  schoolhouse.  Rev.  Mr. 
Mall  is  the  present  pastor. 

St.  Ann  Roman  Catholic  Chm-ch  was  built 


200 


HISTORY   OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


in  1866  by  the  Franciscans.  There  were 
originally  about  thirty  families,  and  Father 
Kellin  was  the  first  rector.  The  church  cost 
about  $3,000,  and  the  membership  comprises 
forty-three  families,  under  the  pastorate  of 
Rev.  Father  Reisin,  who  has  been  with  them 
three  years. 

Edcrewood  Lodge,  No.  484,  A.,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  was  organized  October  3,  1866,  and  the 
charter  issued  by  Most  Worshipful  H.  P.  H. 
Bromwell,  Grand  Master.  The  charter  mem- 
bers were  B.  W.  Burk,  Thomas  Hamilton, 
John  McDonald,  John  S.  Kelly,  Jonathan 
Hooks,  Thomas  A.  Austin,  Jay  N.  Faulk, 
James  L.  Gillmore,  F.  C.  Healey,  David 
Dyer,  William  McNeile,  A.  Stedman,  John 
Harrison,  F.  H.  Belm,  John  Broom,  M.  A. 
Broom,  G.  W.  Gary,  L.  D.  Coonly,  E.  Pesk, 
J.  A.  Nevins,  James  McCaffrey  and  John 
Scasefl.  The  first  officers  were:  John  S. 
Kelly,  Master  ;  Jonathan  Hooks,  Senior 
Warden;    and    Thomas   A.    Austin,    Junior 


Warden.  The  present  officers  are:  Joseph 
Danks,  Master;  John  McCloy,  Senior  War- 
den; George  Charlotte,  Junior  Warden; 
John  McDonald,  Secretary  ;  and  Henry 
Tookey,  Treasurer. 

The  village  of  Edgewood  was  incorporated 
in  1869,  and  a  Board  of  Trustees  elected,  as 
follows:  E.  Barbee,  James  Johnson,  J.  F. 
Erwin,  Joseph  Fiechs  and  Joseph  Hall.  E. 
Barbee  was  President  of  the  Board,  and  Jo- 
seph Hall,  Clerk.  The  present  board  is  J. 
C.  P.  Vandervort  (President),  Joseph  Hall 
(Clei-k),  Charles  Kay,  H.  Tookey,  B.  Peterson 
and  A.  Goodnight. 

At  present,  the  town  presents  the  following 
business  outlook:  One  dry  goods  store,  two 
grocery  stores,  two  general  stores,  one  hard- 
ware store,  one  drug  and  jewelry  store,  one 
furniture  store,  one  restaurant,  two  mills,  two 
churches,  one  schoolhouse,  two  hotels,  sev- 
eral shops,  three  warehouses,  two  physicians, 
two  railroads  and  one  depot. 


CHAPTER   XVIL* 


WATSON  TOWNSHIP— SURFACE   AND   PHYSICAL   FEATURES— COMING  OF  THE  WHITE  SETTLERS— 

THEIR  LOCATIONS  AND  CLAIMS— SKETCHES  OF  SOME  OF  THE  NOTED  ONES— MILLS  AND 

OTHER  PIONEER    INDUSTRIES— SCHOOLS    AND    SCHOOLHOUSES— CHURCHES 

—VILLAGE  OF  WATSON— ITS  GROWTH  AND  BUSINESS. 


RECURRENCES  of  the  past,  with  the 
recollections  and  associations  which 
make  it  pass  in  life-like  review  before  our' 
mental  vision,  will  continue  to  be,  as  of  yore, 
a  source  of  satisfaction,  especially  when  they 
connect  themselves  with  incidents  reflected 
back  from  our  own  experiences.  These  re- 
minders vanish  with  the  life  of  the  partici- 
pants, when  no  landmarks  remain  to  save  us 
the  pictures  faintly  delineated  in  the  tablets 
of  memory.  To  preserve  these  from  forget- 
fulness  before  they  have  lost   their  distin- 

»  By  G.  N.  Berry. 


guishing  originality  is  the  work  devolved 
upon  the  historian.  History  fails  in  its  great 
mission  when  it  fails  to  preserve  the  life 
featiu'es  of  the  subjects  committed  to  its 
trust. 

Local  history,  more  than  any  other,  com- 
mands the  most  interested  attention,  for  the 
reason  that  it  is  a  record  of  events  in  which 
we  have  a  peculiar  interest,  as  many  of  the 
participants  traveled  the  rugged  and  thorny 
pathway  of  life  as  our  companions,  acquaint- 
ances and  relatives.  The  township  of  Wat- 
son, which  forms  the  subject  of  the  following 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


201 


pages,  is  a  somewhat  diversified  and  broken 
bod}-  of  land,  lying  a  little  east  of  the  cen- 
tral part  of  the  county.  The  following  town- 
ships form  its  boundaries  :  Douglas  and 
Teutojiolis  on  the  north;  Bishop  on  the  east; 
Union  on  the  south;  Jackson  on  the  west; 
and  comprising,  under  the  Congressional 
survey,  Township  7  north.  Range  G  east.  It 
was  named  in  honor  of  a  prominent  official 
of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  at  whose 
suggestion  the  village  of  Watson  was  laid 
out  and  improved.  The  siu'face  of  the  coun- 
ty is  considerably  varied,  being  high  and  roll- 
ing in  the  north  and  east,  while  the  central 
part  and  the  land  lying  along  the  several  wa- 
ter-courses is  much  broken,  and  in  some 
places  rugged,  hilly,  and  almost  wholly  unfit 
for  cultivation.  The  southeastern  portion 
consists  of  a  gently  undulating  prairie  land, 
interspersed  with  a  number  of  small  groves, 
and  contains  some  of  the  most  valuable 
farming  lands  in  the  township.  Along  the 
eastern  border  from  the  northern  boundary 
south  to  the  village  of  Watson,  there  is  a 
stretch  of  level  prairie  varying  from  a  mile 
and  a  half  to  two  miles  in  width,  the  major- 
ity of  which  is  very  fertile  and  in  a  high 
state  of  cultivation.  North  of  Bishop  Creek, 
in  the  eastern  part  of  the  township,  is  a 
small  tract  of  prairie  also,  but  of  more  irreg- 
ular surface,  the  greater  poriion  of  it  being 
rather  uneven,  though  very  fertile. 

Originally,  about  three- fourths  of  the 
township's  area  consisted  of  timber  land, 
much  of  which  has  of  late  years  been  cleared 
and  brought  into  cultivation,  while  a  great 
deal  of  the  most  valuable  timber  was  cut  and 
sawn  into  lumber  at  an  early  day,  that  busi- 
ness at  one  time  being  carried  on  quite  ex- 
tensively. The  largest  and  best  growth  now 
standing  is  found  in  the  central  part  of  the 
township,  on  the  broken  region  alluded  to, 
and  along  Salt  and  Bishop  Creeks,  and  con- 


sists mostly  of  the  following  varieties:  Wal- 
nut, oak  of  several  different  kinds,  elm  and 
sycamore  in  the  low  ground  along  the 
streams,  where  they  often  grow  to  gigantic 
sizes;  hickory,  ash,  maple,  locust,  etc.,  with 
a  thick  gi-owth  of  underbrush,  chiefly  hazel, 
intervening  on  the  high  lands.  The  soil  on 
these  high  and  broken  lands  is  rather  thin, 
chiefly  a  white  clayey  nature,  but,  by  proper 
tillage,  it  has  been  made  to  yield  some  very 
fair  crops,  especially  wheat  and  oats,  while 
it  seems  well  adapted  to  fruit.  Salt  Creek, 
Little  Salt  Creek  and  Bishop  Creek,  with 
their  several  tributaries  are  the  water-courses 
by  which  the  township  is  watered  and  drained. 
The  Illinois  Central  Railroad  passes  thi-ough 
the  township,  and  has  been  the  means  of  de- 
veloping the  country's  resources  in  a  very 
marked  degree  by  bringing  its  rich  farming 
lands  into  easy  and  direct  communication 
with  the  flourishing  cities  lying  along  that 
line. 

In  1830,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Davenport, 
from  Tennessee,  emigrated  to  the  wilderness 
of  Illinois,  with  the  hope  of  securing  a  home 
for  himself  and  children.  He  located  a  little 
north  of  the  present  site  of  Watson  Village, 
and  improved  a  small  patch  of  ground,  which 
he  afterward  entered.  Here  for  several 
years  this  lone  pioneer  family  lived,  in  their 
little  pole  hut,  imcheei-ed  by  the  presence  of 
friends  or  neighbors,  toiling  in  the  meantime 
for  a  scanty  existence,  which  the  wild  condi- 
tion of  the  country  at  that  time  could  scarce 
afford.  The  region  surrounding  the  rude 
domicile  abounded  in  gray  wolves,  large, 
gaunt  and  fierce,  while  an  occasional  black 
one  was  to  be  seen,  and  was  much  more  to  be 
dreaded.  The  right  of  Davenport  to  the  few 
pigs  and  sheep  which  he  brought  with  him 
was  hotly  contested  by  these  denizens  of  the 
woods,  and,  in  order  to  maintain  his  claim, 
a  tight  inclosure  was  made,   in   which  the 


202 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


stock  was  penned  and  carefully  guarded 
every  night;  yet,  in  spite  of  this  precaution, 
a  number  of  unlucky  porkers  were  nabbed  up 
and  carried  ofl"  by  the  alert  enemy. 

Davenport  lived  here  until  the  year  1840, 
and  made,  diu-iug  the  period  of  his  residence, 
a  number  of  improvements,  chiefly  in  the  way 
of  building,  clearing  and  fencing.  His  death, 
which  occiu-red  in  the  above-named  yeai',  was 
the  lu-st  event  of  the  kind  in  the  township, 
and  his  grave,  marked  by  the  simjjle  epitaph 
of  his  life  and  death,  can  still  be  seen  in  the 
old  cemetery  which  he  set  ajiart  for  the  bur- 
ial of  the  dead.  The  next  settler  was  John 
Hutson,  who  came  from  the  far-off  State  of 
Alabama,  and  located  in  the  southwest  cor- 
ner of  the  tovmship  about  the  year  1835. 
He  made  but  few  improvements,  aside  from 
a  small  cabin;  sold  his  claim  about  two  years 
later,  to  a  man  by  the  name  of  Hart,  and 
went  to  the  State  of  Missouri,  where  he  after- 
ward died.  The  place  is  now  in  possession 
of  Edmund  Loy,  an  [pearly  settler  near  the 
to^vn  of  Ewington. 

An  early  settlement  was  made  on  Salt 
Creek,  near  the  northeastern  part  of  the  town- 
ship, by  Benjamin  Bryant,  a  short  time  after 
Hutson  came  to  the  country.  Bryant  was 
from  Kentucky,  and  appears  to  have  been  a 
man  of  rather  reckless  character,  and  not 
particularly  noted  for  piety.  His  residence 
in  the  township  will  cover  a  period  of  per- 
haps eight  years,  the  greater  part  of  which 
was  spent  in  hunting,  trapping,  etc.,  but  lit- 
tle attention  being  given  to  his  improve- 
ments. On  account  of  some  domestic  troub- 
les, he  left  the  country  rather  abruptly,  and 
took  up  his  residence  in  Missovu'i,  near  St. 
Louis.  His  family  remained  here,  where 
numerous  descendants  still  live,  and  are  of 
the  substantial  citizens  of  the  county. 
Among  the  early  settlers  of  Watson  was  a 
man  of  the  name  of  Browning,  a  relative  of 


the  Davenports,  who  came  into  the  present 
limits  of  the  township  as  early  as  the  year 
1838,  and  opened  a  little  farm  on  Section  29. 
He  sold  his  claim  shortly  afterward  and  left 
the  community,  and  the  farm  is  now  in  pos- 
session of  J.  V.  Bail,  of  Watson  Village.  A 
man  named  Hafhill  was  one  of  the  early  pio- 
neers of  this  section,  having  located  near  the 
northeastern  part  of  the  township  some  two 
years  after  Hutson  made  his  appearance  in 
that  neighborhood,  but  he  does  not  seem  to 
have  made  any  permanent  improvement. 

One  of  the  most  noted  characters  in  the 
early  settlement  of  this  part  of  the  county 
was  an  old  hunter  known  as  "  Ci  "  Blansett. 
The  date  of  his  arrival  was  not  ascertained, 
but  he  probably  hunted  over  every  acre  of  the 
township  when  there  were  but  two  or  three 
scattering  settlements  in  it.  He  built  a 
rude  log  cabin  near  the  Hafhill  place,  around 
which  he  cleared  a  little  garden  spot,  where 
he  raised  a  few  vegetables.  His  chief  sup- 
port, however,  was  derived  from  his  rifle, 
and  many  stories  are  told  of  his  encounters 
with  wild  beasts  and  his  wonderful  success 
in  hunting.  When  he  had  killed  a  sufficient 
number  of  deer  to  make  a  load,  he  would 
pack  the  hams  and  skins  in  his  wagon,  and, 
with  an  ox  team,  start  for  St.  Louis,  where 
an  exchange  would  be  made  for  groceries, 
ammunition  and  other  commodities.  As  the 
country  settled  up  and  game  became  scarce, 
Blansett  concluded  that,  like  Daniel  Boone, 
it  was  high  time  for  him  to  leave;  so,  load- 
ing up  his  few  household  effects,  and  turn- 
ing his  face  toward  the  sotting  sun,  took  his 
departure  for  the  far  West,  where  he  could 
find  a  home  more  to  his  tastes,  away  from 
the  fetters  of  civilization.  John  Funk  came 
from  the  South  about  the  year  1840,  and  set- 
tled near  the  central  part  of  the  township, 
where  he  resided  for  five  years.  He  earned 
the  reputation  of  being  a  good  citizen,  and 


\ 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGIIiVM  COUNTY. 


203 


did  much,  in  a  quiet  and  unobtrusive  way, 
toward  advancing  the  material  interests  of 
the  community  in  which  he  lived. 

Prominent  among  the  early  settlers  was 
Michael  Sprinkle,  a  man  well  known  through- 
ont  the  township,  and  universally  respected, 
and  who  came  in  the  year  ]841.  He  located 
near  where  Watson  now  stands,  and  after- 
ward sold  out  to  his  son  and  moved  to  Ew- 
ington.  Several  years  ago,  he  moved  back 
into  this  township,  where  he  still  resides,  one 
of  the  oldest  settlers  now  living  within  its 
limits.  From  the  year  1841  to  1840,  the 
following  settlers  made  their  advent  into  the 
township  and  settled  in  different  portions  of 
it:  Daniel  Einehart,  William  Moody,  Alex- 
ander McDuester,  Thomas  Hillis,  John  Tay- 
lor, Daniel  Le  Crone,  William  Le  Crone,  and 
the  Loy  family.  Rineharfc  was  prominently 
known  in  the  early  settlement  as  a  man  of 
more  than  ordinary  intellectual  abilities,  and 
to  him  the  citizens  were  wont  to  look  for  their 
instruDjenta  of  writing,  legal  advice,  and 
other  items  of  knowledge  generally  belong- 
ing to  the  legal  profession.  He  settled  on 
the  farm  where  Michael  Sprinkle  now  lives, 
to  whom  he  sold  the  place  after  he  had  occu- 
pied it  about  twelve  years.  From  this  town- 
ship he  went  to  Ewington  in  the  year  1853, 
but  moved  back  again,  and  died  in  Watson 
some  nine  years  ago.  For  a  number  of  years, 
he  served  the  people  of  the  county  as  County 
Clerk,  and  discharged  the  duties  of  thai 
office  in  an  acceptable  manner.  A  son  of 
Erastus  N.  Einehart  is  the  present  State 
Senator  from  this  district,  and  a  prominent 
man  of  Effingham.  Moody  entered  the  land 
where  William  Le  Crone  now  lives,  which  he 
occupied  about  live  or  six  years,  when  he  dis- 
posed of  the  place  and  moved  to  Missouri. 
McDuester  improved  a  tract  of  land  near  the 
northern  boundary  of  the  townshij),  which  is 
still  in  possession  of  his  family.      Hillis  and 


Taylor  both  came  from  Ohio  and  purchased 
claims  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  town- 
ship. Daniel  Le  Crone  came  also  from  Ohio, 
about  the  year  1842,  and  settled  where  his  son, 
William  L.,  now  lives.  The  family  originally 
came  from  Pennsylvania,  but  had  been  resi- 
dents of  Ohio  a  short  time  before  moving 
here.  One  son  lives  in  the  city,  of  Effing- 
ham, where  for  a  number  of  years  he  has 
been  a  leading  physician. 

The  Loys  were  an  important  family  in  pio- 
neer times,  and  the  name  continues  to  hold  a 
respectable  place  in  the  county.  They  were 
from  Alabama,  and  made  the  long  journey  to 
this  part  of  the  country  with  teams — an  un- 
dertaking at  that  time  quite  formidable,  and 
fraught  with  a  great  deal  of  peril.  It  would 
compare  well  with  the  embarkation  of  the 
Pilgrims,  who  left  their  native  shore  two 
hundred  years  earlier  to  make  their  way 
acro.ss  the  deep,  to  find  a  home  in  the  New 
World.  Indeed,  the  hardships  of  the  wilder- 
ness road  which  lay  before  them  were  nearly 
as  great  as  those  experienced  by  those  on 
board  of  the  Mayflower,  while  the  length  of 
time  required  to  complete  the  journey  was 
almost  as  great.  The  roads  in  the  South  at 
that  time  were  but  poor,  and,  after  crossing 
the  Ohio,  consisted  of  mere  trails,  through 
sloughs,  over  hills,  fording  creeks  and  ferry- 
ing rivers.  There  were  but  few  bridges 
across  the  streams  then,  especially  on  this 
side  of  the  Ohio,  and  during  the  journey 
many  of  the  water-courses  were  so  swollen  by 
rains  that  the  emigrants  were  compelled  to 
go  into  camp  for  several  days  to  wait  for  the 
flood  to  subside  in  order  to  cross  over.  Their 
little  stock  of  provisions  soon  gave  out,  but 
they  did  not  suffer  for  food,  as  the  limber  and 
prairie  were  full  of  game,  and  the  rifle  sup- 
plied them  with  plenty  of  meat.  The  cattle 
easily  subsisted  on  the  grass  that  grew  along 
the  ri>ad.     In  this  manner,  the  long,  weari- 


204 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


some  journey  was  at  length  completed,  much 
to  the  relief  of  all  concerned.  The  original 
place  of  settlement  was  in  Shelby  County, 
wh(ae  the  family  remained  but  a  few  year.s, 
and  afterward  moved  to  this  county  and  lo- 
cated in  Jackson  Township.  From  the  lat- 
ter, John  Henry  Loy  came  into  Watson  about 
the  year  1845.  He  had  several  sons,  all  of 
whom  were  prominently  connected  with  the 
early  history  and  development  of  the  county. 
Joseph  Loy,  the  oldest,  came  to  this  town- 
ship from  near  Ewington,  about  the  same 
time  his  father  settled  here,  and  located  a 
farm  a  short  distance  east  of  the  village  of 
Watson,  where  he  still  lives.  John  and  De- 
witt  C,  brothers  of  Joseph,  selected  their 
homes  in  the  northern  part  of  the  township, 
where  each  has  a  very  handsome  property, 
and  are  among  the  well-to-do  citizens  of  the 
county.  Another  brother,  Thomas  Loy,  was 
a  jirominent  settler  also,  and  figured  rather 
conspicuously  in  the  early  polities  of  the 
county,  having  been  called  to  fill  the  offices 
of  County  Treasurer,  Surveyor  and  Repre- 
sentative at  different  times  dm'ing  his  life. 
This  comprises  the  early  settlement  of  Wat- 
son Township  as  far  as  we  have  been  able  to 
learn,  though  there  may  be  other  names 
equally  entitled  to  a  mention  in  these  pages. 
Their  early  struggles  and  hardships,  and 
trials  incident  to  the  pioneer's  life,  are  but  a 
repetition  of  those  experienced  by  all  settlers 
in  a  new  and  uninhabited  region,  and  is  il- 
lustrated by  the  Loys'  trip  to  the  country. 
Many  daring  deeds  by  these  unknown  heroes 
have  passed  into  oblivion,  and  many  of  the 
foregoing  list  who  labored  hard  to  introduce 
civilization  into  this  part  of  the  coixntry  now 
lie  in  obscm-e  graves,  unmarked  by  the  sim- 
plest epitaph.  Those  of  the  number  who 
still  live  little  thought,  as  they  first  gazed 
upon  the  broad  waste  of  prairie,  the  unmo- 
lested groves,  dense  and  tangled  with  brush 


and  brier,  that  all  this  wilderness,  in  their 
own  day,  would  be  made  to  blossom  as  a 
garden.  Little  thought  had  they  of  seeing 
beautiful  homes,  waving  fields  of  golden 
grain,  green  pastures  and  grazing  herds, 
where  the  bounding  deer,  crouching  and 
howling  wolf,  held  unmolested  sway. 

"All  houor  then  to  these  gray  old  men, 

When  at  last  they  are  bowed  with  toil ; 
Their  warfare  then  o'er,  they  battle  no  more, 
For  they've  conquered  the  stubborn  soil." 

The  majority  of  the  early  pioneers  of  South- 
ern Illinois  were  men  of  moderate  circum- 
stances, and  came  here  desirous  of  bettering 
their  fortunes.  Like  all  pioneers,  they  were 
kind  to  a  fault,  and  ever  ready  to  do  a  favor. 
They  came  with  but  a  meager  outfit  of  this 
world's  goods,  but,  strong  in  faith  and  hope, 
expected  to  increase  their  worldly  store,  and 
provide  a  home  where  to  pass  their  declining 
years.  The  emigrant,  upon  his  arrival,  be- 
gan at  once  preparations  for  a  shelter.  Diu"- 
ing  this  period,  the  family  lived  in  a  wagon, 
or  occupied  a  temporary  hut  made  of  poles, 
with  no  floor  except  that  of  mother  earth, 
and  no  windows  except  the  interstices  be- 
tween the  logs  forming  the  walls.  Should 
the  time  of  arrival  be  in  the  spring,  this 
simple  structure  sufficed  for  a  house  until  the 
crojis  were  sown,  when  a  more  comfortable 
abode  was  prepared  for  winter.  The  crops 
were  principally  corn  and  a  few  potatoes. 
Wheat  and  the  other  cereals  were  not  raised 
for  a  number  of  years  after  the  firs  settle- 
ments had  been  made,  on  account  of  the  poor 
condition  of  the  soil,  which,  at  that  time, 
was  very  wet  and  marshy,  esisecially  ou  the 
prairies.  A  serious  difficulty  was  experienced 
in  raising  corn,  owing  to  the  early  frosts, 
which  were  sometimes  so  severe  as  to  com- 
pletely I'uin  the  entire  crop,  thus  bringing 
upon  the  people  a  great  many  hardships. 
Edmund  Loy  speaks  of  one  of  these  frosts. 


HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


203 


which  occurred  about  the  year  1847,  as  hav- 
ing entailed  a  great  amount  of  suffering  upon 
the  community.  It  happened  so  late  in  the 
season  that  replanting  was  out  of  the  ques- 
tion, and  the  corn  for  family  use  had  to  be 
purchased  at  the  exorbitant  price  of  $1.25  per 
bushel,  equivalent  to  about  three  times  that 
amount  at  the  present  day.  The  wheat  used 
was  purchased  from  the  older  settlements 
further  south  and  east,  and  formed  but  an  in- 
significant part  of  their  diet,  white  bread, 
cakes,  pies,  etc. ,  being  luxuries  enjoyed  only 
at  rare  intervals.  Wild  game  of  all  kinds 
was  numerous,  deer  being  so  plenty  that  they 
would  come  into  the  stable  j'ards,  and  feed 
with  the  domestic  stock;  during  the  cold  win- 
ters, wild  turkeys  were  more  common  than 
chickens  are  now.  An  incident  is  related  of 
a  family  that  kept  a  pile  of  corn  in  one  room 
of  the  house,  and  were  compelled  to  keep  the 
door  tightly  closed  in  order  to  save  it  from  a 
drove  of  these  birds  that  flocked  on  the  porch. 
Wolves  were  everywhere  to  be  seen,  and 
proved  such  a  trouble  to  the  farmers'  live 
stock  that  systematic  hunts  had  to  bo  planned 
for  the  purpose  of  ridding  the  country  of 
them. 

The  fu-st  improvement  to  which  the  pioneer 
looks  after  having  procm'ed  a  habitation  for 
himself  and  family,  is  a  mill,  a  piece  of  ma- 
chinei-y  that  always  accompanies  civilization. 
Meal  was  fu-st  obtained  by  crushing  the  corn 
when  di-y  in  a  kind  of  rude  mortar  made  by 
chiseling  out  a  hollow  in  the  top  of  a  round 
oak  stump.  The  pestle  was  an  iron  block 
made  fast  to  a  sweep,  and  with  this  simple 
contrivance  a  coarse  article  of  meal  could  be 
manufactured.  A  still  simpler  means  was 
often  resorted  to  before  the  corn  had  become 
hard  enough  to  shell,  namely,  the  common  tin 
grater.  The  first  mill  patronized  by  the  early 
residents  of  AVatson  stood  on  the  Little  Wabash 
in  the  northern  part  of  what  is  now  Union 


Township,  and  was  operated  by  Frederick 
Brockett,  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of 
Effingham  County.  It  served  as  a  source  of 
supplies  for  a  number  of  years,  until  a  small 
horse-mill  was  erected  in  the  southwest  part 
of  the  township,  near  the  village  of  Watson. 
The  name  of  the  persim  who  built  and  oper- 
ated this  mill  is  unknown,  and  the  time  it 
was  in  operation  could  not  be  ascei'tained. 
Each  person  who  brought  a  grist  was  obliged 
to  furnish  his  own  team,  wait  his  turn  and  do 
his  own  grinding.  On  one  occasion,  when 
there  was  quite  a  crowd  at  the  mill  waiting 
their  respective  turns,  two  men  got  into  an 
angry  discussion  with  the  proprietor  about 
their  time,  and  several  sharp  epithets  were 
bandied  back  and  forth.  The  crowd  inter- 
fered and  prevented  a  fight,  but  the  two  bel- 
ligerent farmers  swore  that  they  would  be 
even  with  the  "  d— d  miller,  and  that  right 
early."  On  going  to  start  the  mill  the  fol- 
lowing morning,  the  miller  found  no  buhrs, 
they  having  disappeared  during  the  night. 
A  number  of  persons  had  by  this  time  arrived 
at  the  mill  with  their  grists,  and  among  others 
the  two  parties  that  figured  in  the  quarrel 
with  the  miller  the  previous  day.  After 
searching  the  place  for  some  time  and  not 
finding  the  buhrs,  a  strong  two-fisted  giant 
of  a  farmer  got  upon  a  stump,  and  said  he 
knew  who  took  them,  and  added  with  a  sig- 
nificant look  in  the  direction  of  the  two  sus- 
pected parties,  that  if  "  them  air  stones  ain't 
brung  back  before  another  day,  I'll  kick  the 
everlasting  stuffin'  out  of  the  fellers  that 
caiTied  'em  off."  These  words  had  the  de- 
sired effect,  for  on  the  following  morning  the 
mill  was  in  readiness  for  running.  Thomas 
Loy  built  a  horse-mill  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  township  about  1851,  and  operated  it  for 
several  years,  and  did  a  very  good  business. 
Aside  from  these  two  there  were  no  mills 
built   in  the  township  until  the  year  1867, 


206 


HISTORY  or  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


when  a  combination  mill  was  put  in  operation 
at  tlie  village  of  Watson. 

The  subject  of  education  has  from  an  early 
date  received  a  good  deal  of  attention  in  this 
township.  Long  before  the  law  authorizing 
a  system  of  public  schools  was  in  force,  the 
pioneers  of  Watson  took  steps  toward  the 
education  of  the  youth  in  the  primary  branches 
of  learning.  Comparatively  few  of  the 
first  settlers  were  men  of  letters,  most  of  them 
having  been  children  when  the  matter  of 
book  learning  in  the  States  where  they  were 
brought  up  was  yet  considered  a  matter  of 
minor  importance.  And  yet  these  j^eople 
seemed  to  fully  realize  the  losses  they  had 
sustained  in  the  neglect  of  their  own  school- 
ing, and  were  therefore  anxious  to  do  the 
nest  best  thing,  by  making  amends  in  the 
case  of  their  own  children.  The  first  school 
was  kept  in  a  little  pole  building  that  stood 
near  the  noithwestern  part  of  the  township 
about  the  year  1846.  The  second  school- 
house  was  built  a  few  years  later,  and  stood 
about  one  hundred  yards  west  of  the  place 
occupied  by  tl>  e  one  alluded  to.  The  teacher 
who  conducted  the  first  school  in  this  build- 
ing was  a  man  named  James  Leavitt,  but  we 
are  unable  to  state  from  whence  he  came  or 
whither  he  went.  No  certificates  of  qualifi- 
cation were  at  that  time  granted,  so  we  are 
unable  to  enlighten  our  readers  as  to  Prof. 
Leavitt's  scholastic  attainments.  One  of  the 
early  schoolhouses  was  built  near  where  Hen- 
ry Loy  now  lives,  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
township.  It  was  erected  by  the  neighbors 
for  a  young  man  who  had  come  into  the  com- 
munity a  short  time  previous  for  the  purpose 
of  securing  a  school.  After  he  had  canvassed 
the  neighborhood  and  gotten  the  names  of 
nearly  all  the  settlers  on  his  subscription 
list,  a  very  bad  report  concerning  him  was 
circulated.  It  was  stated  that  he  was  a  gam- 
bler, pickpocket,  blackleg,  and  had  run  away 


from  his  wife,  who  was  at  that  time  living  in 
Ohio.  He  denied  the  report  and  branded  it 
as  a  villainous  lie,  but  many  of  the  people 
gave  it  credit,  and  swore  he  should  not  teach 
the  schools,  while  those  who  did  not  believe 
it,  were  as  determined  that  the  school  should 
go  on.  The  feeling  of  the  neighborhood 
waxed  hot  over  the  affair,  but  the  opposition 
carried  the  day,  for  a  party  of  men  met  one 
night,  proceeded  to  the  schoolhouse  and  tore 
it  to  the  ground.  Among  those  who  gloried 
in  the  part  they  took  in  the  transaction  were 
James  Loy,  Robert  and  William  McCannon. 
The  teacher  left,  and  it  was  afterward  ascer- 
tained that  the  rejaorts  concerning  him  were 
tinged  considerably  with  the  truth.  The 
fii'st  frame  schoolhouse  was  built  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1859,  and  is  known  as  the  Boggs 
Schoolhouse.  It  was  in  this  building  that 
the  first  public  school  of  the  township  was 
taught  the  winter  following  its  erection. 
Th9  present  schoolhouses  are  in  the  main 
good  and  well  furnished.  The  schools  are 
ably  conducted  by  competent  teachers,  and 
the  advantages  of  a  liberal  education  are 
within  the  easy  reach  of  all. 

Among  the  early  pioneers  of  Watson  were 
many  pious  men  and  women,  and  its  religious 
history  dates  from  the  jjeriod  of  its  settle- 
ment. The  first  preachers  were  Methodist, 
and  came  as  one  crying  in  the  wilderness, 
and  wherever  they  could  collect  a  few  of  the 
pioneers  together,  they  jjroclaimed  the  glad 
tidings  of  salvation  "  without  money  and 
without  price."  The  first  religious  services 
held  within  the  present  limits  of  the  township 
were  conducted  at  the  residence  of  John  Loy 
shortly  after  he  came  to  the  country.  A 
class  was  organized  at  the  place  which  after- 
ward grew  into  a  flourishing  chui'ch  known 
as  "  Loy  Chapel,"  where  services  are  still 
held.  John  Loy  was  the  first  Class  Leader, 
and  Revs.  Allen  and  Williamson  amontj  the 


HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


209 


earliest  pastors.  Among  the  original  mem- 
bers can  be  named  Elizabeth  Funk,  Cathai'ine 
Biyant,  Mahala  Loy,  Thomas  Loy  and  wife 
and  John  Loy  and  wife.  Loy's  residence 
served  as  a  preaching  place  about  two  years, 
when  meetincrs  were  hold  at  a  neighborintr 
schoolhouse.  Their  present  neat  church  edi- 
fice was  erected  in  the  year  1874,  and  is  a 
veiy  comfortable  and  substantial  house  of 
worship;  it  is  frame  and  cost  the  siuu  of  $1,- 
100.  The  membership  has  fallen  oflf  consid- 
erably of  late  years,  there  being  only  about 
thirty- live  members  now  belonging,  under 
the  pastorate  of  Rev.  J.  Harpsr.  Connected 
with  the  church  is  a  flourishing  Sunday 
school,  under  the  superintendency  of  a  very 
worthy  gentleman. 

A  Lutheran  Church  was  established  sev- 
eral years  ago,  which  is  at  this  time  a  flour- 
ishing organization.  They  have  a  neat  tem- 
ple of  worship  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
township,  where  services  are  regularly  held. 
Few  facts  or  statistics,  however,  relative  to 
this  church  were  obtained. 

The  Village  of  Watson. — This  thriving 
little  town  is  situated  near  the  southeast  cor- 
ner of  the  township,  and  dates  its  history 
proper  from  the  26th  day  of  October,  1857, 
at  which  time  it  was  surveyed  into  lots  by  the 
Deputy  County  Surveyor  for  John  L.  Bar- 
nard, proprietor  of  the  land.  The  necessity 
of  the  town  was  created  by  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral Railroad,  which  had  been  completed 
through  the  country  a  short  time  previous, 
and  it  is  to  the  suggestion  of  one  of  the  offi- 
cials that  the  town  was  laid  out.  The  first 
building  erected  was  a  small  storeroom,  in 
which  a  general  stock  was  kept  by  David 
Trexler,  who,  after  one  year,  sold  out  to 
Martin  LeCrone.  The  latter  increased  the 
stock,  built  up  an  extensive  trade,  and  for 
about  one  year  did  a  very  flourishing  busi- 
ness.     The   building  was  burned  about   the 


year  1860,  entailing  quite  a  heavy  loss  on 
the  proprietor,  as  the  greater  amount  of  the 
goods  was  destroyed.  A  second  store  was 
started  in  the  year  185  J,  in  a  building  erect- 
ed for  the  purpose  by  C.  T.  BuiToughs,  who 
did  a  good  business  with  a  general  assort- 
ment of  goods  for  about  six  years.  Kire 
Bradley  started  the  third  store  some  time 
dm-ing  the  year  1800,  and  continued  in  l)usi- 
ness  four  years,  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
Moore  &  Greenleaf,  who  in  turn  disjaosed  of 
the  stock  to  J.  F.  Bartley.  Some  time  later, 
Barkley  &  Abraham  opened  a  store  and  erect- 
ed a  substantial  building,  a  short  time  after- 
ward, and  sold  goods  as  partners  for  about 
eight  years,  when  the  entiie  stock  was  pur- 
chased by  the  latter,  who  shill  runs  the  busi-  ^ 
ness.  The  large  frame  storehouse  near  the 
central  part  of  the  village  was  built  in  the 
year  18(34  by  Hiunes  &  Howe,  who  stocked  it 
with  a  line  of  goods  representing  a  capital  of 
$6,000  or  57,000,  and  for  five  years  contin- 
ued the  business  together,  when  the  firm  was 
changed  to  Humes  &  Cooper.  Cooper  bought 
Humes'  interest  one  year  later,  and  condiicted 
a  very  flourishing  trade  for  two  years,  when 
he  closed  out  the  entire  stock,  and  for  some 
time  the  building  stood  idle.  Jt  is  at  present 
owned  by  "W.  M.  Anderson,  and  occupied  by 
the  Schooley  Bros,  as  a  fiu'niture  store.  H. 
A.  Vance  opened  a  hardware  store  in  the  year 
1867,  but  closed  out  his  business  after  run- 
ning it  for  two  years.  The  room  in  which  he 
kept  his  stock  was  aftei-ward  occupied  by  F. 
Lloyd  &  Co.'s  general  store.  The  last  named 
was  succeeded  by  W.  T.  Jaycox,  who  pur- 
chased their  goods,  although  he  occupies 
another  building  at  this  time. 

A  steam  saw-mill  was  built  in  the  year 
1867  by  A.  J.  Vance,  to  which  a  set  of  buhrs 
was  afterward  added.  It  has  been  in  opei'a- 
tion  ever  since,  and  is  at  present  ran  by  W. 
M.    Anderson,    the   proprietor.      Dr.   G.    S. 


210 


HISTORY  or  EFFINGHAM  COUXTY. 


Shindle  was  the  first  physician  in  Watson. 
He  was  an  old  settler  of  the  county  and  came 
here  whon  there  were  but  two  or  three  houses 
in  the  village.  There  have  been  the  follow- 
ing disciples  of  Esculapius  located  here  at 
intervals  daring  the  last  twenty-five  years: 
J.  Boss,  J.  M.  Wilhite,  P.  M.  Martin,  S.  G. 
Huff,  who  ojjened  the  first  drug  store  in  the 
town;  J.  N.  Groves, Scott,  J.  N.  Mat- 
thews, L.  W.  Hammer  and  H.  C.  Finch. 

The  first  hotel  was  built  by  Robert  Thomp- 
son, and  operated  by  him  for  about  fifteen 
years.  William  La  Kew  kept  a  good  public 
house  for  several  years;  also,  J.  V.  Bail  at- 
tends to  the  wants  of  the  traveling  public  at 
the  present  time. 

'  J  The  citizens  of  the  town  have  always  taken 
a  just  pride  in  their  schools,  which,  in  point 
of  eificiency,  are  as  good  as  any  in  the  entire 
county.  A  frame  house  was  erected  in  the 
year  1864,  and  used  until  1872,  when  the 
present  commodious  brick  structure  was 
erected.  This  is  one  of  the  best  finished  and 
best  furnished  schoolhouses  in  the  county. 
It  contains  two  large,  comfortable  rooms,  and 
was  built  at  a  cost  of  §1,600.  The  first 
teachers  were  N.  E.  Clutter  and  Annie 
McPherson;  the  present  teachers  are  Prof. 
W.  H.  Diets,  Principal,  and  M.  E.  Hillis, 
assistant. 

Watson  Lodge,  No.  602,  A.,  F.  &  A.  M., 
was  organized  the  6th  day  of  October,  1868; 
the  charter  was  granted  by  J.'R.  Gorin,  at 
that  time  Grand  Master,  and  contains  the 
following  names:  F.  Cooper,  A.  L.  Walker, 
S.  T.  Hillis,  W.  F.  Scott,  T.  B.  Sehooley,  R. 
S.  Wand,  J.  Barkley,  J.  M.  Wilhite,  James  B. 
Gillispie,  J.  V.  Bail  andH.  S.  Barkley.  For 
several  months  after  organizing,  meetings 
were  held  in  a  vacant  storeroom  belonging  to 
Charles  Burroughs.  Later,  a  room  was  fitted 
up  in  the  residence  of  J.  V.  Bail,  which 
served  as  a  meeting  place  until  their  present 


hall  was  built,  in  the  year  1871.  The  differ- 
ent olfices  are  at  present  filled  by  the  follow- 
ing persons:  C.  Miller,  W.  M.;  W.  M.  Abra- 
ham, S.  W. ;  S.  T.  Hillis,  J.  W.;  S.  Fran-  < 
Icisco,  Treasurer;  J.  D.  D.  Williamson,  Sec-  \ 
retary;  A.  L.  Walker,  S.  D.;  William  Brady, 
J.  D.;  B  F.  Hosier,  Tiler.  The  present 
membership  is  about  twenty. 

There  are  three  church  organizations  in 
the  village,  which  ought  to  speak  well  for  the 
morality  of  the  citizens.  From  facts  gener- 
ously furnished  by  J.  D.  D.  Williamson,  we 
give  the  following  history  of  the  oldest 
churches  (the  Methodist)  in  Watson.  We 
have  no  records  further  back  than  the  year 
1852.  "UTien  this  place  was  an  apjiointment 
on  the  Ewington  Circuit,  and  J.  D.  Gilham, 
pastor,  services  were  held  at  that  time  in  the 
old  log  schoolhouse  that  for  a  number  of 
years  stood  in  the  western  part  of  the  vil- 
lage, but  is  now  a  thing  of  the  past.  In  this 
rude  temple  the  plain  backwoodsmen  of  the 
ime  , accompanied  by  their  wives  and  familie.?,  ' 
were  wont  to  seek  spii'itual  comfort — that  balm 
that  comes  not  from  human  hands,  and  if  the 
memories  of  many  of  the  old  people  of  the 
town  are  trustworthy,  precious  sermons  were 
enjoyed  here  and  many  souls  brought  to 
Christ.  In  the  year  1853,  Rev.  David  Will- 
iamson, just  transferred  from  the  Indiana 
Conference,  was  appointed  to  the  Ewington 
Circuit,  of  which  Watson  was  still  a  part. 
This  was  a  year  of  much  good  to  the  chm*ch, 
and  many  were  gathered  into  the  fold,  through 
the  effective  labors  of  this  devoted  servant  of 
God.  Services  were  still  held  in  the  old  log 
scl;oolhouse,  and  for  several  succeeding  years, 
until  the  building  of  the  frame  schoolhouse 
that  is  now  used  for  a  dwelling  in  the  north 
part  of  the  town.  At  this  place  meetings  were 
conducted  until  the  new  brick  chiu'ch  school- 
house  was  erected,  when  the  organization  was 
moved  to  it.     Among  the  earlier  members  of 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


211 


the  church  can  be  named  Mi.  Jaycox,  Mi-. 
Kaufman,  now  deceased;  Mrs.  Kaufman. 
Mrs.  Mary  Loy  and  Mrs.  Polly  LeCrone,  now 
living.  The  present  building  whore  the  con- 
gregation worships  was  erected  in  1870.  It 
is  a  neat  frame  sU'Uctxu'e,  situated  in  the 
southeastern  part  of  the  town,  and  cost  about 
$1,000.  At  different  times  AYatson  has  been 
an  appointment  in  the  following  circuits  in 
the  order  in  which  they  are  named:  Ewing- 
ton.  Mason,  Effingham  and  Watsou.  The 
following  are  the  pastors  (as  many  as  we 
could  obtain)  in  the  order  of  their  ministry: 
John  D.  Gilham,  1852;  David  Williamson, 
1853;  J.  Vest,  1854;  J.  S.  Estlep,  1855;  R. 
H.  Massey,  1856;  G.  W.  Cullom,  1857;  R. 
G.  Ayres,  1858;  then  David  Williamson 
again, in  1859  and  I860;  William  Butt,  1861 
and  1862.  The  last-named  was  a  strong  Re- 
publican in  politics,  whilst  the  majority  of 
the  charge  were  as  strongly  Democratic.  By 
his  outspoken  political  sentiments  a  strong 
antagonism  was  unwisely  aroused,  which  in- 
jured his  work  as  a  religious  teacher;  he  was 
a  man  of  brilliant  attainments,  a  finished 
orator  and  scholar.  G.  W.  Cullom  took 
charge  of  the  church  again  in  1863 ;  Charles 
Mapes,  1864;  G.  W.  Branine,  1865;  J.  H. 
Lockwood,  1867,  1868;  T.  N.  Johnson,  1869; 
J.  H.  Hill,  1870;  David  Williamson,  1871; 
G.  M.  Whitesell,  1872;  J.  D.  Crum,  1874; 
Cullom  again  in  1875;  Olin  Rippeto,  1877; 
G.  W.  Butler,  1878-78;  D.  W.  Phillips, 
1880;  L.  A.  Harper,  1881 ;  J.  W.  Noll  and  Rev. 
Hoar,  1882.  The  church  is  now  in  a  fairh-  pros  • 
perous  condition,  with  an  active  membershijD. 
The  Christian  Chiu'ch  was  re-organized 
from  the  remnants  of  an  old  chuixh  that  had 
formerly  met  at  a  place  about  two  miles  east 
vi  Watson,  in  the  year  1874.  There-organi- 
zation was  effected  at  the  Boggs  Schoolhouse, 
where  services  were  held  until  the  year  1874, 
when  their  present  building  was  erected  in 


the  village.  It  is  a  frame  house,  44x28  feet, 
and  represents  a  capital  of  about  $1,600.  It 
was  dedicated  in  ihe  spring  of  1875  by  Elder 
J.  G.  BuiToughs,  who  at  the  time  was  pastor. 
The  original  membership  was  aboTit  forty, 
which  is  about  the  number  now  belonging. 
Elder  T.  S.  Wall  was  pastor  two  years.  C. 
B.  Black,  one  year  and  six  months.  The 
pastor  now  in  charge  is  Elder  W.  T.  Gordon. 
Their  Sunday  school,  which  is  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  flourishing  in  the  country, 
is  under  the  able  management  of  W.  S. 
Schooley,  Superintendent,  and  hp.s  an  aver- 
age attendance  of  about  seventy  scholars. 

An  old  organization  of  the  Presbyterians 
had  been  in  existence  at  this  place  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  but  for  some  causes  unknown 
the  society  had  been  abandoned  some  time 
prior  to  the  year  1875.  It  was  re-organized 
in  1879,  chiefly  by  the  labors  of  Rev.  A.  H. 
Parks,  with  a  membership  of  thirty  persons. 
Services  were  held  in  the  Christian  Church, 
which  had  been  generously  thrown  open  to 
them,  until  they  were  able  to  fit  up  a  house 
of  worship,  which  was  done  some  time  later. 
An  old  chiu-ch  building  that  had  formerly 
belonged  to  a  society  of  the  Baptists  was 
purchased  and  refitted  at  a  cost  of  about 
11,000;  it  stands  in  the  west  part  of  the  vil- 
lage and  is  the  best  church  edifice  in  the 
town.  The  first  officers  were  C.  M.  Service, 
W.  M.  Lockwood  and  William  Wilson,  El- 
ders; Henry  Leckman,  James  Russell,  W. 
W.  Ashbaugh,  W.  T.  Jaycox  and  D.  C.  Ash- 
baugh.  Trustees.  Rev.  Parks  is  the  only 
pastor  the  congregation  has  had,  though  they 
have  preaching  at  intervals  by  transient  min- 
isters. The  membership  does  not  seem  to 
have  increased  much  since  the  re  organiza- 
tion, thei'e  being  about  the  same  number  now 
on  the  records  as  were  enrolled  at  the  first 
meeting.  Of  the  Baptist  Church  referred  to 
nothing  was  learned. 


313 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY.  / 


The  following  parties  represent  the  present 
business  interests  of  Watson:  W.  T.  Jaycox 
and  W.  M.  Abraham  keep  general  stores; 
Schooley  Bros,  handle  all  kinds  of  furniture; 
J.  A.  Spinkle  has  a  neat  drug  store;  Flem- 
ing &  Selby,  wagon  and  carriage  makers;  C. 
C.  Smith,  boot  and  shoe  maker;  J.  V.  Bail,  i  Watson  upon  petition  of  the  citizens.  W. 
blacksmith.      The  railroad  business  is  man-      M.  Abraham  is  the  present  Postmaster. 


aged  by  Mr.  Claar,  while  Miss  Lidy  deftly 
manipulates  the  telegraph  keys.  The  first  post 
ofiSce  was  established  about  the  year  185(3, 
and  John  Irwin  was  appointed  Postmaster. 
It  was  known  as  Salt  Creek  Post  Office  until 
the  year  1808,  when  the  name  was  changed  to 


CHAPTER  XYIIL* 


JACKSON  TOWNSHIP— INTRODUCTION  AND  GENERAL  DESCRIPTION— TOPOGRAPHY,  ETC.— SETTLE- 
MENT OF  WHITE  PEOPLE— PIONEER   IMPROVEMENTS   AND  BUSINESS  INDUSTRIES— SOME 
EARLY    INCIDENTS— BIRTHS,    DEATHS    AND    MARRIAGES— MILLS,    ROADS,    ETC. 
SCHOOLS  AND  CHURCHES— VILLAGES,  ETC.,  ETC. 


■■  Build  yet,  the  end  is  not;  build  on, 

Build  for  the  ages  unafraid; 
The  past  is  but  a  base  whereon 

These  ashlars,  well  hewn,  may  be  laid, 
Lo,  I  declare  I  deem  him  blest 

Whose  foot,  here  pausing,  findeth  rest." 

THE  world  in  its  onward  rush  is  now  taking 
time  to  look  back,  and  the  story  of  the 
pioneer  is  becoming  one  of  absorbing  inter- 
est. Illinois  was  for  years  considered  "  out 
west,"  and  its  people,  scarcely  out  of  the 
brush,  took  little  interest  in  those  traditions 
relating  to  a  condition  of  society  but  little 
removed  from  their  own.  But  the  grand 
march  of  civilization  has  pressed  back  the 
Western  frontier,  until,  instead  of  bordering 
the  Mississippi  River,  it  rests  iipon  the  shore 
of  the  Pacific,  and  has  made  the  once  North- 
western Territory  the  central  link  in  the  brill- 
iant chain  of  States.  This  awakening  to  the 
true  value  of  the  early  history  of  this  coun- 
try comes,  in  many  respects,  too  late.  Most 
of  the  pioneers  have  been  gathered  to  their 
fathers  within  the  last  decade,  and  one  by 
one  the  old  landmarks  have  decayed  and 
passed  away  with  those  who  reared  them, 
while   that   period    is    fast  rolling  on  when 

*By  W.  H.  Pen-in. 


none  can  truly  say,  "I  remember  them  or 
their  works. "  Thus  while  we  may,  we  will 
rescue  fi'om  oblivion  the  facts  and  reminis- 
cences, so  far  as  attainable,  of  this  section. 

Jackson  Township  is  largely  taken  up 
with  the  Wabash  bottoms,  and  hence  has 
much  broken  and  hilly  timbered  land,  with 
a  very  little  level  prairie  in  the  western  part. 
It  is  southwest  from  Effingham,  and  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Summit  Township, 
on  the  east  by  Watson,  on  the  south  by  Ma- 
son, on  the  west  bv  Mound  and  the  Congres- 
sional  survey  lies  in  Township  7  north, 
and  Range  5  east,  of  the  Third  Principal 
Meridian.  Its  principal  drainage  is  through 
the  Little  Wabash  and  its  numerous  tribu- 
taries. The  Wabash  flows  in  a  southerly  di- 
rection through  the  eastern  part  of  the  town- 
ship, receiving  the  waters  of  Big  Creek, 
Second  Creek  and  Funkhouser  Creek ; 
Brockett  and  Coon  Creeks  are  tributaries  of 
Big  Creek.  These  numerous  streams  form 
an  excellent  system  of  natural  drainage,  af- 
ford an  ample  supply  of  stock  water,  and  if 
properly  utilized  would  furnish  power  to 
numberless  mills  and  other  machinery.     The 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


213 


original  timber  was  similar  to  that  described 
in  Summit  and  other  townships  of  the  coun- 
ty, and  in  the  bottoms  consisted  of  walnut, 
papaw,  Cottonwood,  sycamore,  sugar  maple, 
buckeye,  soft  maple,  etc.,  etc.,  and  upon  the 
plains  and  ridges,  the  different  oaks,  hickory, 
and  other  hardy  growths.  The  township 
comprises  considerable  good  land,  and  along 
the  river  bluffs  and  hills  there  may  be  found 
some  that  possesses  little  value,  except  for 
the  timber. 

The  early  settlers,  the  men  who  first  flocked 
to  the  hills  and  plains  of  Jackson  Township; 
the  men  whose  voices  rantr  first  through  its 
heavy  forests  while  yet  the  footprints  of  the 
red  man  lingered  in  the  sands;  the  men 
whose  bullets  first  pierced  the  bounding  deer 
that  played  and  hid  among  the  trees,  are 
those  around  whom  linger  the  most  thrilling 
interest.  The  most  of  them  are  sone  to  that 
country  where  there  are  no  pioneer  trials 
and  hardships.  Some  of  the  first  settlers  in 
the  county  located  in  this  township;  here 
dwelt  and  figured  some  of  the  most  distin- 
guished characters  the  county  has  known, 
and  here.was  the  familiar  "  stamping  ground" 
of  Ben  Campbell,  to  whom  Mr.  Bradsby 
has  paid  a  fine  tribute  in  a  preceding  chap- 
ter. To  these  pioneers  and  early  settlers  we 
will  now  devote  a  few  pages. 

The  first  settlement  in  what  now  forms 
Jackson  Township  was  made  by  Isaac  Fan- 
cher  in  1825,  and  is  one  of  the  earliest  settle- 
ments made  in  the  county.  His  brother, 
Byron  Fancher,  settled  a  year  or  two  later. 
They  were  from  Tennessee,  and  Isaac  settled 
on  the  place  where  Judge  Gillenwaters  after- 
terward  lived.  Byron  was  in  the  Black  Hawk 
war,  and  was  a  good  and  upright  man.  He 
afterward  sold  out  and  moved  to  Texas. 
Isaac  died  in  the  township  many  years  ago. 
Ben  Oarapbell — the  David  Crockett,  the 
Daniel  Boone  of  the  back  woods — was  the  next 


settler  in  this  towuship.  He  came  about  the 
year  1826-27,  and  for  many  years  took  aa 
active  part  in  opening  up  the  country  and 
paving  the  way  for  the  tide  of  immigration 
sweeping  over  the  country  from  the  East  to 
the  West.  He  is  so  fully  written  up,  how- 
ever, elsewhere,  that  we  can  add  nothing 
without  repetition.  Jesse  and  Jack  Fulfer 
came  also  in  1826.  They  were  from  the 
South,  but  it  is  not  known  from  what  State. 
They  were  not  very  pushing  or  energetic, 
but  lived  mostly  by  "  days' works."  They 
are  dead  and  have  no  descendants  now  living 
in  the  county.  Thomas  I.  Brockett  came  in 
1828,  and  was  the  next  addition  to  the  set- 
tlement. Two  brothers,  Fred  and  William, 
were  also  early  settlers  in  the  county.  They 
were  all  from  Tennessee.  Fred  lived  on  the 
road  to  Blue  Point,  and  William  lived  near 
the  line,  but  probably  in  Union  Township. 
Fred  had  a  grist  mill  and  saw  mill  on  the 
Little  Wabash,  in  Union  Township.  Thom- 
as was  instrumental  in  having  the  tii-st  school 
taught  in  the  township.  They  are  all  dead 
and  gone  years  ago. 

Among  the  arrivals  of  1829  were  Samuel 
Bratton,  Andrew  Lilly,  Henry  Tucker,  Will- 
iam Stephens,  Jacob  Nelson  and  his  sons. 
Bratton  came  from  some  one  of  the  Southern 
States.  He  settled  in  Jackson,  but  afterward 
moved  into  Douglas.  He  has  no  descend- 
ants in  the  county.  Lilly  was  also  from  the 
South,  and  is  long  since  dead.  He  used  to 
"shove  the  queer,"  it  is  said,  and  was  a 
great  "chum"  of  Hull,  who  was  finally  sent 
to  the  penitentiary  for  making  and  passing 
counterfeit  money.  Tucker  was  from  Ten- 
nessee, and  settled  down  in  the  river  bottom, 
where  he  died.  He  has  two  sens,  John  and 
James,  still  living  in  the  township,  both  of 
whom  were  in  the  Mexican  war.  Mr.  Tucker 
was  an  honest  and  honorable  man,  and  high- 
ly   respected   in  the   communitv.      William 


314 


HISTORY   OF  EFFINGHAM  COUXTY. 


Stephens  settled  in  this  township,  then  moved 
into  Watson,  and  later  moved  away  from  the 
State.  Nelson  came  from  Tennessee  and 
settled  in  White  County,  111.,  in  1828,  and 
the  next  year  came  here.  He^iirst  settled  on 
Limestone  Creek,  and  then  in  this  township, 
on  the  place  where  Calvin  Mitchell  now  lives. 
He  "cut  the  first  stick''  on  that  place,  im- 
proved it  and  afterward  entered  it.  He  had 
a  son  named  Peter  and  another  named  Wash. 
All  of  them  are  dead — Peter  probably  ex- 
cepted. He  moved  up  north,  came  back,  and 
finally  moved  away  again,  and  was  living  the 
last  known  of  him. 

The  year  1830  brought  a  few  more  set- 
tlers to  the  township,  among  whom  were 
Jesse  White,  Alfred  AVarron,  Hemy  P. 
Bailey,  George  and  Enoch  Neaville,  Micajah 
Davidson  and  James  Tm-ner.  White  was 
from  Tennessee,  and  was  a  single  man  when 
he  came.  He  married  soon  after,  however, 
and  settled  down  on  the  river,  but  afterwai-d 
moved  out  on  the  prairie.  Bailey  was  also 
from  Tennessee,  and  was  the  first  Sheriff  of 
the  county  He  still  has  quite  a  number  of 
descendants  in  this  and  the  sm-rounding 
townships.  Neaville  was  a  Frenchman,  and 
came  from  Alabama  George,  who  was  the 
father  of  Enoch,  moved  to  Missouri,  and 
finally  died  on  the  Gasconade  River.  Enoch 
moved  into  Watson  Township,  and  died  there. 
Davidson  fii'st  settled  here  and  built  a  little 
mill,  then  sold  out  and  moved  over  into 
Mason.  Warren  settled  on  the  place  where 
Ben  Campbell  died.  He  then  moved  aci-osa 
\  the  Wabash  onto  the  place  where  Tom  Aus- 
\  tin  now  lives,  and  there  died.  ' 

James  Turner,  one  of  the  last  members  of 
the  old  guard,  and  with  Judge  Broom,  Judge 
Gillenwaters,  and  Mr.  John  Scott,  the  oldest 
settlers  now  living  in  the  county,  is  a  native 
of  Virginia.  He  emigi-ated  to  Tennessee  in 
1823,  and  in  the  fall   of  1830,  came  to  Illi- 


nois, locating  in  Jackson  Township.  He  still 
lives  on  the  place  where  he  originally  settled, 
and  can  tell  many  stories,  and  relate  many 
interesting  incidents  of  frontier  life;  of  how 
the  pioneer  left  the  civilization  of  the  older 
States  behind  him,  located  in  this  wild 
region,  far  removed  from  the  influence  of  the 
schoolhouse  and  the  chui'ch,  drove  back  the 
savages,  and  paved  the  way  for  the  blessings 
of  to-day.  "Uncle  Jimmy,"  or  "Grand- 
pap,"  as  his  intimate  friends  call  him,  will 
tell  you  how  for  years  he  tanned  his  own 
leather  m  troughs,  and  made  the  shoes  for 
his  own  family  and  children.  And  a  large 
family  he  had — nine  sons  and  two  daughtera. 
The  sons  all  grew  to  manhood,  and  six  of 
them  are  still  living;  one  of  the  daughters 
lives  in  the  township,  and  the  other  in  Cali- 
fornia. Mr.  Turner  is  the  only  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  this  township,  except  Mr. 
Scott,  now  living.  His  memory  is  excellent, 
and  his  descriptions  of  pioneer  life  vivid 
and  interesting.  To  him  we  are  indebted 
for  much  valuable  information,  not  only  of 
this  township,  but  of  other  portions  of  the 
county. 

The  Gallants  settled  in  the  township  in 
1831,  but  of  them  few  facts  were  obtained. 
John  O.  Scott  came  here  in  1832.  He  was 
a  single  man,  but  a  few  years  later  he  mar- 
ried, as  all  true  men  should,  thus  carrying 
out  the  divine  injunction  to  "multiply  and 
replenish  the  earth."  He  and  his  good  wife, 
who  was  Martha  Parkhurst,  are  both  living, 
honored  citizens  of  the  city  of  Effingham. 
Their  recollection  of  early  times  and  hard- 
ships is  clear,  and  has  been  the  means  of 
preserving  many  historical  facts  fi-om  obliv- 
ion. Mrs.  Scott's  father,  Jonathan  Park- 
hurst, was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  but  had 
ived  some  years  in  Tennessee,  some  real's 
before  moving  to  this  State.  He  first  settled 
in   White   County,   111.,  where  he  remained 


HISTORY  or  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


215 


some  years,  then  came  to  this  county,  and 
settled  in  Mason  Township;  a  few  years  later, 
he  moved  into  Jackson.  Thus,  slowly  the 
settlers  came  in,  until  all  the  available  land 
was  taken  up  and  occupied. 

While  the  pioneers  had  many  soui'ces  of 
pleasure  and  pastime,  their  early  years  here 
were  years  of  toil.  They  had  no  mills  near 
by,  no  agricultural  implements,  except  a  few 
of  a  very  crude  character,  and,  indeed  none 
of  the  luxuries  and  but  few  of  the  comforts 
of  life.  Their  clothing  was  made  at  home, 
of  cotton  and  flax,  grown  by  themselves,  and 
of  the  skins  of  wild  animals,  moccasins  in- 
cased their  feet,  and  their  food,  if  not  ' '  lo- 
custs and  wild  honey,"  the  latter  at  least  was 
included  in  the  bill  of  fai-e  as  one  of  the 
main  staples  of  food,  and  was  plenty  in  the 
forest.  Wild  beasts  were  plenty,  and  some- 
times dangerous  to  cope  with,  if  ravenously 
hungry;  add  to  this  the  insects  and 'reptiles, 
which  were  as  thick  as  the  leaves  upon  the 
trees,  and  the  reader  will  conclude  that 
pioneer  life  was  not  all  sunshine.  But  with 
the  increase  of  settlements,  and  the  advance 
of  civilization,  improvements  were  made  in 
the  way  of  living  from  time  to  time,  better 
implements  and  tools  wei'e  brought  in,  and 
life  became  more  endui'able  and  enjoyable. 

The  incidents  that  gave  zest  to  frontier 
life  were  frontier  weddings — these  were 
times  of  general  rejoicings,  and  all  with- 
in a  large  circle  was  invited  and  attended 
as  -punctually  as  when  the  occasion  was 
a  house-raising  or  a  corn-huskinsr.  Sev- 
eral  weddings  occuiTsd  in  Jackson  Town- 
ship while  it  was  yet  in  the  pioneer 
period  of  its  existence.  Of  those  were 
Enoch  Neayille  and  Lam3_Pagh,  Mike 
Robinson  and  Delilah  Pugh,  Jesse  White 
and  Kate  Neaville  and  John  Scott  and 
Martha  Parkhurst.  We  cannot,  like  the 
modern  Jenkins,    give  a  full    description  of 


these  fair  brides,  their  trousseaus  and  wed- 
ding traps  generally,  but  have  no  doubt  it 
corresponded  with  the  happy  events  celebrat- 
ed. Ever  since  that  wonderful  triumph  of 
millinei-y  art  long  ago,  of  manufacturing  an 
entire  feminine  wai'drobe  from  fig  leaves, 
female  ingenuity  has  been  equal  to  any  oc- 
casion when  a  display  of  brilliant  costumes 
was  required,  and  it  would  be  superfluous 
to  say  that  her  resources  did  not  fail  upon 
these  occasions. 

An  incident  to  the  point,  and  illustrative 
of  the  times,  is  related  by  Judge  Gillonwa- 
ters:  Fred.  Brockett's  wife  died,  and  some 
years  afterward  he  made  up  his  mind  to 
marry  again,  and  began  to  cast  about  him  for 
a  suitable  helpmeet.  He  went  into  the  mat- 
ter much  as  he  would  have  embarked  in  any 
other  business  enterprise.  He  mounted  his 
horse  and  traveled  from  neighborhood  to 
neighborhood,  and  everywhere  his  inquiries 
were  for  some  "  good  looking,  middle-  aged 
widow  'oman,  who  wanted  to  marry,"  that  he 
was  "  out  on  the  hunt  of  a  wife,  and  would 
like  to  find  such  a 'owan."  Some  distance 
south  of  here  he  made  his  usual  inquiries, 
and  was  infortaed  that  about  twenty  miles 
back  was  the  very  woman  who  would  fill  the 
bill;  that  she  was  sensible,  practical,  and  had 
plenty  of  the  world's  goods.  He  turned  and 
retraced  his  steps,  and  went  to  see  the  wo- 
man. Afterward,  when  asked  why  he  did 
not  marry  her,  he  said  "  she  wouldn't  do  at 
all,"  that  he  "  didn't  want  any  such  a  little, 
crooked,  chied-up  'oman  as  that."  But  we 
are  told  that  "  time,  patience  and  persever- 
ance will  accomplish  all  things,"  so  he  finally 
succeeded  in  finding  a  woman  to  suit  his 
tastes  in  all  respects. 

In  the  regular  com-so  of  human  nature, 
births  follow  marriages,  and  the  drst  birth 
in  the  township  was  a  pair  of  twins  with 
different   fathers    and  mothers.     They  wore, 


21(i 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


however,  born  in  the  same  house,  on  the 
same  night,  and  was  a  son  of  Stephen  Austin 
and  a  daughter  of  Thomas  I.  Brockett.  The 
circumstances  attending  this  "  j)henomenon  " 
are  detailed  in  a  preceding  chapter.  They 
were  soon  followed  by  others.  With  so  many 
pioneer  weddings  as  we  have  accredited  to 
Jackson,  an  increase  of  population  is  but  a 
natural  consequence.  We  were  informed 
that  the  crop  of  children  in  the  community 
was  sare  and  large,  honce  it  follows  that 
these  new  married  couples  essayed  to  follow. 
or  rather  to  carry  out,  the  Biblical  injunction 
— to  "  multiply  and  replenish  the  earth." 

The  first  death  in  the  township  was  the 
result  of  an  accident.  Isaac  Fulfer,  in  cut- 
ting a  bee  tree,  was  caught  in  some  manner 
by  a  falling  limb  and  crushed  to  death.  The 
accident  was  a  melancholy  one,  and  the  vio- 
lent death  it  involved  cast  a  gloom  over  the 
entire  settlement.  The  first  person  who  died 
a  natural  death  was  a  young  man  named 
Cummings,  a  nephew  of  Rod  Jenkins.  He 
came  to  the  neighborhood  with  the  intention 
of  making  it  his  home,  and  was  taken  sick 
soon  after  his  arrival  and  died.  He  was 
buried  at  Jenkins',  in  a  quiet  spot  where  no 
graveyard  had  been  laid  out  then,  nor  has 
been  since.  The  first  graveyard  was  near 
Freemanton.  and  was  laid  out  in  a  very  early 
day.  A  number  of  private  ,  graveyards,  or 
family  burying  grounds,  have  been  made  and 
peopled  by  the  the  "pale  nations  of  the 
dead." 

Mills  were  one  of  the  first  improvements 
in  which  the  people  took  an  interest,  after 
becoming  settled  down  to  work.  Brockett 
had  a  mill  down  on  the  river,  but  there  is  some 
question  as  to  whether  it  was  in  Jackson, 
Mason  or  Union  Township.  Funkhouser 
had  a  horse  mill  a  little  east  of  Freemanton. 
It  would  be  thought  a  poor  excuse  as  a  mill 
at  this   day,  but    then   it  was    considered    a 


grand  improvement.  Tucker  had  a  mill 
veiy  early.  It  was  on  the  Little  Wabash, 
and  had  what  was  called  a  tub  wheel.  A 
man  named  Meeks  built  it  for  Tucker.  He 
was  a  sort  of  a  millwright,  and  an  early  set- 
tler of  the  township,  but  no  one  knows  now 
what  became  of  him.  Jonathan  Parkhurst 
had  a  little  horse  mill,  with  stones  about  fif- 
teen inches  in  diameter.  Some  mischievous 
fellows,  without  the  fear  of  God  before  them, 
stole  them  one  night,  and  carried  them  off 
by  running  their  arms  through  the  hole  in 
them,  and  they  were  not  found  for  three 
months.  It  happened  that  this  mill  was  the 
only  "  dry  weather "  mill  then  for  a  circuit 
of  many  miles.  Mr.  Turner  says  that  during 
all  that  time  they  had  to  "  grit"  meal;  and 
when  the  corn  got  too  dry  for  that  process, 
they  would  boil  it  in  water  until  it  got  tight 
enough  on  the  cob  to  enable  them  to  "  grit " 
it  into  meal. 

Roads  and  highways  were  not  laid  out  for 
several  years  after  settlements  were  made  in 
the  townships.  The  first  roads  were  trails 
through  the  forests  and  prairies,  made  by 
the  Indians.  These  were  improved  upon  by 
the  white  people,  and  served  as  highways 
until  roads  were  laid  out  and  made  by  county 
authority.  The  old  National  road  passes 
through  a  corner  of  Jackson,  and  is  fully  wi'it- 
teu  up  in  preceding  chapters  of  this  work. 

When  the  county  was  organized,  one  of 
the  fiist  voting  places  was  at  the  house  of 
Thomas  I.  Brockett,  and  even  before  the 
county  was  formed,  while  it  was  yet  a  part 
of  Fayette  County,  it  was  a  voting  place. 
The  last  election,  before  the  organization  of 
EfiSugham  County,  there  were  but  thirteen 
votes  polled  at  Brockett's — and  they  were 
solid  for  Gen.  Jackson.  We  may  add,  that 
a  majority  of  the  voters  in  that  neighbor- 
hood are  still  voting  (figuratively)  for  Old 
Hickory. 


HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


217 


The  first  goods  sold  in  the  township  was 
by  John  Funkhouser,  about  the  year  1833. 
He  opened  a  store  on  the  place  where  he 
settled,  which  is  claimed  by  many  to  have 
been  the  first  one  established  in  the  county, 
while  others  reject  the  authority.  If  Fuuk- 
houser's  was  not  first,  it  was  among  the  first. 
It  certainly  was  the  first  in  Jackson  Town- 
ship. He  carried  on  an  extensive  business 
in  eai-ly  times.  Besides  his  store  and  mill, 
he  was  a  great  trader,  and  bought  all  the 
surplus  products  of  the  people.  But  so 
much  has  already  been  said  of  this  pioneer 
business  man  that  we  can  add  nothing  with- 
out repetition. 

By  reference  to  the  chapter  on  education  it 
will  be  seen  that  the  first  school  in  the  county 
was  taught  in  this  township  by  Elisha  Park- 
hurst,  then  a  boy  but  twelve  years  old,  and 
that  his  schoolroom  was  a  quarter  section  of 
Thomas  I.  Brockett's  stable.  Brockett  was 
the  sponsor  or  godfather  of  this  school,  and 
what  the  boy  Elisha  could  not  do  in  man- 
ageing  it,  Brockett  did  for  him,  and  between 
them  they  carried  on  a  jiretty  good  school 
for  the  time. 

Another  of  the  pioneer  schools,  and  which 
Judge  Broom  believes  to  have  been  the  first 
in  the  county,  was  taught  by  Col.  Houston 
in  the  south  part  of  the  township,  neai-  the 
line  between  it  and  Mason  Township.  It  was 
tauglit  in  the  fii'st  regular  schoolhouse 
erected,  perhaps,  in  the  county,  llr.  Turner 
says  he  helped  to  build  it,  and  that  it  was 
constructed  of  round  logs  and  had  a  wooden 
chimney,  puncheon  floor,  etc.  As  pojiulation 
increased,  and  children  likewise,  other 
schools  were  established  in  the  different 
neighborhoods,  and  schoolhousos  built  to  ac- 
commodate them,  until,  at  the  present  time, 
the  township  enjoys  the  most  liberal  educa- 
tional facilities. 

Churches  were  established  coeval  with  the 


settlement  of  the  township  by  white  people. 
The  Baptists  were  the  pioneers  of  religion  in 
this  neighborhood,  and  mingled  their  hymns 
with  the  screams  of  the  j).".uther  and  the 
howl  of  the  wolf.  The  first  preacher  here, 
and  jjrobably  the  first,  at  least  among  the 
first,  in  the  county,  were  Elders  Whitely  and 
Surrells,  regular  Baptists,  or  as  they  are 
sometimes  irreverently  called  "Hardshells," 
or  "Ironjackets."  Rev.  Surrells  was  the 
gi-andfather  of  Mr.  \V.  P.  Surrells  of  Efiing- 
ham.  They  preached  at  people's  houses  long 
before  there  were  any  churches  built  in  the 
county.  James  Turner's  house  was  for  years, 
a  preaching  place  for  these  and  other 
pioneer  ministers.  Old  Sulphur  Springs 
Baptist  Chui'ch,  and  the  old  Methodist 
Chiu'ch  at  Freemauton  were  the  first  churches 
built  in  the  township.  Sulphur  Springs 
Baptist  Church  stood  near  the  center  of  the 
township,  and  was  built  very  early.  It  was 
burned  in  1879.  Its  destruction  resulted 
from  a  defective  flue ;  there  had  been  services, 
and  scarcely  had  the  people  reached  their 
homes,  when  the  house  was  discovered  to  be 
on  fire;  many  rushed  back  but  were  too  late 
to  save  the  building,  or  anything  else,  except 
a  few  benches  and  other  little  things.  A 
young  man,  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  entered 
the  burning  building,  and  saved  the  church 
bible,  which  was  a  very  fine  one,  and  highly 
prized  by  the  congregation. 

The  Sulphur  Springs  Baptist  Church  was 
rebuilt,  and  is  now  knovm  as  the  First 
Baptist  Church.  It  stands  on  what  is  called 
"Little  Prairie,"  near  the  site  of  the  old  one, 
and  was  built  during  the  winter  of  1881-82, 
at  a  cost  of  about  $1,000.  It  is  a  comfortable 
and  substantial  frame  building.  The  pre- 
sent momborship  is  over  one  hundred  and  is 
under  the  pastorate  of  Elder  T.  M.  Grifiith. 
A  Sunday  school  is  kept  iip  all  the  year 
around. 


218 


HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


Salem  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South 
is  located  in  the  soiithwest  corner  of  the 
township,  and  was  built  some  twenty  years 
ago.  It  has  a  strong  membership  and  a  good 
but  plain  frame  chm-ch  building.  Rev. 
Herbert  Reed  is  the  present  pastor.  A 
Sunday  school  is  kept  up  regularly. 

Union  Baptist  Church,  a  kind  of  offshoot 
of  the  Sulphur  Springs  Baptist  Church,  is 
located  on  Section  9,  and  the  building  was 
put  up  in  the  spring  of  1882.  The  organiza- 
tion of  this  chui'ch  resulted  from  some 
dissensions  which  arose  in  the  parent  church, 
and  the  dissatisfied  members  withdrew  and 
built  this  church.  It  is  a  iinion  church,  free 
to  all  orthodox  Christians;  is  a  substantial 
frame  building  and  was  put  up  at  a  cost  of 
about  §700.  There  is  no  regular  preaching 
at  present,  but  a  good  Sunday  school  is 
maintained.  These,  with  the  chiu-ch  at 
Dexter,  and  the  one  that  formerly  stood  in 
the  village  of  Freemanton,  comprise  the 
religious  history  of  the  township.  The 
people  have  never  wanted  for  church  facil- 
ities, and  if  they  are  not  moral  and  religious, 
it  must  be  their  own  fault,  and  not  for  lack 
of  Christian  influences;  neither  was  it  for  lack 
of  these  that  the  early  years  witnessed  much 
dissipation  and  wickedness  in  the  country. 

The  village  of  Freemanton  was  laid  out 
June  21,  1834,  on  the  east  half  of  the  north- 
west quarter  of  Section  7,  of  this  township. 
It  was  surveyed  and  platted  by  William  J. 
Hankins,  surveyor,  for  the  proprietors  of  the 
ground.  William  and  John  Freeman  were 
early  residents  and  business  men  of  the 
place,  and  from  them  the  town  took  its  name. 
It  was  originally  called  "The  X  Roads," 
and  if  all  the  reports  rn  circulation  concern- 
ing it  are  true,  then  Nasby's  "  Coufedrit  X 
Roads,  wich  is  in  the  State  of  Kentucky," 
was  a  moral,  dignified  and  circums2')ect  place, 
as  compared   to    Freemanton    in    its   palmy 


days.  It  was  a  great  place  for  drinking  and 
fighting,  and  its  reputation  abroad  was  any- 
thing but  enviable.  Meii  were  killed  in 
Freemanton,  but  such  incidents  are  better 
forgotten  than  perpetuated  on  the  page  of 
histor}'.  It  was  on  the  old  National  road,  a 
few  miles  west  of  Ewington,  and  when  that 
great  thoroughfare  (the  road)  was  in  the 
course  of  construction,  the  hands  engaged 
upon  it  would  assemble  regularly  at  Ewing- 
ton and  Freemanton,  and  filling  themselves 
with  the  "craythur,"  the  lively  "scrim- 
mages" of  Donnybrook  would  be  re-enacted 
with  compound  interest.  Many  of  the  deni- 
zens, too,  of  the  Little  Wabash  Blufifs  and  of 
"Fiddler's  Ridge"  would  come  out  semi- 
periodioally,  and  then  the  fun  between  them 
and  the  road  hands  would  be  lively,  and 
carried  on  in  earnest.  But  as  the  country 
grew  older,  society  improved,  the  rough  and 
lawless  characters  that  frequented  Freeman- 
ton, to  the  terror  of  the  more  quiet  people, 
left  for  other  fields  and  for  the  country's 
good. 

As  will  be  seen  fr«m  the  date  of  its  survey, 
Freemanton  is  an  old  place,  or  was,  for,  like 
several  other  towns  of  Effingham  County,  it 
has  passed  away  and  is  "  numbered  among 
the  things  that  wei'e."  But  it  was  once  quite 
a  business  point,  as  well  as  a  noted  place 
morally,  and — socially.  The  fii'st  store  is 
believed  to  have  been  kept  by  Mr.  Johnson. 
A  store  was  opened  very  early  by  Toothacre 
and  one  by  Bishop.  A  man  named  Jenks 
had  a  blacksmith  shop,  and  later  there  were 
several  other  shoj)S  opened  of  diflerent  kinds. 
"Dr."  Bishop  had  a  carding  machine,  which 
was  run  by  horsepower.  He  afterward  put 
in  mill  machinery  and  had  a  grist  and  saw 
mill,  carrying  on  quite  an  extensive  busi- 
ness. A  post  office  was  established  at  Free- 
manton, and  Milton  Flack  was  Postmaster. 
This  was  afterward  discontinued,  or  removed 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


219 


to  Dexter.  A  tavern  was  kept  by  Toothacre; 
he  also  kept  the  stage  stand,  when  those  ve- 
hicles (the  stage-coach)  got  to  running  over 
the  National  road. 

A  church  was  built  here  very  early,  by  the 
Methodists.  It  was  a  log  structure,  and 
stood  down  by  the  graveyard.  It  was  never 
used  by  any  other  denomination  regularly 
except  the  Methodists,  who  once  had  a  strong 
church  here.  "When  the  schoolhouse  was 
built,  it  was  used  for  church  purposes  by  all 
sects  who  so  desired.  Rev.  IVIr.  Lowry  was  a 
local  Methodist  preacher  about  Freemanton 
in  an  early  day. 

The  village  of  Freemanton  flourished  as  all 
such  places  do,  until  the  building  of  the 
railroads.  The  building  of  the  National 
road  gave  it  birth;  the  building  of  the  Van- 
dalia  Railroad  sounded  its  death-knell.  The 
construction  of  these  modern  internal  im- 
provements has  overwhelmed  many  a  puny 
village,  as  earthquakes  and  volcanic  eruptions 
overwhelmed  cities  of  old.  When  the  Van- 
dalia  Railroad  was  built  and  opened  for 
business,  Freemanton  ' '  wi-apped  the  drapery 
of  its  couch"  about  its  "disgruntled"  shops 
and  stores  and  "laid  down  to  unisloasant 
dreams."  The  site  upon  which  it  stood  is 
now  a  flourishing  farm.  Quantum  sufficit. 
The  village  of  D(,'xter,  if  a  collection  of 
half  a  dozen  houses  can  be  called  a  village, 
is  on  the  Vandalia  Railroad,  but  a-few  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  original  site  of  Freeman- 
ton, and  is  merely  a  railroad  station.  It  has 
never  been  laid  out  as  a  town,  and  probably 
never  will  be.  The  tirst  store  was  opened  by 
H.  H.   Brown,  soon  after  the  completion  of 


the  railroad.  Brown  sold  out  to  Joel  Blake- 
ly,  and  he  to  J.  H.  Said,  and  the  latter  sold 
to  McClure  &  Pope.  There  are  now  two 
stores  in  the  place;  one  kept  by  J.  W.  Mc- 
Clure, and  the  other  by  Pantry.  A  hotel, 
the  ''Ohio  House,"  and  a  few  shops,  com- 
prise the  business  of  the  place.  The  post 
office  was  moved  from  Freemanton. 

A  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  built  at 
Dexter  in  1S75,  and  is  a  handsome  frame 
building,  costing  about  $1,500.  The  present 
pastor  is  Rev.  Mr.  Walker.  The  church  is 
strong  and  flourishing,  with  an  interesting 
Sunday  school,  which  is  kept  up  all  the 
year  round.  A  district  schoolhouse  has 
been  built  here,  and  is  occupied  for  the  us- 
ual school  term. 

Granville,  to  which  reference  has  been 
made  elsewhere,  is  one  of  those  towns  that 
has  disappeared  from  the  very  -face  of  the — 
map.  The  exact  place  of  its  location  is 
somewhat  doubtful,  and  it  is  claimed  both 
for  Summit  and  Jackson  Townships.  From 
the  reoords,  however,  it  appears  to  have  been 
situated  on  Sections  4  and  5,  of  Townshiji  7, 
and  in  Range  5  east,  which  j)]aces  it  in  Jack- 
son, near  the  Summit  line.  It  was  surveyed 
by  Samuel  Houston  for  John  Funkhouser 
and  M'^illiam  Clark,  the  proprietors.  As  to 
whether  the  town  covered  the  two  sections 
named,  the  records  are  indefinite,  but  we 
venture  to  give  it  as  an  historical  fact  that 
it  did  not,  and  that  it  never  got  beyond  a 
few  shops  and  stores,  and  a  half  dozen  or  so 
of  dwellings.  It  was  finally  vacated  by  legis- 
lative enactment, when  "its  glory  departed 
forever,"  and  its  sun  went  down  in  darkness. 


230 


HISTORY   OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


UNION    TOWNSHIP— INTRODUCTORY  — BOUNDARIES    AND     TOPOGRAPHY— WHITE    SETTLEMENT- 
FREDERICK  BROCKETT  — OTHER  PIONEERS  —  INCIDENTS  OF  EARLY  LIFE— THE  FIRST 
ROADS  — EDUCATIONAL  — SCHOOLHOUSES— CHURCHES,   ETC.— FLEMSBURG 
VILLAGE— A  TRAGEDY  AND  ITS  RESULTS. 


"  The  wolf  and  deer  are  seen  no  more 
Among  the  woods,  along  the  shore  ; 
And  where  was  heard  the  panther's  scream, 
The  farmer  drives  his  jocund  team. 
Where  once  the  Indian  wigwam  stood. 
Upon  the  border  of  some  wood. 
The  stately  mansion  now  is  seen, 
Amid  broad  fields  and  pastures  green." 

rr^HE  history  of  this  township  dates  back  to 
-*-  the  advent  of  the  first  pioneers  in  Effing- 
ham County — not  the  very  first  solitary  strag- 
gler who  wandered  into  the  wilds,  as  aimless 
in  his  movements  as  the  Argonaut  of  old  in 
his  quest  for  gold  over  the  face  of  the  eai'th 
— but  the  first  real  pioneer,  who  came  hunt- 
ing game  as  well  as  the  fabled  mines  of  pre- 
cious metal,  game  being  the  one  supreme 
thing  of  life.  This  section  of  country  is 
mostly  heavily  timbered,  and  its  numerous 
streams  supply  it  with  abundance  of  water, 
as  well  as  give  it  a  most  excellent  drainage. 
It  was  these  that,  ages  ago,  made  this  point 
in  the  county  the  resort  of  many  wild  ani- 
mals, and  the  rendezvous  of  Indian  tribes. 
The  hoary  trunks  of  tall,  majestic  trees,  the 
commingling  of  their  variegated  foliage, 
their  deep  and  dense  shades,  the  wild  fruits, 
bubbling  springs,  with  their  cool  and  grate- 
ful water,  the  natm-al  beauties  aud  the  pro- 
tection from  storms  and  the  elements,  all 
combined  to  make 'this  the  home  of  birds, 
beasts  and  men.  All  this  was  sufficient  evi- 
dence to  the  pioneer  hunter  that   here    he 

»By  G.  N.  Bsrry. 


could  find  that  which  he  sought — game;  and 
when  he  beheld  these,  he  stopped,  kindled 
his  camp-tires,  sat  down  on  his  log  seat,  and, 
in  hapjjy  content,  cooked  his  frugal  meals. 
And  as  the  blue  smoke  struggled  up  through 
the  branches  and  leaves  of  the  trees,  and  the 
fire  threw  its  glaring  light  upon  the  weird, 
surrounding  objects,  the  story  was  first  told 
to  the  wild  denizens  of  the  woods  that  man, 
civilized  man,  with  his  death-dealing  weap- 
ons, was  come  among  them. 

Union  Township  lies  in  the  south  central 
part  of  the  county.  It  is  considerably  un- 
even and  broken,  and  was  originally  about 
three-fourths  heavily  timbered,  though  of 
late  years  much  of  the  timbered  land  has 
been  cleared  and  brought  into  cultivation. 
There  is  a  considerable  tract  of  prairie  in  the 
southern  and  southeastern  parts,  and  a  very 
beautiful  scope  of  level  land  extending  into 
the  timber  in  the  northeast  corner;  but,  aside 
from  these  portions,  the  township  surface  is 
very  rolling  and  hilly,  with  numerous  ra 
vines  traversing  it  in  various  directions. 
The  banks  of  the  Little  Wabash,  the  princi- 
pal water-course,  are  very  high,  rugged  and 
precipitous,  and  in  places  are  composed  al- 
most wholly  of  large  masses  of  shelving  rock 
and  huge  bowlders.  Back  from  the  stream  a 
short  distance,  the  land  stretches  away  into 
a  broad,  flat  bottom,  especially  in  the  north- 
ern part,  which  are  covered  with  a  dense  for- 
est of  the  largest  timber  to  be  found  any- 


I 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


221 


where  in  the  county,  consisting  mostly  of 
elm,  sycamore,  ash,  walnut,  and  a  vai'iety  of 
other  growths,  while  the  uplands  are  covered 
principally  by  forests  of  large  oaks,  the  best 
timber  in  this  section  of  the  country.  The 
Little  Wabash  enters  the  township  near  the 
northwest  corner,  in  Section  7,  and  flows  in  an 
easterly  course  about  two  miles,  when  it 
makes  an  abrupt  turn  in  a  southward  dii'ec- 
tion,  crossing  the  county  line  about  two  miles 
from  the  western  boundary  in  Section  32. 
This  is  a  running  stream  all  the  year,  and, 
during  certain  seasons,  it  becomes  a  raging 
torrent,  frequently  overflowing  its  banks  for 
considerable  distances  on  either  side,  doing 
a  great  deal  of  damage  to  the  country.  The 
chief  tributary  of  the  Little  Wabash  is  Bish- 
op Creek,  the  second  stream  in  size  in  the 
county.  It  flows  through  the  township  in  a 
westerly  direction,  an,d  empties  in  the  for- 
mer. Ramsey  Creek,  a  stream  of  consider- 
able size  and  importance,  traverse?  the  east- 
ern part  of  the  township  and  empties  into 
Bishop  about  one  mile  east  of  the  place  where 
the  latter  unites  with  the  Wabash.  The 
other  water- courses  worthy  of  mention  are 
Coon  Creek,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the 
township,  and  Little  Bishop,  in  the  northern 
part.  As  an  agricultural  district,  this  divis- 
ion of  the  county  is  not  so  good  as  some  of 
the  sister  townships  more  recently  settled,  as 
the  soil  is  not  so  fertile  as  that  of  the  prairie. 
By  proper  tillage,  however,  it  yields  very 
fair  crops  of  corn,  wheat  and  other  cereals 
commonly  raised  in  this  part  of  the  country, 
and  produces  the  best  varieties  of  fruits,  to 
which  the  soil  seems  well  adapted.  The  bot- 
tom lands  that  have  been  cleared  and  brought 
into  cultivation  are  much  more  fertile  than 
the  higher  wooded  poi'tions,  the  soil  in  some 
places  being  several  feet  in  depth,  and  of  a 
rich  vegetable  mold.  Union  is  bounded  on 
the  north,  east  and  west  by  the  townships  of 


Watson,  Lucas  and  Mason,  in  the  order 
named,  while  Clay  County  forms  its  southern 
boundary. 

The  first  white  man  who  broke  the  solitude 
of  nature  within  the  present  limits  of  Union 
was  Frederick  Brocket,  one  of  the  earliest 
pioneers  of  Effingham  County.  He  settled 
in  the  northeastern  part,  on  the  Little  Wa- 
bash, about  the  year  1829,  and  cleared  forty 
acres  of  land  in  Section  18.  A  few  years 
later,  he  erected  a  small  "  tub  "  mill  on  the 
river,  the  first  piece  of  machinery  of  the  kind 
ever  operated  in  the  county,  and  for  several 
years  the  only  flour  and  meal  supply  nearer 
than  Vandalia  or  Terre  Haute.  Brocket  op- 
erated it  about  eight  years,  when  it  was  com- 
pletely destroyed  by  fire.  The  life  and  char- 
acter of  this  noted  pioneer  demand  more  than 
a  mere  passing  notice.  He  was  born  in  Ten- 
nessee, and  his  youth  and  early  manhood 
were  passed  amid  the  genial,  bracing  airs  of 
his  mountain  home,  where  he  acquired,  by 
following  a  life  of  constant  exercise,  a  stock 
of  that  rugged  vitality  so  necessary  for  a  man 
who  locates  in  a  new  and  wild  country.  He 
came  to  this  State  when  it  was  in  the  infancy 
of  its  existence,  when  there  were  but  one  or 
two  sparse  settlements  within  the  present 
bounds  of  this  county,  and  passed  the  vigor 
of  his  manhood  in  helping  to  build  up  and 
develop  the  country,  in  which  he  always  took 
great  pride.  Unlike  many  of  the  first  set- 
tlers on  the  frontier,  he  was  a  man  of  charac- 
ter, sterling  integrity,  a  true  Christian,  and 
was  widely  and  favorably  known  throughout 
the  entire  country  during  the  eaHy  days  of  its 
history.  He  was  first  to  take  an  interest  in 
the  cause  of  education  in  the  township,  and, 
as  soon  as  there  were  children  sufficient  to 
start  a  school,  fitted  up  a  part  of  his  resi- 
dence at  his  own  expense,  which  he  gener- 
ously donated  for  that  purpose.  When  the 
school  was  in  readiness,  no  one  could  be  found 


232 


HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


in  the  neighborhood  sufficiently  well  quali- 
fied to  act  the  part  of  instructor,  so  he  took 
upon  himself  the  labors  of  that  position,  also, 
and  taught  the  first  school  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  county. 

At  the  first  election  held  in  the  precinct  of 
which  Union  was  formerly  a  part,  ho  was 
elected  Justice  of  the  Peace,  which  office  he 
discharged  very  creditably  for  several  consecu- 
tive terms.  He  accumulated  a  very  hand- 
some property  during  the  period  of  his  resi- 
dence here,  and  built  one  of  the  lu-st  frame 
houses  in  the  county.  His  death  occurred  in 
the  year  1856,  at  a  ripe  old  age.  The  old 
place  where  his  first  little  cabin  stood  is  now 
owned  by  Henry  Bushue  and  the  Robinson 
heirs,  aud  the  mill  site  is  in  possession  of 
William  Bradley. 

Martin  K.  Robinson,  a  son-in-law  of  Bi-ock- 
et,  was  the  next  settler  who  came  into  this 
township.  He  arrived  about  one  year  later 
(1830),  and  the  place  where  he  settled  is  a 
short  distance  east  of  the  Brocket  farm,  on 
the  same  section.  He  cleared  forty  acj-es  of 
ground,  and,  some  six  years  later,  purchased 
the  mill  site  of  his  father-in-law,  rebuilt  the 
mill,  which  he  operated  for  eight  or  ten 
years,  and  made,  while  running  it,  consider- 
able money.  This  he  afterward  invested  in 
lands  in  the  vicinity.  His  mill  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  also,  after  having  been  in  op- 
eration for  some  eleven  years.  It  wa^  after- 
ward rebuilt  by  a  Mr.  Bradley.  At  the  time 
of  Robinson's  death,  in  1857,  he  was  in  afflu- 
ent circumstances,  and  one  of  the  largest 
land-owners  in  the  county.  Two  of  his 
daughters  are  at  this  time  living  in  the  coun- 
ty— Mi-s.  Bradbury  and  Mrs.  MeManaway — 
the  former  in  this  township,  and  the  latter  in 
the  village  of  Mason.  About  this  time,  a 
ninnber  of  transient  settlers,  or,  as  they  are 
generally  called,  squatters,  located  in  the 
timber  along  the  Little  Wabash  and  Bishop 


Creeks,  and  built  several  cabins,  around  which 
small  garden  patches  were  cleared.  They  ap- 
pear to  have  been  a  very  thriftless,  do-nothing 
set,  and  spent  the  greater  part  of  their  time 
hunting  and  trapping,  and,  when  the  lands 
were  entered  by  the  settlers  who  came  in  af- 
terward, they  left  and  moved  on  further 
West,  all  the  time  keeping  just  in  the  ad- 
vance'of  civilization. 

From  this  time  until  the  year  1835,  there 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  any  additional 
settlements  made  in  the  township,  as  far  as 
we  have  been  able  to  learn.  The  latter  year  was 
signalized  by  the  advent  of  a  family  of  five 
brothers  by  the  name  of  Gordon,  who  settled 
temporarily  on  the  Little  Wabash,  a  short  dis- 
tance south  of  whereWilliamWilsonnow  lives. 
Their  names  were  William,  Pleasant,  Abra- 
ham, Joseph  and  Nelson,  the  last-named  be- 
ing the  only  one  that  made  any  permanent 
improvements.  The  others  were  rather  care- 
less, thriftless  fellows,  who  spent  most  of 
their  time  in  hunting  and  watching  their 
large  droves  of  wild  hogs,  which,  at  that 
time,  required  no  feeding,  as  the  abundance 
of  mast  found  in  the  woods  was  their  chief 
subsistence.  In  the  fall  of  the  year,  these 
hogs  would  be  hunted  down  and  butchered, 
and  the  meat  hauled  to  the  nearest  market 
place,  or  traded  to  the  other  settlers  in  the 
neighborhood.  Nelson  Gordon  sold  his  land, 
in  1847,  to  William  Wilson,  ami,  with  his 
family,  moved  to  Texas,  where  he  was  soon 
after  joined  by  the  rest  of  the  brothers. 

The  fu-st  legal  entry  of  land  in  the  town- 
ship was  made  in  the  year  1836,  by  Isaac 
Gordon,  near  Flemsburg  Mill,  in  Section  30. 
He  was  an  uncle  of  those  already  named,  but, 
unlike  them,  was  a  man  of  considerable  pub- 
lic sj^irit  and  enterprise,  and  did  as  much, 
perhaps,  toward  developing  his  township  as 
any  other  man  in  it.  The  farm  was  pur- 
chased  about   ten    years    later,    by   a    man 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


323 


named  Samilson,  a  Dane,  who  laid  out  the 
■village  of  Flemsbm-g  and  built  the  second 
mill  in  the  township.  Hastings  Hughes,  a 
colored  man,  was  an  eai-ly  settler,  having 
come  to  the  county  as  early  as  the  year  1836, 
and  settled  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town- 
ship, where  he  entered  and  improved  about 
eighty  acres  of  land.  He  was  the  lirst  black- 
smith in  the  township,  and  worked  at  his 
trade  in  connection  with  his  farm  labor  for 
several  years.  He  afterward  sold  his  land 
and  moved  to  Flemsburg,  where  he  built  a 
shop  which  he  operated  for  over  twenty 
years. 

William  and  Redding  Blunt,  two  brothers, 
and  Kitchie  Robinson,  located  near  the  cen- 
tral partof  the  township,  on  Salt  Creek,  in 
the  spring  of  1838,  and  were  followed  a  lit- 
tle later  by  William  and  Joshua  Moody,  who 
settled  near  the  northeastern  part  of  the 
township,  where  they  entered  and  improved 
about  forty  acres  apiece.  They  were  young 
unmarried  men,  and,  after  having  erected  a 
couple  of  small  cabins  on  their  respective 
claims,  and  cleared  a  few  acres  of  ground, 
seemed  to  realize  the  full  force  of  that  Script- 
ural injunction  that  "  it  is  not  good  for  man 
to  be  alone. "  Their  respect  for  this  partic 
ular  portion  of  Holy  Writ  having  been  in- 
duced by  the  presence  in  the  neighborhood 
of  two  daughters  of  William  Blunt,  who 
found  much  favor  in  their  eyes.  A  double 
marriage,  in  which  the  above  parties  were 
the  chief  actors,  took  place  at  the  residence 
of  the  brides'  father  in  the  f aU  of  1840,  and 
was  the  first  ceremony  of  the  kind  solem- 
nized in  Union  Townshij).  Squire  Leith,  of 
Mason,  was  the  dignitary  who  gave  legal 
sanction  to  the  contract  on  that  occasion,  and 
it  is  to  be  presumed  that  another  command 
of  the  Divine  Word — to  "  multiply  and  fill 
the  earth  " — was  obeyed  by  the  two  happy 
couples,  as  the  younger  editions  of  Moody's, 


who  became  numerous  in  this  locality  in  af- 
ter years,  testified. 

A  list  of  Union's  early  settlers  would  be 
incomj)lete  without  the  name  of  John  TrapjJ. 
He  came  into  the  township  about  the  year 
1838,  and  located  a  farm  in  the  eastern  part, 
near  the  place  where  Marion  settled.  He 
moved  near  Ewington  a  few  years  later,  and 
figured  rather  j)rominently  in  the  early  poli- 
tics of  the  county,  having  been  elected  to  the 
position  of  Olerk  in  one  of  the  most  hotly 
contested   elections  ever  held   in  the  county. 

Josiah  and  Martin  Hull  settled  in  the 
township,  near  Salt  Creek,  in  the  year  1842, 
and  found,  in  addition  to  those  previously 
mentioned,  a  man  named  Evans,  who  had 
preceded  them,  but  of  him  we  could  learn 
nothing  further  than  that  he  was  accounted 
a  very  worthy  man  and  an  exemplary  citizen. 
The  Hulls  were  among  the  substantial  pio- 
neers of  Union,  and  cleared  good  farms,  and 
were  identified  with  every  movement  calcu- 
lated to  advance  the  township's  prosperity. 
Martin  was  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace  about 
ionr  years  after  coming  to  the  county,  and 
filled  the  office  one  year,  when  he  sold  the 
farm  to  a  Mr.  Sperling  ,and  moved  from  the 
township.  Josiah  disposed  of  his  place  in 
1849  and  moved  to  Marion  County,  whore  he 
is  still  living.  In  1846,  there  were  living  in 
the  township,  in  addition  to  the  families 
enumerated,  Warren  Neal,  William  M.  Wil- 
son, Ahert  Simmerman  and  Steishen  A.  Will- 
iams. Neal  settled  in  the  southeastern  part 
of  the  township,  where  his  widow,  a  very  old 
woman,  still  lives.  Wilson  came  to  Illinois 
from  Ohio  in  the  fall  of  1845,  and  located  in 
Section  18,  where  he  still  resides,  the  oldest 
settler  in  the  township.  He  served  the  peo- 
ple as  Justice  of  the  Peace  from  1849  until 
1872.  Simmerman  settled  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  township,  whore  Charles  Wilson 
now  lives.      He  came  from  Virtrinia,  and  was 


224 


HISTOKY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


among  the  prominent  citizens  of  the  county. 
Williams  was. the  first  preacher  in  the  town- 
ship, and  organized  the  first  religious  society, 
at  the  residence  of  Simmerman,  about  the 
year  1S48.  He  was  a  man  of  superior  intel- 
lectual attainments,  a  gifted  orator  and  a 
thorough  business  man.  At  the  breakingf-out 
of  the  late  war,  he  entered  the  army  as  First 
Lieutenant,  and  participated  in  many  of  the 
hardest  battles  in  the  Southwestern  cam 
paigns.  He  came  home  in  the  winter  of 
1862.  on  fui'lough,  and  died. 

The  names  of  other  early  settlers  could  be 
added  to  the  list  already  given,  but  the  dates 
of  their  settlement,  and  facts  concerning  their 
early  life  have  been  obscui'ed  by  the  lapse  of 
time.  Many  of  the  pioneers  have  passed 
away  "  as  a  tale  that  is  told. "  Others  re- 
moved to  distant  lands,  but  by  far  the  great- 
er number  have  passed  into  the  "  windowless 
palace  of  the  dead,  whose  doors  open  not  out- 
ward." For  many  years  during  the  early 
history  of  this  section  of  the  country,  the 
lives  of  the  pioneers  were  not  'enviable. 
Their  trials  were  numerous,  and  the  obsta- 
cles they  were  called  upon  to  encounter  would 
discourage  the  bravest-hearted  of  the  present 
day;  yet,  hard  as  was  their  life  in  the  wil- 
derness, it  had  its  seasons  of  recreation,  if 
such  could  be  called  recreation.  Kaisings, 
log-rollings,  etc.,  when  the  settlers  from  far 
and  near  would  meet,  and,  while  working, 
would  recount  various  incidents,  talk  over 
old  times,  and  thus  relieve  the  monotony  of 
their  isolated  situation.  Light  hearts,  strong 
constitutions  and  clear  consciences  made  the 
toilsome  hours  pass  pleasantly,  and  old  men 
now  living,  whose  youth  was  spent  among  the 
stirring  scenes  of  those  times,  look  back  with 
pleasure  to  the  old  days  as  the  most  enjoya- 
ble period  of  their  lives.  Their  first  duty 
was  to  provide  a  shelter,  and  their  rude  cab- 
ins were  hastily  built,  daubed  with  mud;  the 


floors  were  often  nothing  but  mother  earth, 
made  smooth  and  compact  by  constant  usage, 
or  of  rough  puncheon;  and  the  bedsteads  and 
tables,  with  a  chair  or  two,  were  almost  the 
sole  furniture.  Pewter  plates  and  cups  were 
common,  and  the  huge,  open-mouthed  tire- 
place,  suiTounded  by  pots,  skillets,  ovens, 
pans,  etc.,  were  used  for  cooking,  as  stoves  at 
that  time  were  not  in  vogue  on  the  frontier. 
Corn-dodgers,  baked  in  an  oven  or  skillet, 
and  johnny-cake,  baked  on  a  board  before  a 
fire,  with  venison  prepared  in  various  ways, 
were  considered  food  fit  for  the  gods. 

The  early  roads  through  the  woods  and 
over  the  hills  of  this  township  were  mere 
trails,  that  had  originally  been  made  by  the 
Indians,  and  afterward  improved  by  the  peo- 
ple and  made  into  highways.  The  first  road 
that  was  surveyed  and  regularly  established 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  county  passed 
through  the  western  part  of  this  township,  in 
a  southerly  direction,  and  known  as  the 
Louisville  &  Ewington  road,  as  it  connected 
those  two  places.  The  original  route  has  been 
greatly  changed  during  the  last  twenty  years, 
and  it  is  still  one  of  the  most  extensively 
traveled  highways  in  the  county.  Another 
early  road  was  the  one  leading  west  from  the 
Brocket  Mill  to  Mason,  where  it  connected 
with  an  important  highway  which  ran  to 
Vandalia.  The  Clay  County  &  Mason 
road  was  established  many  years  ago,  and 
passed  through  the  central  part  of  the  town- 
ship, from  east  to  west.  When  first  laid  out, 
there  were  no  bridges  where  these  roads 
crossed  the  streams,  and  hence,  in  time  of 
high  water,  travel  had  to  be  suspended. 
Now  there  are  several  good  bridges  over  the 
principal  water-courses,  so  that  overflows  are 
no  impediment  to  travel. 

In  educational  matters  Union  Township  is 
not  behind  her  sister  townships  of  the  coun- 
ty.    Her  citizens  have  always  taken  special 


^ 


HISTOKY  OF  EFrmGHAM  COUNTY. 


327 


interest  and  pride  in  the  public  schools, 
which  have  been  well  sustained  and  patron- 
ized. The  first  school,  as  already  stated,  was 
taught  by  Frederick  Brocket,  at  his  resi- 
dence, about  the  year  1846.  The  second  term 
was  taught  at  the  same  place,  the  following 
year,  by  William  Ventis.  Emeline  Little 
taught  about  the  same  time,  in  a  little  log 
cabin  that  had  formerly  been  occupied  as  a 
dwelling  by  John  Trapp,  and  that  stood  a 
short  distance  east  of  the  Brocket  farm.  A 
small  hut,  that  had  been  abandoned  by  a 
squatter  by  the  name  of  Johnson,  was  fitted 
up  for  school  purposes,  and  occupied  by 
Dempsey  Hamilton,  who  taught  a  three - 
months  subscription  school  in  the  winter  of 
1847-48.  The  first  regular  schoolhouse  was 
built  in  the  fall  of  1848,  and  stood  near  Nel- 
son Gordon's  residence,  in  Section  18.  It 
was  a  good  house,  made  of  hewed  logs,  well 
furnished,  and  was  supplied  with  a  stove — 
probably  the  first  building  of  the  kind  in  the 
country  heated  by  such  an  appliance. 

The  first  public  school  in  the  township  was 
taught  by  David  Phelps,  in  this  building, 
about  the  year  1849.  It  was  used  for  school 
purposes  for  a  little  more  than  twenty  years, 
when  it  was  purchased  by  Samuel  Leith, 
who  moved  it  to  his  farm,  and  at  present  oc- 
cupies it  as  a  residence.  A  frame  school - 
house  was  erected  near  the  same  place  in 
1870,  and  is  known  as  District  No.  1.  Among 
the  early  pedagogues  who  wielded  the  birch 
in  Union  were  Minnie  Anderson,  John  An- 
derson, James  Anderson,  Thomas  Vauderver 
(now  a  prominent  physician  and  druggist  of 
Effingham),  Vincent  Wyth  and  Dr.  Allen. 
The  township  is  well  supplied  with  good 
frame  schoolhouses  at  proper  intervals,  in 
which  schools  are  taught  about  eight  months 
of  the  year. 

The  New-Lights,  or  Chi'istians,  as  they 
call  themselves,  organized  the  first  church  in 


the  township,  at  the  residence  of  A  hart 
Simpson,  as  has  already  been  stated,  and 
njet  for  worship  there  for  a  number  of  years. 
A  building  was  afterward  erected  near  the 
southern  limit  of  the  township,  known  as 
Bethsaida  Church,  where  a  small  congrega- 
tion still  meet.  The  building  is  frame,  and 
cost  about  $000.  Among  the  early  pastors 
were  Stephen  A.  Williams,  to  whose  labors 
the  church  owes  its  existence;  Andrew  Ho- 
gaa,  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Patterson. 
There  have  been  religious  services  held  in 
the  schoolhouses  throughout  the  township  by 
ministers  of  several  denominations  at  difi'er- 
ent  times,  but  aside  from  the  organization 
alluded  to,  no  other  church  ever  had  an  ex- 
istence in  Union. 

Dr.  James  Long  was  the  first  person  to 
practice  the  healing  art  among  the  pioneers 
of  Southern  Effingham,  and  moved  into  the 
township  from  Mason  about  the  year  1846, 
and  located  near  Flemsburg.  His  profes- 
sional life  in  this  part  of  the  county  extend- 
ed over  a  period  of  five  or  six  years.  The 
second  marriage  in  the  township  took  place 
in  about  the  year  1846,  at  the  residence  of 
John  Trapp,  when  his  daughter,  Catharine, 
and  John  Gordon,  took  upon  themselves  the 
responsibilities  of  matrimony.  Rev.  Stephen 
Williams  officiated  at  the  ceremony.  It  was 
in  the  month  of  November  when  this  impor- 
tant event  transpired,  and  the  smiling  groom 
appeared  before  the  guests  gayly  attired  in 
his  shirt  sleeves,  linen  pants  and  a  pair  of 
cow-hide  shoes.  Another  early  marriage  was 
that  of  Calvin  Brockett  and  Miss  Rowena 
Hall,  this  year.  The  ceremony  was  per- 
formed by  Squire  Martin  Hull,  at  the  resi- 
dence of  Joseph  Hull,  where  the  couple  went 
for  the  purpose,  the  bride's  father  being  kept 
in  blissful  ignorance,  in  the  meantime,  on 
account  of  his  decided  objection  to  the  match. 
The  first  birth  taking  place  in  Union  was  a 


338 


IIISTOKY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


child  of  Martin  K.  Robinson,  which  was  born 
shortly  after  the  family  moved  to  the  town- 
ship. The  old  Brocket  Graveyard  was  the 
tirst  place  consecrated  to  the  burial  of  the 
dead,  and  is  at  this  time  so  overgrown  with 
brush  and  weeds  that  it  could  not  be  distin- 
guished, save  for  a  slight  paling  around  one 
little  grave,  where  the  child  of  some  unknown 
stranger  lies  buried. 

The  Flemsburg  Mill  was  built  by  Hartwig 
Samilson,  in  the  year  1850,  on  the  Little 
Wabash,  from  which  it  received  the  power 
that  operated  it.  It  stood  in  Section  30,  and 
was  in  operation  about  four  years,  when  it 
was  torn  down  and  rebuilt  on  a  much  more 
improved  plan,  and  has  been  doing  a  very 
good  business  ever  since.  Mr.  Samilson  laid 
out  a  small  village  at  this  point  in  the  year 
1851,  and  a  store  was  opened  soon  after  by 
Messrs.  Thole  &  Ruse,  who  conducted  busi- 
ness for  about  two  years.  A  few  residences 
were  erected  and  a  blacksmith  shop  built,  but 
the  village  was  destined  to  be  of  short  dura- 
tion, as  there  were  no  inducements  for  busi- 
ness men  or  mechanics  to  locate  here.  The 
store  was  closed  out  by  Mr.  Ruse  in  the  year 
1854,  and  the  dwellings  gradually  disap- 
peared, until  now  there  is  nothing  of  the 
town  except  one  blacksmith  shop  and  the 
mill. 

A  horrible  murder  was  committed  near  the 
place  in  the  year  1800,  under  the  following 


circumstances:  A  man  by  name  of  Shep- 
herd, living  about  one  mile  east  of  the  river, 
entered  a  piece  of  land  adjoining  his  farm, 
on  which  a  couple  of  squatters  by  name  of 
"Shell"  and  "Dick"  Russell  had  settled 
some  time  previous.  They  refused  to  leave 
the  land,  and  the  rights  of  property  were 
tried  before  Squire  Wilson,  who  returned  a 
verdict  in  favor  of  Shepherd,  whereupon 
the  Russell  brothers  took  an  appeal  from  the 
decision  to  the  court.  Saturday  before  court 
convened,  Shepherd  went  to  the  village  of 
Mason  to  do  some  trading,  where  he  remained 
till  dark,  and  started  home  after  night.  He 
was  met  on  the  Flemsburg  bridge  by  the 
Russell  boys  and  two  associates,  Scott  How- 
ell and  Jacob  Booher,  knocked  off  his  horse 
with  a  heavy  club,  dragged  down  the  stream 
a  short  distance  and  thrown  over  the  bank 
into  the  water.  The  horse  was  found  the 
following  Monday  by  some  neighbors,  who 
went  out  to  look  for  Shepherd.  The  saddle 
was  covered  with  blood,  which  at  once  aroused 
suspicions  of  foul  play.  Upon  further 
search,  the  body  of  Shepherd  was  found  on  a 
sand-bar,  on  which  it  had  fallen  when  thrown 
over  the  bank.  The  murderers  were  arrest- 
ed, tried,  their  guilt  established,  and  they 
ware  sentenced  to  be  hanged.  A  short  time 
before  the  day  set  for  their  execution,  they 
broke  jail  and  escaped,  since  which  nothing 
has  been  heard  of  them. 


HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUKTY. 


229 


CHAPTER   XX: 


ST.  FRANCIS   TOWNSHIl'— UESCRU'TION    AND    TOPOGRAPHY— THE    FIRST   SETTLERS    AND    THEIR 
HARDSHIPS— A  TRAGEDY— MILLS,  ROADS    AND    OTHER   IMPROVEMENTS— EARLY    RELIG- 
IOUS   HISTORY— CHURCHES   AND   PREACHERS— SCHOOLS,    SCHOOLHOUSES,    ETC. 
—THE  VILLAGE  OF  MONTROSE— ITS   GROWTH,  DEVELOPMENT,  ETC. 

by  white  men  was  covered  with  a  dense 
growth  of  tall  grass,  which  attested  the  fertile 
quality  of  the  soil  beneath.  This  soil  is  similar 
to  that  of  the  prairies  of  the  surrounding 
townships,  being  a  rich,  dark  loam  resting  on 
a  clay  subsoil,  and  everywhere  noted  for  its 
great  productiveness.  The  timbered  districts 
are  confined  chiefly  to  the  southern  and  south- 
western portions,  though  there  is  some  very 
fair  timber  in  the  northwest  corner  and 
skirting  Salt  Creek,  which  traverses  that  part 
of  the  tjwnship.  In  the  forests  are  found 
most  of  the  varieties  indigenous  to  this  lati- 
tude, principally  hickory,  oak,  elm,  sj^eamore, 
maple  and  walnut  in  limited  quantities;  the 
country  is  sufficiently  well  watered  and 
drained  by  Salt  Creek  and  Little  Salt  Creek, 
and  several  small  tributaries  that  flow  into 
them  from  many  points. 

St.  Francis  lies  in  the  great  wheat  belt  of 
Illinois,  and  this  cereal  is  the  principal  staple, 
though  corn,  rye,  oats,  barley,  flax,  etc.,  to- 
gether with  many  of  the  root  crops,  are 
raised  in  abundance.  Nowhere  is  there  better 
encouragement  afforded  the  fruit  gi'ower  than 
here.  A  soil  of  peculiar  adaptability  and  a 
climate  equallj^  favorable  insure  a  large  yield 
almost  every  year — facts  many  of  the  citizens 
have  taken  advantage  of,  as  is  evinced 
by  the  numerous  tine  orchards  to  bo  seen  in 
diflferent  parts  of  the  township. 

The  first  settlers  in  the  present  confines  of 
St.    Francis  Township  located    in   the   year 


A  S  we  travel  along  the  highways  that 
-i^^  traverse  this  beautiful  prairie  township, 
it  is  difficult  to  realize  that  less  than  fifty 
yeai'S  ago  these  luxuriant  plains  and  fertile 
fields  were  the  hiding  places  of  the  wolf  and 
formed  part  of  a  vast  unbroken  wild  which 
gave  but  little  promise  of  the  high  state 
civilization  it  has  since  attained.  Instead  of 
the  rude  log  cabin  and  diminutive  board 
shanty,  we  now  see  dotting  the  land  in  all 
directions  comfortable  and  well  built  farm- 
houses, many  of  them  of  the  latest  style  of 
architecture — graceful,  substantial  and  con- 
venient. We  see  also  neat  church  edifices 
lifting  their  modest  spires  heavenward  and 
good  schoolhouses  at  close  intervals.  The 
fields  are  loaded  with  the  choicest  cereals, 
pastures  are  alive  with  numerous  herds  of 
fine  cattle  and  other  stock  of  improved 
quality,  while  everything  bespeaks  the  thrift 
and  prosperity  with  which  the  farmer  in  this 
fertile  region  is  blessed. 

St.  Francis  lies  in  the  extreme  northeastern 
part  of  the  county  and  embraces  within  its 
area  thirty-six  sections  of  land,  which,  for 
agricultural  and  grazing  purposes,  are  unex- 
celled by  any  similar  number  of  acres  in  this 
part  of  the  State.  Topogi'aphically,  the 
township  may  be  described  as  of  an  even  sur- 
face in  the  central  and  eastern  portions  with 
occasional  undulations  of  a  somewhat 
irregular  character  in  the  northwest  corner. 
It  is  principally  prairie,  and  when  first  seen 


230 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


1840  or  1845,  but  just  where  cannot  now  be 
definitely  determined,  nor  can  we  saj^  defin- 
itely who  the  fii'st  settler  was,  though  it  is 
generally  supposed  to  have  been  a  German, 
by  the  name  of  Taela.  The  place  of  his  im- 
provements was  in  the  timber  near  the  head 
of  Little  Salt  Creek,  a  spot  around  which 
quite  a  number  of  the  early  pioneers  located 
their  homes.  Taela  came  with  his  family 
from  Cincinnati,  traveling  all  the  way  with 
an  ox  tearrJ,  spending  several  weeks  on  the 
road  before  reaching  his  destination.  The 
condition  of  the  prairie  at  that  early  day  al- 
most precluded  the  possibility  of  traveling  at 
all,  the  country  being  covered  with  a  soft, 
oozy  mud,  into  which  the  large,  heavy  wagon 
wheels  sank  almpst  to  the  hub,  and,  to  add  to 
the  discomfort,  millions  of  the  green-headed 
flies,  which  in  summer  time  were  so  numer- 
ous, proved  such  a  torment  to  the  cattle  that 
traveling  by  day  was  all  but  impossible. 
Much  of  the  journey  was  therefore  made  by 
night,  the  driver  guiding  his  course  through 
the  mud  and  dense  prairie  grass  by  the  stars, 
as  there  were  but  few  roads  at  that  time  in 
the  country,  and  none  in  what  is  now  St. 
Francis  Township. 

After  reaching  his  destination  and  select- 
ing a  site  for  his  future  home,  this  old 
pioneer  hastily  improvised  a  temporary  shel- 
ter for  his  family  out  of  brush  and  poles, 
which  answered  very  well  the  purposes  of  a 
habitation  until  a  more  comfortable  and  con- 
venient cabin  of  logs  was  erected.  The 
country  at  that  time  was  in  a  very  wild  state, 
neighbors  few  and  far  between,  and  many  in- 
conveniences were  experienced  by  the  family 
before  much  headway  could  be  made  toward 
raising  anything,  as  the  soil  was  very  wet 
and  muddy,  and  much  time  was  required  to 
bring  it  into  a  fit  condition  for  cultivation. 
Wolves  were  numerous,  and  jjroved  a  terror 
to  the  live  stock,  which  had   to  be  guarded 


carefully  against  their  depredations,  and  not- 
withstanding all  precaution  for  safety  much 
damage  was  done  by  them  to  the  hen-house 
and  pig-pen.  Taela,  by  dint  of  hard  work 
and  plenty  of  that  spirit  called  perseverance, 
succeeded  in  bringing  order  out  of  the  chaos, 
by  which  he  was  surrounded,  and  soon  had 
a  nice  little  farm  under  successful  tillage,  to 
which  he  added  other  acres  until  in  time  he 
became  the  possessor  of  a  considerable  tract 
of  land,  all  of  which  was- well  improved.  He 
died  on  his  farm  on  which  he  passed  his  de- 
clining years  in  peace  and  comfort,  about 
ten  years  ago.  His  son.  Henry  Taela,  now 
owns  the  old  place. 

Abraham  Marble  was  probably  the  next  to 
locate  in  the  township.  He  was  from  Ohio, 
and  came  to  Illinois  about  the  year  1845,  lo- 
cating east  of  where  the  viLage  of  Montrose 
now  stands,  on  the  old  stage  line  or  National 
road,  where  for  several  years  he  kept  a  relay 
house.  He  also  kept  a  little  hotel  here  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  few  travelers  that 
passed  his  place,  which  was  one  of  the  first 
public  houses  in  the  country.  Becoming 
tired  of  his  occupation,  he  quit  the  busine.ss, 
and  moved  a  little  fui'ther  west  into  what  is 
now  St.  Francis  Township,  and  entered  a 
piece  of  land  lying  in  the  southeast  quarter 
of  Section  3.  He  lived  on  this  place  until 
the  year  1858,  when  he  sold  his  improve- 
ments and  with  his  family  moved  to  the 
State  of  Minnesota,  where  he  died  about  a 
dozen  years  ago.  Marble  had  two  sons, 
young  men,  both  of  whom  can  be  called  early 
settlers,  as  they  married  and  located  in  the 
township,  making  some  improvements  a  short 
distance  south  and  west  of  where  the  old 
man's  house  stood.  William  Marble  did  but 
little  toward  improving  the  land  by  farming, 
devoting  the  most  of  his  attention  to  cattle- 
raising,  and  in  time  became  the  possessor  of 
several   larofc   herds  which  returned    him  a 


f 


HISTORY  or  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


231 


gi'eat  deal  of  wealth.  Owing  to  some 
domestic  difficulty,  he  left  his  family  and 
went  to  Minnesota,  where  he  remained  for 
sooie  time,  afterward  sending  for  his  wife, 
who  refused  to  go  to  him.  He  still  live^  in 
Minnesota,  or  was  living  there  when  last 
heard  from.  John  Marble  purchased  land 
in  Section  13,  the  year  after  the  familj'  came 
to  the  township,  which  he  sold  to  a  man  by 
the  name  of  Greek,  after  having  occupied  it 
until  the  year  lSC-4.  He  appears  to  have 
been  a  man  of  very  decided  character,  inde- 
pendent in  his  manners  and  a  strong  Repub- 
lican in  politics.  He  made  no  attempt  to 
conceal  his  political  principles,  but  on  the 
contrary  gloried  in  giving  them  full  expres- 
sion whenever  ;iu  occasion  presented  itself, 
sometimes  talking  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
offend  his  neighbors,  the  great  majority  of 
whom  were  radically  Democratic.  During 
the  war,  he  informed  on  a  couple  of  deserters 
who  came  into  the  neighborhood,  which  led 
to  their  attempted  arrest,  and  for  this  piece 
of  intelligence  his  hay-stacks,  wheat-stacks, 
and  very  neai'ly  all  of  his  fencing  were 
burned  to  the  ground.  The  incendiaries 
were  pursued,  but  not  captured,  being,  as  was 
generally  supposed,  hidden  away  in  the 
house  of  some  neighbor  who  had  no  particu- 
lar love  for  Marble.  He  left  the  country 
shortly  after  the  war,  and  like  the  rest  of  the 
family  went  to  Minnesota,  his  present  home. 
In  an  early  day,  a  small  settlement  was 
made  on  the  National  road,  near  the  central 
part,  of  the  township,  by  "  Kit"  Radly,  as  he 
was  familiarly  called,  who  kept,  or  pretended 
to  keep,  a  hotel,  but  in  reality,  as  it  was 
afterward  proved,  kept  a  gambling  den, 
which  was  for  years  the  r(  ndezvous  of  a 
gang  of  blacklegs  and  cut. throats  as  rough 
and  worthless  as  himself.  The  locality  came 
to  be  dreaded  far  and  near,  and  it  has  been 
stated  that  a  number  of  travelers    stopped 


there  at  different  times  and  were  never  seen 
or  heard  of  afterward — circumstances  that 
naturally  gave  rise  to  suspicions  of  foul  play. 
The  general  supposition  seems  to  be  that  a 
systematic  ]ilan  of  robbery  and  murder  was 
pui'sued  for  years  on  the  unsuspecting  passers 
by,  but,  as  Radly  was  universally  feared,  no 
efforts  toward  an  investigation  were,  at  that 
time,  made.  The  old  man  died  at  this  place, 
and  the  property  came  into  possession  of  his 
son  Nick,  who  inherited  all  his  father's  "  cus- 
sedness "  in  a  tenfold  degree,  without  the 
fairtest  tinge  of  a  redeeming  quality.  He 
seems  to  have  been  connected  with  a  large 
number  of  quarrels,  disturbances,  and  was 
arrested  upon  several  occasions  for  complicity 
in  some  very  bold  thieving  scrapes.  At  one 
time  a  warrant  for  his  apprehension  was 
■placed  in  the  hands  of  a '  neighbor  of  his, 
deputized  for  the  purpose,  as  the  regular 
officer  was  afraid  to  attempt  his  arrest. 
When  called  for,  Radly  was  at  work  on  the 
top  of  a  frame  barn,  that  had  just  been 
raised,  and,  when  told  that  he  was  wanted, 
answered  with  the  ejaculation,  "  All  right,  by 
G — d.  just  wait  till  I  come  down,"  at  the 
same  time  throwing  the  large,  heavy  hatchet 
he  had  in  his  hand  full  at  the  officer's  head, 
which  barely  missed  him,  and  bm-ied  itself 
in  the  hard  oak  sill  at  his  feet.  Seeing  that 
he  had  missed  his  aim,  and  having  no  other 
weapon  at  his  command,  he  descended  from 
the  building,  with  many  apologies  for  his 
carelessness,  as  he  called  it.  for  letting  the 
hatchet  dro^i,  which  apologies  were  made 
after  seeing  the  officer's  large  revolver  held 
ready  for  use.  Radly  accompanied  the  officer, 
stood  his  trial,  and  was  acquitted  on  account 
of  technical  discrepancj'  in  the  indictment. 
Upon  another  occasion,  while  at  a  gathering 
of  some  kind,  in  the  western  part  of  the 
township,  he  got  into  an  altercation  with 
several   Germans,  and  being  a  man  of  fiery 


232 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


temper,  at  ouce  "  peeled  his  diids,"  as  the 
saying  went,  and  challenged  the  whole  crowd, 
which  challenge  met  with  a  hearty  response 
on  the  part  of  two  or  three  burly  fellows, 
any  of  whom  was  much  more  than  his  equal 
physically,  and  the  result  was  that  Radly 
received  such  a  severe  pummeling  that  he 
was  unable  to  get  out  of  his  bed  for  several 
days,  vowing  vengeance  in  the  meantime. 
He  met  one  of  the  parties  a  short  time  after- 
ward, at  a  barn-raising,  and  at  once  became 
very  abusive,  calling  him  all  manner  of  bad 
names,  in  such  strong  and  bitter  language, 
that  the  man,  who,  by  the  way,  was  no  cow- 
ard, sprang  at  him,  whereupon  Radly  turned 
and  made  a  feint  toward  trying  to  get  away, 
calling  at  the  same  time  to  the  bystanders  to 
take  the  man  off,  who,  by  this  time,  was  on 
his  (Radly's)  back.  Drawing  a  long,  sharp 
dirk:  he  struck  backward  several  times,  and 
cut  his  antagonist  in  a  shocking  manner — 
literally  carving  him  to  pieces.  The  man 
was  picked  up,  carried  to  his  home,  and  for 
several  weeks  his  life  was  despaired  of,  but 
he  finally  recovered.  Radly  escaped  on  the 
ground  of  self-defense.  He  afterward  left 
the  county  and  nothing  has  since  been  heard 
of  him. 

The  same  year  that  brought  the  Radlys 
here,  H.  B.  Hobbings  found  his  way  to  this 
part  of  the  county,  and  settled  a  short  dis- 
tance west  of  the  former's  place,  on  the 
National  road.  He  was  originally  from  Penn- 
sylvania, but  had  lived  in  Cincinnati  several 
years  before  removing  to  this  place.  He 
sold  his  farm  to  a  Mrs.  Thoele,  after  having 
occupied  it  for  about  eight  years,  and  moved 
to  a  distant  State.  In  the  fall  of  1848,  John 
H.  Wernsing,  a  German,  came  from  Cincin- 
nati, and  settled  near  the  head  of  Bishop 
Creek  in  Section  30,  where  he  made  extensive 
improvements,  and  where  he  lived  a  number 
of  yeai's,  an  upright  citizen,  highly  respected 


by  all  who  knew  him.  Several  members  of 
his  family  still  live  in  the  county,  one  of 
whom,  Henry  Wernsing,  is  the  present  Treas- 
urer of  Effingham  County.  About  the  year 
1848,  B.  H.  Dryer  came  to  the  township  and 
located  near  the  Wernsing  settlement.  He 
came  from  Cincinnati  also,  as  did  many  of 
the  original  settlers  of  the  eastern  part  of 
the  county,  and  was  prominently  identified 
with  the  early  history  of  this  community. 
The  place  where  he  originally  settled  is  now 
owned  by  Henry  Hierman.  Henry  Rump 
came  here  about  the  same  time  that  Dryer 
made  his  appearance,  and,  like  the  former, 
sought  a  place  in  the  timber  near  the  creek. 
He  was  a  line,  straightforward  man,  and  by 
industry  and  good  management  accumulated  a 
large  tract  of  land,  which  is  at  present  owned 
by  the  Hutrip  heirs.  A  man  by  the  name  of 
Thare,  a  Presbyterian  preacher,  probably  the 
first  minister  in  the  township,  bought  and 
improved  a  piece  of  land  lying  west  of  the 
town  of  Montrose,  on  the  National  road, 
where  he  built  what  was  afterward  known 
as  the  "  white  house,"  a  large  two  story  build- 
ing, and  one  of  the  first  frame  structures 
erected  in  the  township.  He  held  religious 
services  at  this  place,  and  at  other  points  in 
the  country,  preaching  wherever  he  could 
obtain  a  room  sufficiently  large  to  accommo- 
date an  audience.  In  1849,  he  moved  to 
Ewington,  where,  for  a  number  of  years,  he 
was  considered  one  of  the  leading  preachers 
of  his  faith.  A  son-in-law  of  Thare,  John 
Lorkins,  took  possession  of  the  place,  to 
which  he  added  considerable  improvements, 
and  resided  there  until  the  year  1860,  at 
which  time  he  disposed  of  the  property  and 
moved  to  the  State  of  Iowa.  The  Hartlips 
were  an  early  family  in  St.  Francis;  the  exact 
date  of  their  an-ival  was  not  learned,  al- 
though it  was  several  years  prior  to  1S50. 
They  located    farms    near   Bishop   Creek,  in 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


233 


the  Wernsing  neighborhood,  where  several 
descendants  are  still  living. 

Among  those  who  came  in  1849,  1850  and 
1851,  and  later,  may  be  mentioned  William 
Wallace,  James  Kolfe,  Thomas  Gibbon  and 
Newton  Gibbon.  Wallace  settled  abont  one 
mile  west  of  Montrose,  where  he  made  a  few 
slight  improvements,  the  chief  of  which  was 
a  small  cabin  he  had  moved  from  the  old 
Marble  farm,  having  pm-chased  it  for  a  mere 
trifle.  He  sold  the  place  to  Thomas  Gibbon, 
who  came  about  one  year  later  (1851),  and 
with  his  family  moved  out  of  the  township. 
Gibbon  improved  this  farm  quite  extensively, 
and  still  occupies  it.  He  came  from  Greene 
County,  Ind.,  and  for  a  number  of  years  has 
been  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  com- 
mimity  in  which  be  resides.  Neiwton  Gib- 
bon, his  brother,  located  a  short  distance 
west  of  Montrose,  where  he  still  lives.  He 
was  the  first  Justice  of  the  Peace  elected  by 
the  people  of  St.  Francis,  and  has  filled  sev- 
eral other  offices  of  trust  at  different  times. 
James  Rolfe  came  to  Illinois,  from  Indiana, 
in  the  year  1848,  and  settled  in  Cumberland 
County,  fi-om  which  place  he  moved  to  St. 
Francis  Township  two  years  later,  and  located 
a  home  lying  west  of  the  Thomas  Gibbon 
farm.  He  is  a  native  of  Maryland,  and 
claims  to  be  a  regular  descendant  of  the 
John  Rolfe  who  married  the  Indian  princess 
Pocahontas. 

Through  all  the  years  of  which  we  have 
been  writing,  settlers  had  been  steadily  com- 
ing into  the  township;  numerous  claims  had 
been  made  and  improved,  cabins  built, 
prairies  broken  and  in  many  places  more 
comfortable  and  substantial  farm  buildings 
erected.  The  National  road,  to  which  allu- 
sion has  already  been  made,  was  laid  out 
through  the  township,  and  other  highways 
were  soon  after  established  and  improved. 
The   crop   raised   by    the   first   settlers  was 


generally  corn,  to  which  they  looked  for  their 
chief  supjiort;  other  cereals  were  but  little 
grown  until  the  country  began  to  settle  more 
thickly.  The  soil  at  that  time  was  poorly 
adapted  to  raising  small  grain,  and  it  was  not 
until  several  years  had  elapsed  from  the  first 
settlement  that  any  wheat  was  grown  in  the 
township  at  all.  For  a  niimber  of  years, 
there  were  no  mills  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
county,  and  to  obtain  meal  a  ad  other  bread- 
stuffs  the  citizens  of  St.  Francis  had  to  go  to 
the  little  horse  mills  in  and  around  Ewington, 
an  undertaking  which  sometimes  required 
two  or  three  days,  not  that  the  distance  was 
so  great,  but  the  machine  ground  so  slowly, 
that  delays  were  often  experienced  in  waiting 
for  the  respective  turns. 

Some  of  the  first  settlers  went  as  far  as 
Terre  Haute  for  groceries  and  dry  goods,  and, 
as  there  were  good  mills  there,  they  took 
advantage  of  the  occasion  to  lay  in  a  supply 
of  floiu-  and  meal  sufficient  to  last  them 
several  months. 

An  important  adjunct  to  the  pioneer's  exist- 
ence, and  one  that  often  entered  largely 
therein,  was  the  enjojTnent  or  necessity  of 
hunting,  wild  game  of  all  kinds  being  very 
plentiful.  The  settler  was  often  obliged 
to  quit  his  work  and  join  with  his  neighbors 
in  a  kind  of  crusade  against  wolves,  which 
were  very  destructive  to  young  pigs  and  to 
domestic  fowls  which  might  stray  far  away 
from  the  house. 

In  St.  Francis,  the  solitary  settler  rejoiced 
to  hear  the  early  messengers  of  God  proclaim 
the  glad  tidings  of  joy,  or  weep  at  the  story 
of  the  crown  of  thorns  and  the  agonies  of 
Golgotlia  and  Calvary.  It  is  a  fact  highly 
commendable  to  the  first  residents  of  this 
township,  that,  with  all  their  trials  incident  to 
a  settlement  in  a  new  and  undevelojied 
country — naught  but  hardships  and  poorly 
compensated  labor  to  weary  and  burden  both 


234 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


mind  and  body — they  never  failed  to  discharge 
those  higher  obligations  due  their  Creator. 
Religious  services  were  often  held  at  private 
residences  by  itinerant  ministers  of  the 
Methodist  Chm-ch,  and  were  attended  l)y  all 
the  citizens  far  and  near.  Those  who  lived 
in  the  northern  part  of  St.  Francis  attended 
divine  worship  with  the  congregations  in  the 
adjoining  county  of  Cumberland,  and  it  was 
not  until  recent  years  that  any  religious 
society  had  an  existence  in  this  township. 
The  Lutherans  are  very  strong  here,  and  have 
a  flourishing  church  a  few  miles  southeast  of 
the  village  of  Montrose.  This  church  was 
organized  in  the  year  18G8  by  Rev.  H.  H. 
Holtermein,  at  the  schoolhouse  in  that 
neighborhood,  and  had  an  original  member- 
ship of  thirteen.  For  three  years,  the  con- 
gregation used  the  schoolhouse  as  a  place  of 
worship,  when  steps  were  taken  to  erect  a 
more  commodious  edifice,  as  the  congregation 
had  increased  so  in  numbers  that  a  larsfer 
house  was  a  necessity.  In  the  fall  of  1871, 
their  present  structure  was  erected,  which  is  a 
credit  to  the  church  and  an  honor  to  the 
community;  it  is  a  frame  building,  25x40  feet, 
and  cost  about  .$1,100.  The  church  owes 
much  of  its  prosperity  to  the  untiring  labors 
of  Rev.  Holtermein,  who  for  eleven  years  was 
its  faithful  pastor;  his  chief  aim  seems  to 
have  been  its  good  and  all  his  efforts  for  its 
advancement  were  crowned  with  success. 

He  was  succeeded  in  the  year  1879  by  the 
present  pastor,  Rev.  H.  Kouerst  under  whose 
charge  the  congregation  hag  been  steadily 
increasing  in  membership  and  influence. 
There  are  at  this  time  on  the  records  the 
names  of  forty  five  members  in  good  standing. 
Connected  with  the  chm'ch  is  a  denomina- 
tional school,  which  was  established  by  Rev. 
Holtermein  in  1872.  A  vacant  room  in  the 
pastor's  dwelling  was  used  for  this  until  1879, 
when   their   present   neat    little   house   was 


erected.  This  is  a  frame  building  and  cost 
about  $600.  The  school  has  been  well 
attended  since  its  organization,  and,  under  the 
chai'ge  of  the  two  pastors  mentioned,  has  ac- 
complished much  good  in  the  neighborhood. 

The  early  school  history  of  St.  Francis  is 
limited.  The  first  settlers  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  township  sent  their  children  to 
the  schools  of  Cumberland  County,  which 
had  been  established  in  a  very  early  day, 
while  those  who  located  along  the  Southern 
border  patronized  the  schools  of  Teutopolis. 
It  is  thought  that  Miss  Lizzie  Rolfe  taught 
the  fu-st  school  in  St.  Francis  about  the  year 
1854,  using  for  the  purpose  what  was  then 
known  as  the  Fair  building.  It  stood  a 
little  west  of  the  village  of  Montrose  and 
was  in  use  as  a  schoolhouse  about  two  years, 
and  was  formerly  a  dwelling.  Newton  Gib- 
bon built  the  first  house  espresslj'  for  school 
purposes  in  the  year  1856.  It  was  a  frame 
building  and  stood  a  little  north  of  Mont- 
rose. It  was  moved  to  the  village  when  the 
place  was  first  started,  and  is  at  present  used 
for  a  coojser  shop  Like  other  parts  of  the 
county,  this  township  is  now  well  supplied 
with  good  frame  schoolhouses.  all  of  which 
are  well  fui'nished  with  modern  appliances, 
and  the  advantages  of  intellectual  culture  are 
open  and  free  to  all.  Schools  last  about 
seven  months  of  the  year  and  generally  begin 
the  first  Monday  in  October. 

The  Vandalia  Railroad  passes  through  the 
township  in  a  southwesterly  direction,  and 
has  been  the  means  of  advancing  the  ma- 
terial interests  of  the  people  in  many  ways. 
Since  its  completion  in  the  year  1868,  the 
real  estate  of  the  townshijj  has  steadily  ad- 
vanced in  value.  Much  of  the  vacant  land 
that  was  formerly  regarded  as  almost  worth- 
less, has  been  bought  up  and  improved  and 
ffood  grain  and  stock  markets  have  been 
brought  near. 


HISTORY  OF  EFFIJiTGHAM  COUNTY. 


235 


The  only  mill  of  any  kind  in  St.  Francis 
was  erected  about  twenty  years  ago  by  John 
F.  Waschefort,  and  stands  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  township,  near  Teiitopolis.  It  was 
built  as  a  combination  mill,  and  for  a  number 
of  years  sawed  a  great  deal  of  lumber  and 
ground  an  immense  amount  of  grain.  It 
was  afterward  rebuilt,  the  saws  removed, 
two  buhrs  added,  and  since  then  has  been 
run  exclusively  as  a  llouriug  mill.  It  is  op- 
erated by  steam,  has  a  capacity  of  forty  or 
fifty  barrels  per  day,  and  is  owned  by  Ferdi- 
nand Waschefort. 

The  following  account  of  a  bloody  tragedy 
that  occurred  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
township  several  years  ago  was  related  by 
Mr.  Rolf e:  "  Two  brothers  by  name  of 
Hetcher  owned  a  farm  near  where  Montrose 
now  stands,  and  rented  a  part  of  their  ground 
one  year  to  a  young  German  to  put  in  corn. 
They  were  to  have  one  third  of  the  crop  as 
rent,  that  share  to  be  left  in  the  field  when 
the  corn  was  gathered.  About  the  time  the 
corn  was  ready  for  cribbing,  the  young  man 
sold  it  to  two  parties  by  name  of  Thomas 
Duckworth  and  George  Shindle.  and  made 
no  mention  of  the  portion  to  be  paid  as  rent. 
When  they  came  to  gather  the  crop,the  Hetcher 
boys  told  them  to  let  the  one-third  remain, 
which  the  others  very  positively  refused  to 
do,  saying  that  they  had  bought  the  entire 
crop,  paid  for  it  and  were  going  to  gather 
the  same.  Hetcher  then  forbid  them  the 
field  until  the  difficulty  could  be  adjusted. 
Duckworth  and  Shindle  carried  the  matter 
to  a  lawyer  by  name  of  Dennet,  who  advised 
them  to  go  back  and  gather  the  corn,  and 
gather  it  all,  as  it  jvistly  belonged  to  them. 
UlJon  Duckworth  asking  him  what  to  do  in 
case  the  Hetchers  came  out  and  objected,  re- 
ceived the  reply,  "'Why,  kill  them,  to  be 
sure;"  not  thinking,  as  he  afterwad  said, 
"that  the  d— d  fools  would  do  it."     Shindle 


and  ■  Duckworth  armed  themselves  with  re- 
volvers and  went  back  to  the  field  next  morn- 
ing, where  they  had  been  at  work  but  a  short 
time  before  the  Hetcher  boys  came  out.  A 
few  hot  words  were  passed,  when  Duckworth 
and  Shindle  drew  their  weapons  and  shot 
their  antagonists  dead  on  the  spot.  The 
boys  were  arrested  and  tried,  but,  owing  to 
some  quibble,  were  acquitted.  They  left  the 
country,  however,  before  gathering  the  crop. 
Montrose,  the  only  village  in  the  town- 
ship, a  place  of  about  300  inhab'tants,  is 
situated  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section 
3,  on  the  Vandalia  Railroad,  and  was  laid 
out  by  J.  B.  Johnson,  proprietor  of  the  land, 
July  19.  1870,  the  jslat  being  made  by  Cal- 
vin Mitchell,  County  Surveyor.  The  first 
building  in  the  town  was  a  store  house 
built  by  Browning  and  Schooley,  a  short  time 
after  the  survey  had  been  made.  Tliej- 
stocked  it  with  a  miscellaneous  assortment  of 
merchandise  and  for  two  years  conducted  a 
flourishing  business,  when  they  sold  the  stock 
to  other  parties  and  left  the  village.  The  sec- 
ond building  was  a  storehouse  also,  moved 
here  from  a  little  place  known  as  Bowen, 
about  two  miles  east  of  the  township 
line  in  the  adjoining  county,  by  Dr.  H.  G. 
Van  Sandt.  The  house  stands  near  the  cen- 
tral part  of  the  town,  and  is  at  present  occu- 
pied by  the  store  of  Stephen  Smith,  to  whom 
the  doctor  sold  it  after  he  had  been  in  the 
place  a  couple  of  years.  A  third  store  was 
started  in  the  town,  in  the  year  1871,  by  P. 
H.  Wiwi,  who  erected  a  very  neat  business 
house,  which,  like  the  stores  already  alluded 
to,  was  stocked  with  a  genei'al  assortment  of 
goods.  In  addition  to  his  mercantile  busi- 
ness, Wiwi  erected  a  gi'ain  house,  which  he 
operated  very  successfully,  handling  more 
grain  during  the  year  than  was  shipped  from 
any  other  point  on  the  road  of  the  same  size. 
He  opened  a  market  for  live  stock  also,  and 


236 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTS. 


for  the  past  ten  years  has  been  considered 
one  of  the  heaviest  shippers  of  cattle  and 
hogs  in  the  county.  In  the  year  1872,  a  third 
store  was  put  in  operation  by  James  John- 
son, who  moved  a  building  to  the  place  from 
the  little  village  of  "  Jiia  Town,"  as  it  was 
called,  in  Cumberland  County,  where  for  sev- 
eral years  he  had  been  a  very  successful  mer- 
chant. After  locating  here,  his  business  in- 
creased so  rapidly  that  a  larger  and  more 
commodious  building  became  a  necessity,  so 
he  erected  another  house  a  few  years  since,  a 
large  two  story,  which  he  stocked  with  goods 
valued  at  about  S6,500,  by  far  the  most  com- 
plete store  in  the  town.  The  old  building 
is  at  present  used  for  a  freight-room  and 
granary.  Ross  Twedey  erected  a  business 
house  about  the  same  time  that  Johnson 
came,  and  for  two  years  sold  goods,  when 
he  disposed  of  his  stock  to  William  McGin- 
nis,  who  in  turn  sold  to  Stephen  Sniith,  the 
present  proprietor,  after  running  the  busi- 
ness until  the  year  1874.  Dr.  Van  Sandt 
erected  a  very  commodious  storeroom  and 
dwelling  house  in  the  western  part  of  the 
town  several  years  ago,  where  he  still  does 
business  in  the  general  line,  with  a  fine  as- 
sortment of  drugs,  also,  the  only  store  of  the 
kind  in  the  place. 

The  Montrose  Anchor  Flouring  Mill  was 
built  in  the  year  1871,  by  William  Weigel  & 
Son,  and  is  one  of  the  best  n^ills  in  the  east- 
ern part  of  Effingham  County;  it  is  three 
stories  high,  frame,  and  cost  the  proprietors 
the  sum  of  $0,000.  It  is  operated  by  steam, 
has  three  run  of  buhrs,  and  a  grinding 
capacity  of  about  forty  baiTels  per  day. 
Weigel  &  Son  operated  it  three  years,  doing 
a  floiu-ishing  custom  and  merchant  trade, 
when  they  sold  to  Newhouse  &  Co.,  who 
ran  it  for  a  short  time.  Weiss  &  Docken- 
dorf  were  the  next  proprietors;  they  operated 
the  mill  as  partners  a  couple  of  years,    when 


Weiss  bought  the  entire  interest  and  is  the 
present  owner.  A  blacksmith  shop  was 
built  in  the  town,  about  1871,  by  James 
Tubert,  who  worked  at  his  trade  here  for  two 
years,  since  then  there  have  been  several 
shops  operated  by  different  parties;  at  present 
there  are  two  shops  in  operation.  The  Brazil 
House,  first  hotel  of  the  place,  was  built 
about  1872,  by  Nelson  Shull,  who  still  runs 
it.  Evan  James  built  a  second  hotel  about 
six  years  ago,  the  James  House.  H.  G.  Van 
Saudt  was  the  first  physician  in  the  place, 
and  has  practiced  his  profession  here  con- 
tinuously since  1870,  having  at  this  time  a 
large  and  lucrative  practice.  Dr.  John  John- 
son located  in  the  town  about  one  year  after 
the  place  had  been  started,  and  for  two  or 
three  years  ministered  to  the  ills  of  the  vil- 
lage and  surrounding  country.  Drs.  Hallen- 
beok,  Gladwell,  Schefner,  Minter  and  Park 
have  at  different  times  practiced  medicine. 

After  the  village  had  made  considerable 
progress  in  its  business,  and  the  population 
had  increased,  efforts  were  made  to  induce 
the  railway  company  to  lay  a  side  track 
through  the  town  and  voluntary  subscrij^tions 
to  the  amount  of  $700  were  raised  toward 
that  end.  This  mark  of  public  enterprise  pre- 
vailed and  a  switch  was  accordingly  laid,  and 
afterward  a  neat  substantial  brick  depot 
erected.  Since  the  switch  was  laid*  the 
business  of  the  company  has  so  increased  that 
there  are  no  points  on  the  entire  line  of  the 
size  of  Montrose  where  as  much  shi])ping 
of  grain  and  live  stock  takes  place. 

The  citizens  of  the  town  early  took  an 
interest  in  educational  matters,  and  a  school 
was  in  progress,  taught  by  Miss  Eva  Gilmore, 
one  year  after  the  first  bouse  had  been 
erected  in  the  village.  The  house  in  which 
this  first  school  was  taught  was  moved  to  the 
town  from  a  point  two  miles  in  the  country, 
and  served    for    educational    purposes   until 


HISTORY   OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


237 


1876,  at  which  time  the  fine  briek  house  now 
in  use  was  erected.  The  present  building  is 
22x54  feet,  one  story  high,  and  cost  $1,600  to 
erect  and  complete  it. 

The  religious  history  of  the  town  dates 
from  its  first  settlement,  a  fact  which  ought  to 
speak  well  for  the  morals  of  the  community. 
There  are  at  present  two  religious  organiza- 
tions in  the  town,  with  as  many  houses  of 
worship — the  Southern  Methodist  and  the 
Roman  Catholic — neither  of  which  seems  to 
be  doinsr  that  amount  of  good  for  the  Master 
which  the  great  founder  of  Christianity  mani- 
festly designed  that  they  should  do.  In 
close  proximity  to  these  temples  of  the  living 
God  stand  two  black  plague  spots  in  the 
shape  of  gin  shops,  from  which  radiate  bale- 
ful influences  counteracting  the  good  which 
the  churches  ought  to  exert,  and  spreading 
over  the  place  a  moral  malaria  which  we 
must  confess  does  not  present  a  very  agreeable 
commentary  on  its  character. 

"Wherever  God  erects  a  house  of  prayer, 

The  devil's  sure  to  build  his  chapel  there; 

And  t'wlU  be  found  upon  examination 

The  latter  always  has  the  biggest  congregation." 

The  Methodist  Church  was  organized 
about  the  year  1868  one  mile  north  of  the 
town,  by  Rev.  P.  D.  Vandeventer,  with  a 
membership  of  twenty  persons,  the  majority 
of  whom  have  since  left  the  country.  The 
organization  was  efi"ected  in  a  little  log 
schoolhouse  which  for  six  years  afforded  the 
congregation  a  place  of  worship.  The  or- 
ganization was  moved  to  the  town  of  Montrose 
in  the  summer  of  1870,  and  the  present  edifice 
erected,  which  is  a  frame  building  aud  cost 
about  $1,600.  Since  its  organization,  the 
church  has  been  ministered  to  by  the  follow- 
ing pastors  in  the  order  named:  P.  D. 
"Vandeventer  was  the  first  pastor;  he  remained 
with    the    congregation    one    year;    J.     A. 


Beagle  succeeded  Vandeventer  and  preached 
one  year  also;  J.  F.  Hensley  came  next  and 
remained  two  years;  he  was  followed  by  W. 

B.  Lewellyn,  who  was  pastor  one  year;  J.  A. 
Greeing  was  the  regular  supply  for  one  year; 

C.  T.  McAnally  succeeded  the  last  named  and 
remained  the  same  length  of  time;  N.  A. 
Auld  preached  one  year;  W.  A.  Cross  one 
year;  J.  M.  McGrew  one  year;  J.  C.  Bird 
had  charge  of  the  congregation  two  years; 
then  J.  F.  Hensley  served  a  second  time  as 
pastor  for  one  year.  The  present  pastor  is 
Rev.  H.  K.  Jones,  who  is  now  on  his  second 
year's  labors.  Connected  with  the  church  is  a 
flourishing  union  Sunday  school,  which  is 
well  attended  with  an  average  of  about  fifty 
scholars,  of  which  the  pastor  is  the  superin- 
tendent. 

The  St.  Rosa  Roman  Catholic  Church  of 
Montrose  dates  its  organization  from  the  year 
1879.  Prior  to  that  year,  the  Catholics  of 
this  village,  of  whom  there  were  a  goodly 
number,  met  with  the  chiu-ch  at  Teutopolis, 
to  which  they  were  attached.  In  November 
of  1879,  Father  Francis,  of  the  latter  place, 
upon  request  of  the  members  at  Montrose, 
organized  them  into  an  independant  congre- 
gation and  steps  were  taken  to  erect  a  house 
of  worship  forthwith.  The  building  was 
completed  in  the  spring  of  1880,  the 
membership  at  that  time  numbering  some 
twenty-five  families.  Like  all  their  church 
edifices,  this  house  displays  a  great  deal  of 
taste,  and  money  was  not  used  sparingly  in  its 
erection.  It  cost  the  sum  of  $3,000,  and  is 
an  ornament  to  the  town.  There  are  about 
twenty-five  families  connected  with  the 
chm-ch  at  present  under  the  charge  of  the 
same  priest  who  brought  about  the  organiza- 
tion. 

We   will    conclude    this    brief    sketch    of 
Montrose  with  the   following  exhibit  of  its 


238 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


business  interests.  There  are  now  five  general 
stores,  kept  respectively  by  G.  H.  Van  Sandt, 
James  Johnson.  Stephen  Smith,  P.  H.  Wiwi 
and  George  Sturtzen;   two  warehouses,  two 


hotels,  two  blacksmith  shops  and  express 
office.  The  present  Postmaster  is  H.  G. 
Van  Sandt,  who  was  also  the  first  Postmaster 
of  the  place. 


CHAPTER  XXI.* 


LIBERTY  TOAVNSHIP-ITS  PHYSICAL  FE.\TURES— TIMBER  GROWTH,    ETC.-EARLY    SETTLEMENT- 
PIONEER  HARDSHIPS— INDUSTRIES  AND  IMPROVEMENT.?- THE  STATE  OF  SOCIETY— EDU- 
CATIONAL AND  RELIGIOUS— BEECHER  CITY— A  VILLAGE  OF  LARGE  PRETENSIONS 
—ITS  BUSINESS,  CHURCHES,  SCHOOLS,   BENEVOLENT   SOCIETIES,  ETC. 

But 


"  My  country  'tis  of  thee. 
Sweet  land  of  Libert v, 
Of  thee  I  siug." 

''F^HEKE  is  uo  history  more  eagerly  sought 
-L  after  than  that  which  truthfully  delin- 
eates the  rise  and  progress  of  the  State,  coun- 
ty or  community  in  which  we  live.  There  is 
pleasure  as  well  as  profit  to  every  well-edu- 
cated and  inquiring  mind  in  contemplating 
the  struggles  of  the  early  settlers  in  all  por- 
tions of  the  Great  West;  how  they  encoun- 
tered and  overcame  every  species  of  trial, 
hardship  and  danger  to  which  human  beings 
were  ever  subjected.  But  these  things  strike 
us  more  forcibly,  and  fill  our  miijds  with 
more  immediate  interest,  when  confined  to 
our  own  county  or  township,  where  we  can 
yet  occasionally  meet  with  some  of  the  now 
gray-haired  actors  in  those  early  scenes,  with 
whom  life's  rugged  day  is  almost  over,  whose 
bravery  in  encountering  the  perils  of  front- 
ier life  has  borne  an  important  part  toward 
making  our  country  what  it  now  is,  and 
whose  acts,  in  connection  with  the  hundreds 
of  others  in  the  first  settling  of  our  vast  do- 
main have  compelled  the  civilized  world  to 
acknowledge  that  the  Americans  are  an  in- 
vincible people. 

To  some  of  our  readers  it  may  appear  rath- 
er small  and  insignificant  work  to  record  the 

*  By  W.  H.  Perrin. 


history  of  a  single  county  or  tovmship. 
it  must  be  remembered  that  our  vast  Kepub- 
lic  is  comprised  of  States,  the  States  are  di-  ■ 
vided  into  counties,  and  the  counties  into 
townships,  each  of  which  contributes  its 
share  toward  the  general  history  of  the  coun- 
try. And  the  little  township  of  Liberty, 
occupying  so  small  an  extent  of  territory — 
only  about  eighteen  square  miles — has  a 
history  fraught  with  interest  to  its  own  citi- 
zens, at  least,  if  to  none  others. 

The  township  of  Liberty  lies  south  of 
Shelby  County,  west  of  Banner  Township, 
north  of  Moccasin  Township,  east  of  Fayette 
County,  and  comprises  the  south  half  of 
Township  9  north,  in  Range  4  east.  About 
two-thirds  of  this  township  is  prairie,  alter- 
nating between  level  and  rolling.  The  tim- 
ber is  confined  to  the  water-courses,  and  is 
principally  oak,  hickory,  walnut,  elm,  syca- 
more, sugar  tree,  Cottonwood,  etc.,  and  the 
land  upon  which  it  grows  is  mostly  broken 
and  hilly.  The  principal  stream  is  Wolf 
Creek,  which  j^asses  diagonally  throitgh  the 
township  from  northeast  to  southwest,  with 
several  small  tributa,ries.  Moore  Creek  flows 
through  the  east  part,  and  empties  into  Wolf 
Creek.  The  Springfield  Division  of  the  Ohio 
&  Mississippi  Railroad  passes  through  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  township,  and  has 
one  station  and  shipping   point  —  Beecher 


IIISTOKY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


239 


City — which  has  proved  of  great  advantage 
to  the  people. 

The  first  white  man,  perhaps,  that  ever 
set  foot  upon  the  soil  of  Effingham  County — 
Griffin  Tipsword — tigiu-ed  conspicuously  in 
Liberty  Township.  He  has  descendants  still 
living  here  and  when  he  died  he  was  biu'ied 
in  the  Tipsword  Graveyard  on  Wolf  Creek. 
One  or  two  of  his  sons  spent  their  whole  lives 
in  Liberty  and  are  also  buried  in  the  quiet 
graveyard  that  bears  the  family  name.  But 
as  Mr.  Bradsby  has  devoted  considerable 
space  to  the  Tipswords  in  a  preceding  chap- 
ter, we  will  j)ass  them  here  without  fiu-ther 
mention. 

No  township  in  the  county  or  perhaps  in 
any  of  the  surrounding  counties  can  boast  a 
greater  diversity  of  ,  nationality  among  its 
early  inhabitants  than  Liberty  Township. 
Many  portions  of  our  country,  as  well  as 
different  countries,  contributed  to  its  early 
settlement.  In  this  little  division  we  find 
the  grave  New  Euglander,  the  enterprising 
Buckeye,  the  hot-blooded  Southerner  and  the 
awkward  Hoosier,  as  well  as  the  plodding 
German,  the  phlegmatic  Englishman  and  the 
warm-hearted  son  of  the  "  Ould  Sod. "  Like 
the  small  streams  that  unite  in  forming  the 
great  river,  those  difi'erent  kinds  and  races 
of  people  have  blended  into  a  population 
without  an  equal,  in  point  of  intelligence, 
enterprise  and  industry. 

A  family  of  very  early  settlers  in  Liberty 
was  the  Coxes.  There  were  three  brothers 
of  them — William.  John  and  Josiah  Cos — 
and  they  came  from  Tennessee.  They  had 
emigrated  to  Illinois  in  an  early  day,  and 
settled  in  Shelby  County,  and,  about  1838- 
40,  moved  over  into  this  township.  William 
died  more  than  twenty  years  ago.  John  died 
about  a  year  ago.  Josiah  is  still  living  in 
the  neighborhood  where  he  settled. 

From   Ohio,    the  land  of    Buckeve   states- 


men, came  Thomas  Dutton  and  a  man  named 
Starner.  The  latter  was  a  German,  and  died 
in  the  township.  Dutton  came  with  his 
mother.  Both  are  still  living,  the  old  lady 
at  a  very  advanced  age.  Tom  had  a  brother 
who  went  into  the  Mexican  war,  and  died 
while  in  the  service. 

George  Eccles  came  in  1841,  and  John 
AUsop  in  1847.  Thej'  were  both  from  Eng- 
land. Eccles  is  still  living  in  the  township, 
and,  though  he  is  now  eighty-four  years  of 
age,  he  is  hale  and  hearty,  and  has  recently, 
according  to  the  divine  declaration  that  "  it 
is  not  well  for  man  to  be  alone,"  married  his 
third  wife.  Allsop  is  dead,  but  has  two  sons 
living  iu  the  township,  and  one  in  Effingham 
City. 

Poland  furnished  to  the  settlement  Alex- 
ander Bylaski  and  George  Superoski,  who 
came  in  1840.  Bylaski  finally  removed  to 
Washington  City,  went  into  the  late  war, 
and  fell  at  the  battle  of  Belmont.  Superoski 
is  still  living,  across  the  line  in  Shelby  Coun- 
ty. Another  addition  to  the  settlement  in 
1840  was  Thomas  Tennery,  who  is  still  living 
in  the  township. 

The  old  Granite  State  sent  out  Lansford 
and  Dennis  Stebbins,  who  settled  in  the 
township  in  1840.  Lansford  went  back  to 
Massachusetts  in  a  few  years.  Dennis  went 
to  sea,  made  a  whaling  voyage  of  three  years' 
length,  returned  to  the  township  and  got 
married,  as  a  good  man  should.  He  after- 
ward moved  down  into  the  southern  part  of 
the  State,  where  he  died.  Another  addition 
was  made  this  year  by  a  man  named  Hedge, 
who  moved  in  with  three  stalwart  sons — 
John,  A.  J.  and  Jabez.  A.  J.  (which  stands 
for  Andrew  Jackson)  moved  away;  John  is 
still  living  where  he  first  settled;  and  Jabez 
and  his  father  are  dead.  George  dinger 
also  settled  here  in  1840.  He  was  from 
Ohio,    and.    like   Hedge,  broutjht  three  sons 


240 


HISTORY   OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


with  him — John,  Peter  and  George.  The 
old  man  died  about  the  commencement  of  the 
war;  George  and  Peter  are  also  dead,  and 
John  lives  iu  Cowdon,  Shelby  County 

Samuel  Lorton,  the  oracle  of  Liberty 
Township,  and  a  regular  encyclopedia  on 
legs,  is  a  native  of  Arkansas,  and  came  to 
Illinois  with  his  father's  family  in  1824,  set- 
tling in  Shelby  County.  This  is  one  in- 
stance, at  least,  in  the  history  of  oxu"  country, 
in  which  the  star  of  empire  reversed  the  eter- 
nal fitness  of  things  by  moving  east  instead 
of  west.  He  moved  into  Liberty  Township 
in  1843,  and  has  lived  here  ever  since.  He 
knows  the  history  of  the  surrounding  country, 
and  can  reel  it  oif  as  one  reads  from  a  jjrinted 
book.  We  are  indebted  to  him  for  many  of 
the  facts  pertaining  to  Liberty,  and  any  im- 
perfections in  its  history  we  lay  to  his 
charge,  while  all  the  good  things  it  contains 
we  claim  as  our  own  undisputed  property. 
Mr.  Lorton  has  grown  up  and  grown  old  iu  the 
county,  and  is  familiar  with  its  growth,  prog- 
ress and  development.  This  brings  the  settle- 
ment down  to  a  period  wheu  the  new-comers 
could  scarcely  be  termed  old  settlers,  and 
we  here  drop  the  record  of  their  settle- 
ment. 

The  present  generation,  as  they  behold  the 
"  old  settler,"  can  scarcely  realize  or  appre- 
ciate the  hardships  through  which  he  passed, 
or  the  part  he  performed  in  reclaiming  the 
country  from  savage  tribes  that  roamed  at 
will  over  all  parts  of  it.  "Young  America," 
as  he  passes  the  old  settler  by,  perhaps  unno- 
ticed, little  dreams  that  he  has  spent  the 
morning  and  the  noontide  of  his  life  in  help- 
ing to  make  the  country  what  it  now  is,  and 
in  preparing  it  for  the  reception  of  all  those 
modern  improvements  which  surround  us  on 
every  side.  The  old  settler  shoiild  be  hon- 
ored, and  his  deeds  should  be  remembered 
and  revered  by  all. 


"  Their  forest  life  was  rough  and  rude, 
And  dangers  clos'd  them  round, 
But  hei-e,  amid  the  gi'een  old  trees, 
Freedom  was  sought  and  found." 

Education  was  not  neglected  by  the  peojile 
of  Liberty  Township.  Schools  were  early 
established,  and  have  always  been  supported 
liberally.  It  is  not  known  now  who  taught 
the  first  school,  nor  the  exact  spot  where  it 
was  taught.  There  is  at  present  a  good, 
comfortable  schoolhouse  in  every  neighbor- 
hood of  the  township,  which  supports  a  first- 
class  school  each  year. 

When  the  county  adopted  township  organ- 
ization, and  it  came  to  forming  the  Congres- 
sional townships  into  civil  townships,  this 
was  called  Liberty,  in  honor  of  that  boon  for 
which  our  fathers  "  fought,  bled  and  died  " 
in  oTir  Revolutionary  war.  The  officers  of 
the  civil  township  are  a  Supervisor,  Treas- 
urer, Clerk,  Collector,  etc. ,  etc.  A.t  the  pres- 
ent time,  the  princij)al  officers  of  Liberty 
Township  are  James  Allsop,  Supervisor;  C. 
Parkhurst,  School  Treasurer;  William  All- 
sop,  Collector;  and  A.  Clark  and  George 
Brown,  Justices  of  the  Peace. 

Villages. — Beecher  City,  the  only  village 
in  Liberty  Township,  is  a  rather  prettj^  little 
town,  pleasantly  situated  on  the  Springfield 
Division  of  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  Eailroad, 
some  ten  miles  north  of  Altamont.  It  was 
laid  out  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  the 
southwest  quarter  of  Section  29 ;  the  east  half 
of  the  southeast  quarter  of  the  southeast 
quarier  of  Section  30;  the  north  half  of  the 
northeast  quai-ter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of 
Section  31 ;  and  the  north  half  of  the  north- 
west quarter  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  Sec- 
tion 32,  of  Liberty  Township.  The  survey 
and  plat  were  made  by  the  engineer  of  the 
railroad,  for  Edward  Woodrow,  of  St.  Louis, 
projn'ietor  of  the  land,  and  the  plat  recorded 
on  the  8th  of  April,  1872.     The  place  was 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


241 


not  named,  as  many  might  suppose,  for  the 
Rev.  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  the  crankj-  pastor 
of  PljTnouth,  but  for  one  of  its  principal 
business  men,  who  bears  the  same  name. 

The  first  store  in  Beecher  was  opened  by 
Miller  &  Nelson,  who  moved  the  house  in 
which  it  was  kept  here  from  an  adjacent 
place.  H.  L.  Beecher  then  kept  a  small 
stock  of  goods  at  the  depot. 

The  Jennings  Brothers  had  the  next  store. 
William  H.  Jennings  is  still  in  business  here, 
but  sold  out  and  was  away  for  awhile,  then 
retiu'ned  and  again  engaged  in  merchandis- 
ing. The  business  of  the  place  now  consists 
of  three  stores — William  H.  Jennings,  H  L. 
Beecher  and  William  Swazy;  one  grocery 
store,  by  A.  Tally;  one  drug  store,  by  John 
Allsop;  two  blacksmith  shops,  one  butcher 
shop,  wood  shops,  one  shoe  shop,  hoop-pole 
factory,  etc.,  etc.  A  large  grain  business  is 
done.  George  Brown  buys  for  Brumbach, 
and  ships  large  quantities  of  grain  from  here 
every  month. 

A  post  office  was  established  soon  after  the 
town  was  laid  out,  and  H.  L.  Beocher  was 
appointed  Postmaster — a  position  which  he 
still  retains. 

The  schoolhouse,  which  is  one  of  the  best 
in  this  part  of  the  county,  was  built  a  few 
years  ago.  It  is  a  two-story  brick  structure, 
and  cost  about  $3,000.  The  school  is  a  large 
and  flom'ishing  one,  employing  two  and  some- 
times three  teachers. 

Chwches. — There  are  two  churches  in  the 
village,  with  neat  and  substantial  edifices. 
The  United  Brethren  built  a  church  about 
1874-75.  It  is  a  good  frame  building,  which 
cost  from  S800  to  $1,000.  The  church  is 
not  numerically  strong,  but  tm'ns  out  a  good 
congregation.  There  is  regular  monthly  ! 
preaching  and  a  floiu'ishing  Sunday  school.    ' 

The  Universalist  Church  was  built  in  ISSO,    1 
and  is  a  neat  and  tasty  frame  building,  put 


up  at  a  cost  of  about  $1,200.  It  has  some 
twenty  members,  under  the  pastorate  of  the 
Eev.  David  Williams.  A  good  Sunday 
school  is  kept  up  all  the  year.  The  church 
has  a  comfortable  hall  over  it,  which  is  used 
as  a  lodge  room  by  the  Masons  and  Odd  Fel- 
lows. The  church  erected  the  building,  and 
then  sold  the  upper  j)art  of  it  to  these  socie- 
ties for  a  meeting-place 

The  Masonic  Lodge,  which  is  known  as 
Greenland  Lodge,  No.  665,  A.,  F.  &  A.  M., 
was  moved  here  from  Greenland,  in  Fayette 
County,  under  a  dispensation  from  the  Grand 
Lodge,  on  account  of  this  being  a  more  fa- 
vorable location.  It  has  been  held  here  since 
the  completion  of  the  church  building.  It  is 
quite  a  flourishing  young  lodge,  and  at  pres- 
ent has  the  following  officers:  Ben  F.  Mark- 
land,  Master  ;  Orlando  Campbell,  Senior 
Warden;  William  H.  Anderson,  Junior  War- 
den; Thomas  D.  Tennery,  Treasiu-er;  James 
H.  Allsop,  Secretary;  Isaac  Tipsword,  Sen- 
ior Deacon;  John  F.  Wood,  Junior  Deacon; 
and  Thomas  R.  Dutton,  Tiler. 

Beecher  City  Lodge,  No.  690,  L  O.  O.  F., 
was  instituted  March  25,  1881,  by  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  Illinois.  The  first  officers  were: 
J.  W.  Hotz,  N.  G. ;  Azariah  Larimore,  V. 
G. ;  George  C.  Eads,  Secretary;  and  Albert 
Larimore,  Treasurer.  The  lodge  has  at  pres- 
ent twenty-four  members  in  good  standing, 
and  is  officered  as  follows :  George  C.  Eads, 
N.  G. :  George  W.  Brown,  V.  G. ;  Will  H. 
Richards,  Recording  Secretary;  John  Cook, 
Secretary;  and  Henry  Hunt,  Treasurer. 

This  comprises  a  history  of  the  beautiful 
and  flourishing  little  village  of  Beecher.  It 
has  an  intelligent  population,  and,  with  a 
continuation  of  the  energy  and  industry 
hitherto  evinced,  there  is  a  brilliant  future 
in  store  for  their  lovely  town.  Time,  pa- 
tience and  perseverance  will  waft  it  on  to 
wealth  and  prosperity. 


242 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER  XXIL* 


LUCAS   TOWNSHIP— INTRODUCTORY— TOPOGRAPHY    AND    BOUNDARIES— PIONEER    OCCUPATION- 
WHERE    THE   SETTLERS    CAME    FROM-THEIR   EARLY    LIFE  HERE-GROWTH    AND  IM- 
PROVEMENT   OF    THE    COUNTRY^— MILLS,    ETC.— EDUCATIONAL   FACILITIES— 
CHURCHES    AND    PREACHERS— VILLAGES,    ETC.,    ETC. 


"  All  the  world  "s  a  stage, 
Aud  all  the  men  and  women  merely  players. 
They  have  their  exits  and  their  entrances." 

— Shakespeare. 

FIFTY  years  ago  the  poi-tion  of  territory 
now  known  as  Lucas  Township  was  a 
wide,  unsettled  expanse,  wild  in  every  sense 
of  the  word,  inhabited  by  wild  men  and  in. 
fested  with  wild  beasts.  The  lands  now  oc- 
cupied by  fertile,  well-tilled  farms,  where  the 
cereals  and  luscious  fruits  of  all  varieties 
grow  in  abundance,  and  where  blooded  stock 
loll  and  graze,  were  less  than  thi'eescore  years 
ago  a  luxuriant  wilderness,  where  the  timid 
deer  fled  from  its  crouching  foe,  the  panther, 
only  to  be  pursued  by  that  gaunt  scoiu-ge  of 
the  prairie,  the  wolf.  Fields  now  jocund 
with  the  merry  song  of  the  happy  and  con- 
tented farmer  were  once  in  the  long  ago  lurid 
with  the  glare  of  the  red  man's  camp  fires  or 
made  hideous  by  the  discordant  yells  of  the 
savage  war-dance.  But  these  deep,  fertile, 
prairie  soils  held  abundant  food  for  civiliza- 
tion, and  needed  but  stout  hearts,  strong  wills 
and  sinewy  arms  to  develop  and  set  it  free. 
The  pioneers  at  length  came,  and  stout-heart- 
ed, strong-willed  and  heavy-armed  they  were, 
both  from  nature  and  necessity. 

Lucas  is  the  southeastern  township  of  the 
county  and  possesses  a  pleasant  diversity  of 
surface  and  soil.  Large  tracts  of  level  and 
undulating  prairie  occupy  the  central,  west- 
ern and  southern  portions,  which  form  a  strik- 

-Ht  r,.  N,  Tlcrry. 


ing  contrast  to  the  wooded  and  more  broken 
surface  that  lies  along  the  creeks  in  the  north 
and  east.  The  only  water- courses  of  any 
note  are  Kamsey's  Creek,  which  rises  in  Sec- 
tion 15  and  flows  in  a  westerly  direction 
through  the  central  part  of  the  township,  and 
Little  Bishop  Creek,  a  small  stream  that  has 
its  source  in  Section  3,  from  which  it  also 
takes  a  westerly  course .  These  streams  afl'ord 
an  excellent  system  of  drainage,  and  are  ne- 
cessities that  Qpuld  not  easily  be  dispensed 
with.  The  only  timber  in  the  township,  save 
a  few  scattering  groves,  is  found  skirting 
these  water-courses,  and  consists  mostly  of 
walnut,  ash,  hickory,  sycamore,  elm,  several 
varieties  of  oak  and  a  dense  growth  of  hazel 
and  other  undergrowths  in  the  districts  from 
which  the  larger  trees  have  been  removed. 

Fifty  years  have  served  to  change  the  ap- 
pearance of  these  wooded  tracts,  the  greater 
part  of  the  timber  having  been  cut  and  sawed 
into  lumber  by  the  first  settlers.  The  atten- 
tion of  the  farmer  has  of  late  years  been 
called  to  the  necessity  of  supplying  himself 
with  timber,  as  the  native  growths  have  dis- 
appeared, and  artificial  groves  have  been  set 
out  in  different  parts  of  the  township.  The 
soil  of  this  section  is  a  strong,  deep  loam, 
with  a  slight  mixture  of  sand  in  some  places 
and  clay  in  the  more  elevated  wooded  por- 
tions. 

Lucas  is  noted  chiefly  for  its  agricultui-al 
excellence,  and  hence  was  eagerly  sought  by 
the  earlv  settlers.       Taken   as  a  whole,  its 


\ 


•Ai 


r 


^^-^n^ 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


245 


territory  presents  as  fine  a  tract  of  farm  land 
as  there  is  to  be  found  in  the  county.  As  a 
wheat  district,  it  is  probably  unexcelled,  the 
peculiar  nature  of  the  soil  being  adapted  to 
that  cereal,  though  corn  and  all  other  grain 
crops  are  raised  in  abundance.  The  culture 
of  fruit,  also,  has,  of  late  years,  received  a 
great  deal  of  attention  from  the  farmers. 
The  boimdaries  of  Lucas  are  St.  Francis 
Township  on  the  north,  Union  Township  on 
the  west.  Clay  County  on  the  south  and  Jas- 
per County  on  the  east. 

William  Morris  is  believed  to  have  been 
the  first  permanent  settler  within  the  present 
limits  of  Lucas  Township.  The  date  of  his 
arrival  is  fixed  at  the  year  1830,  thotigh  not 
given  as  definite.  It  is  not  known  from  what 
State  he  came,  nor  how  long  he  remained  a 
resident  of  the  township.  He  settled  on  Sec- 
tion 18,  and  the  place  is  known  as  Morris' 
field,  and  is  at  present  owned  by  N.  T.  Cat- 
terlin  Several  transient  settlers  came  into 
the  counfry  about  the  time  Morris  made  his 
appearance,  erected  a  few  temporary  shanties 
along  Lucas  and  Bishop  Creeks,  where  they 
lived  for  a  year  or  so,  when,  becoming  dis- 
satisfied with  the  country  on  account  of  the 
prevalence  of  ague  and  fever,  they  harvested 
their  little  crops  and  departed  for  other  lo- 
calities. The  next  actual  settler  of  whom  we 
have  any  knowledge  was  a  man  named  Mar- 
ion, who  came  from  Kentucky,  and  entered  a 
piece  of  land  lying  in  Section  17,  near  Lucas 
Creek,  in  the  year  1831,  where  he  improved 
about  twenty  acres  in  the  timber.  He  was  a 
true  type  of  the  pioneer,  rugged,  strong  as  a 
Here  ales,  and  generous  to  a  fault.  The 
greater  portion  of  his  time  was  spent  in  hunt 
ing,  in  which  he  was  a  great  expert  and 
which  he  loved  as  he  loved  his  life.  For 
twenty  years  Marion  lived  where  he  first  set- 
tled, and  accumulated  during  that  time  a  fine 
body  of  land,  which  was  brought  to  a  suc- 


cessful state  of  cultivation,  chiefly  by  the  la- 
bors of  his  two  sons,  "  Wash  "  and  Daniel. 
He  died  in  the  year  1849  at  a  good  old  age. 

In  the  year  1831.  Presley  Funkhoiiser  i-ame 
into  this  part  of  the  county  and  made  a  tem- 
porary settlement  in  the  timber  on  Lucas 
Creek,  about  one  mile  west  of  Waymack  Mer- 
ry's farm.  Ho  remained  here  but  one  or  two 
years,  and  made  no  permanent  improvements, 
nor  does  it  appear  that  he  made  any  entry  of 
land.  From  this  place  he  went  into  Jackson 
Township,  and  as  the  country  grew  older  be- 
came a  very  prominent  citizen,  and  seems  to 
have  been  publicly  identified  with  much  of 
the  county's  development.  A  son  lives  in 
the  city  of  Effingham  and  is  one  of  the  load- 
ing merchants  of  that  place. 

No  other  settlements  were  made  here  until 
about  the  year  1840,  when  James  Holt  and 
Thomas  Stroud  made  improvements  near  the 
same  place  where  the  first-named  parties  lo- 
cated. Holt  came  from  Indiana  and  made 
his  first  entry  of  land  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  township,  in  Section  4;  he  improved  the 
place  here  and  occupied  it  for  about  twenty 
years,  when  he  sold  out  and  purchased  land 
in  Union  Township,  where  he  still  lives. 
Stroud  located  his  home  in  Section  4,  also, 
and  occupied  it  about  twelve  years,  when  he 
sold  to  Joseph  Barkley.  The  place  is  owned 
at  present  by  Uriah. 

The  spring  of  1845  saw  the  following  per- 
sons, in  addition  to  those  mentioned,  located 
in  Lucas  as  permanent  settlers:  James  Bon- 
nifield,  Elijah  Poynter,  Smith  Elliott  and 
George  Barkley.  The  first  named  located  in 
Section  17,  where  he  improved  about  twenty 
acres  of  laud,  which  he  sold  about  one  year 
later  to  Edward  Sanderson,  and,  with  his 
family,  moved  to  Indiana.  Sanderson  re- 
mained in  the  place  about  eight  years,  when 
he  disposed  of  it  to  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Russ,  the  present  owner.      Poynter  came  from 

N 


246 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


Kentucky  and  settled  in  the  timber  near  the 
creek,  but  did  not  enter  the  hind.  He  sold 
his  improvements  to  a  man  named  Marion, 
and  moved  near  the  central  part  of  the  town- 
ship, where  he  lived  until  his  death,  about 
teo  years  ago.  Mr.  Poynter  was  a  man  of 
unblemished  character  and  a  substantia]  citi- 
zen. A  son,  W.  H.  Poynter,  is  the  present 
Treasm'er  of  the  township.  Elliott  settled 
south  of  the  villaoje  of  Elliottstown,  about 
one  mile,  and  entered  land  in  Section  5, 
where  he  resided  until  the  year  1854,  when 
his  death  occurred.  Mr.  Elliott  was  a  man 
of  much  more  than  ordinary  intelligence  and 
a  sincere  Christian.  Though  dead,  he  still 
lives  in  the  influence  which  he  formerly  ex- 
erted upon  the  community  he  was  instru- 
mental in  founding.  Daniel  Merry,  brother 
of  Waymack  Merry,  was  a  prominent  settler 
of  Lucas,  having  come  here  when  the  pioneer 
cabins  were  few  and  far  between.  Mr.  Merry 
came  from  Bond  County,  but  was  originally 
from  Kentucky.  He  entered  land  in  Section 
17,  which  is  now  owned  by  his  sons,  John 
and  George  Merry.  George  Barkley  was  an 
old  settler  also,  and  the  first  blacksmith  to 
work  at  his  trade  in  the  township.  He  set- 
tled in  Section  5,  where  he  improved  land, 
and  in  addition  to  his  farming  carried  on  a 
blacksmith  shop  for  a  number  of  years.  At 
the  first  election  for  Justice  of  the  Peace,  the 
honors  of  the  office  fell  to  him,  a  position  he 
filled  accej)tably  for  several  consecutive  terms. 
Among  other  settlers  who  came  here  in  an 
early  day  may  be  mentioned  W.  C.  Davis, 
William  and  Henry  Lake,  John  L.  Baty, 
Waymack  Merry,  Isaac  McBroom, Til- 
ton  and  a  man  named  French.  Davis  came  to 
the  township  about  18^6,  and  settled  on  land 
then  owned  by  the  Highland  Companyj  in 
Section  18.  The  Lake  brothers  came  here 
from  Clark  County,  about  the  same  time,  al- 
though the  land  on  which  they  settled  had 


been  entered  in  their  names  several  years 
before.  Baty  located  in  Section  6,  where  he 
lived  until  about  sis  years  ago.  Merry  en- 
tered the  laud  where  Elijah  Poynter  first  set- 
tled, and  is  at  present  engaged  in  business  at 
Elliottstown.  McBroom  carce  from  Indiana 
and  settled  where  Joseph  Lidy  now  lives,  in 
Section  4,  about  the  year  1845  or  1846. 
French  made  a  temporary  settlement  in  the 
northern  pari  of  the  townshij)  at  a  very  early 
day,  and  improved  a  few  acres  of  ground, 
which  were  afterward  pm-chased  by  Tilton. 
The  last  named  was  the  first  physician  in  this 
part  of  the  county  and  practiced  his  profes- 
sion for  several  yeai's  among  the  sparse  set- 
tlements of  Lucas  and  adjoining  townships. 
The  pioneers  of  Lucas  found  no  royal 
highway  to  affluence,  but,  like  all  settlers  in 
a  new  country,  had  to  brave  many  formidable 
obstacles,  encounter  many  difficulties  and  ex- 
perience many  hardsuif>s,  which  would  ajjpall 
their  descendants  whose  lives  have  fallen  in 
more  pleasant  places.  The  nearest  markets 
where  groceries,  dry  goods  and  other  com- 
modities could  be  obtained  were  Greenville, 
Terre  Haute  and  St.  Louis,  and  to  reach  any 
of  these  places,  a  long  journey  of  several  days 
was  required,  oftentimes  a  week  or  longer 
were  consumed  in  the  trip,  if  the  weather 
proved  wet,  as  the  prairies  at  that  time  were 
almost  impassable,  owing  to  their  muddy 
condition.  The  first  plowing  of  the  settlers 
was  done  by  night,  on  account  of  the  flies, 
which  were  so  numerous  on  the  prairies,  and 
which  rendered  the  stock  almost  frantic.  Dr. 
Field  says  that  in  crossing  the  prairies  a 
man  would  have  to  keep  his  horse  on  a  dead 
run  in  order  to  leave  tlie  swarms  of  flies  be- 
hind; that  if  they  once  lighted  upon  the  horse 
he  became  unmanageable,  and  would  in  a 
shol't  time  lie  down  in  agony  and  roll  over 
and  over  to  rid  himself  of  his  tormenters. 
From  this  and  other  causes,  but  small  crops 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINOnA.M  COUNTY. 


247 


were  raised  during  the  early  years  of  the 
country's  settJement.  Corn  was  the  most 
practical  crop;  the  early  families  iu  fact  had 
to  subsist  in  the  main  upon  this  product  va- 
riously prepared,  and  to  which  they  added 
deer,  turkey,  prairie  chickens  and  other  game 
that  thronged  the  woods  and  prairies,  lish 
that  filled  the  streams  and  honey  that  was 
obtained  in  large  quantities  from  hollow 
trees  in  the  forests. 

The  first  mill  patronized  by  the  pioneers  of 
Lucas  was  the  small  horse-mill  that  stood  in 
Bishop  Township,  a  little  north  of  Elliotts- 
town,  and  operated  by  a  Mr.  Armstrong. 
White's  Mill,  at  Bishop's  Point,  was  also  ex- 
tensively patronized  by  farmers  of  this  sec- 
tion until  better  machinery  was  put  in  opera- 
tion at  Teutopolis.  The  nearest  mill  at  pres- 
ent is  the  one  at  Georgetown,  in  Clay  County, 
a  distance  of  about  fifteen  miles. 

It  has  been  asserted,  and  wisely  so,  that 
the  avenues  of  communication  are  an  un- 
doubted evidence  of  the  state  of  society. 
Savages  have  no  roads  because  they  need 
none.  The  Indian  trails  through  Lucas  were 
the  marks  by  which  the  fii-st  highways  were 
run.  As  time  passed,  the  old  routes  were 
'  changed,  and  the  roads  properly  established. 
The  first  thoroughfare  through  tliis  township 
was  known  as  the  Teutopolis  road,  and  ran 
almost  parallel  to  the  eastern  boundary  for 
several  miles,  when  it  angled  toward  the 
southeast.  The  original  course  has  been 
greatly  changed,  the  road  improved,  until 
now  it  is  one  of  the  most  extensively  traveled 
and  best  highways  in  the  soiithern  part  of  the 
county.  Another  early  road  run  through  the 
northern  part  of  the  township,  from  east  to 
west,  and  is  known  as  the  Doutliard  road. 
A  road  leading  from  EUiottstown  south 
through  Lucas  was  laid  out  and  improved  in 
an  early  day,  but  was  not  legally  established 
until  a  few  years  ago.     The  greater  number 


of  highways  which  traverse  the  township  in 
all  directions  have  been  established  in  recent 
years,  and  the  majority  of  them  are  well  im- 
proved and  in  good  condition.  Like  the 
thoroughfares  in  all  parts  of  Central  and 
Southern  Illinois  these  roads  during  certain 
seasons  of  the  year  became  well-nigh  impass- 
able on  account  of  the  mud,  but  the  porous 
nature  of  the  soil  is  such  as  to  cause  this 
mud  to  diy  up  rapidly,  and  within  a  com- 
paratively short  time  after  the  frost  leaves 
the  ground. 

The  first  marriage  that  took  place  in  Lucas 
was  solemnized  in  the  fall  of  1846,  the  con- 
tracting parties  being  Jesse  Marion,  son  of 
Richard  Marion,  and  a  Miss  Greenwood. 
The  first  death  occurred  about  the  same  tinje, 
but  the  name  of  the  person  was  not  learned. 

In  the  early  settlement  of  the  county  one 
of  the  greatest  disadvantages  under  which 
the  pioneer  labored  was  the  almost  entire  ab- 
sence of  facilities  for  the  education  of  his 
children.  When  the  question  of  keeping  soul 
and  body  together  had  once  been  solved,  the 
settler's  attention  was  turned  to  the  necessity 
of  schools  and  means  of  supplying  the  want 
earnestly  sought,  and  bitildings  for  the  j)ur- 
pose  were  erected.  The  first  school  iu  the 
tovmship  was  taught  by  Dr.  Field  in  a  little 
rude  cabin  that  formerly  stood  on  Section  5, 
and  was  for  a  term  of  three  months.  He 
appeal's  to  have  given  universal  satisfaction, 
as  he  was  at  that  time  in  the  vigor  of  man- 
hood, and  could  strike  a  blow  that  never 
failed  to  bring  the  most  reckless  pupil  to 
speedy  terms — main  strength  being  in  those 
days  a  requisite  qualification  in  a  teacher. 
The  school  generally  commenced  as  early  in 
the  morning  as  teacher  and  scholars  could 
get  to  their  work,  and  closed  when  the  sun 
went  down.  The  second  school  was  taught 
by  James  Gibs9n,  about  the  year  1850,  in 
the  same  building.     The  second  house  erected 


248 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


especially  for  school  purposes  was  situated  in 
Section  IS,  and  was  a  small  improvement  on 
the  one  first  mentioned,  having  been  better 
finished  and  furnished.  It  was  first  used  by 
John  Hanly,  who  taught  a  three  months' 
term  in  the  year  1853.  The  first  public 
school  in  the  township  was  taught  by  Eliza- 
beth Taylor  about  1857.  A  frame  house  was 
erected  in  1858  by  H«nry  Kershner,  and 
stood  in  the  northern  part  of  the  township. 
The  first  teacher  who  occupied  it  was  Henry 
Russ.  There  are  now  five  district  schools 
taught  anniially  in  as  many  good  frame 
houses,  and  last  from  six  to  nine  months  of 
the  year.  During  the  school  year  of  1881-82, 
there  was  paid  for  tuition  the  sum  of  $800. 
The  township  board  is  composed  of  the  fol- 
lowing gentlemen:  Noah  Merry,  Matthew 
McMurry  and  W.  H.  Poynter. 

The  old  story  of  the  Cross  will  ever  be  new 
from  its  first  annunciation  to  the  shepherds 
of  Judea  by  the  angelic  choir  that  sung. 
"  peace  on  earth,  good  will  to  men, "  down 
through  the  ages  to  the  present  it  has  been  a 
consolation  and  solace  to  the  millions  who 
have  yielded  to  its  gentle  influences.  It  was 
first  told  in  this  township  by  Rev.  George 
Monical,  who  conducted  religious  services  at 
the  residence  of  Edward  Sanderson  as  early 
as  the  year  1846.  He  was  a  Methodist 
preacher,  and  had  charge  of  a  chui'ch  at  that 
time  in  Georgetown,  Clay  County.  Alexan- 
der Ortrey  was  an  early  minister  of  the  town- 
ship, also,  and  held  public  worship  for  sev- 
eral years  at  the  private  residences  of  Daniel 
Merry  and  Edward  Sanderson,  both  of  whom 
were  zealous  Methodists  and  sincere  Chris- 
tians. These  meetings  were  largely  attended 
by  the  early  settlers,  who  often  came  to  them 
for  several  miles,  and  were  the  means  of  ac- 
complishing a  great  amount  of  good  in  that 
community.  The  first  church  was  organized 
at  the  residence  of  Edward  Sanderson,  about 


the  year  1850,  and  for  several  years  his  house 
was  the  only  preaching  place.  The  organi- 
zation was  afterward  moved  to  a  neighboring 
schoolhouse,  where  public  worship  was  held 
until  the  year  1866,  at  which  time  stops  were 
taken  to  erect  a  more  convenient  structure,  in 
keeping  with  the  growth  of  the  congregation. 
A  log  bouse  was  accordingly  erected  that 
year,  and  has  served  the  purpose  of  a  meet- 
ing-house ever  since.  The  chm-ch  is  not  in 
a  very  floiu-ishing  condition  at  present,  there 
being  but  fifteen  or  twenty  names  on  the  rec- 
ords, though  at  one  time  the  congregation 
was  very  strong,  and  numbered  among  its 
members  many  of  the  best  and  most  substan- 
tial citizens  of  the  township. 

Tlie  Lutherans  have  a  strong  organization 
near  the  village  of  Winterrowd,  and  own  in 
connection  with  their  house  of  worship  about 
twenty  acres  of  land.  Their  building  is  a 
substantial  frame  edifice,  and  the  membership 
will  number  probably  sixty. 

The  Missionary  Baptist  Church  at  Elliotts- 
town  was  organized  in  this  township  at  the 
residence  of  Smith  Elliott  and  afterward 
moved  to  that  village;  its  history  will  be 
found  in  the  chapter  devoted  to  Bishop 
Township  and  Elliottstown.  A  small  Pres- 
byterian Church  was  in  existence  at  one  time 
in  the  town  of  Winterrowd,  but  was  short- 
lived, having  been  disbanded  after  their  pas- 
tor's death  occuiTed,  several  years  ago.  There 
is,  in  addition  to  those  already  enumerated,  a 
church  organization  in  the  northeastern  part 
of  the  township,  but  of  its  history  nothing 
definite  was  ascertained.  The  little  hamlet 
of  Winterrowd,  scarcely  aspiring  to  the  dig- 
nity of  a  village,  is  situated  in  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  township,  and  consists  merely 
of  a  store,  post  office,  blacksmith  shop,  an  un- 
finished church  building  and  some  ten  or  a 
dozen  residences.  It  was  surveyed  and  laid 
out  in  the  year  1863  by  Washington  Winter- 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


249 


rowd,  on  ground  that  had  formerly  belonged 
to  Thomas  Scott.  The  only  store  in  the  place 
i8  carried  on  by  James  McCorkle,  who  keeps 
a  very  fair  stock  of  miscellaneous  merchan- 
dise and  does  quite  an  extensive  business  for 
so  small  a  place;  he  also  keeps  the  post  ofBce 
in  his  establishment,  where  the  citizens  of 
the  surrounding  country  get  their  mail  daily. 
The  physician  of  the  village — Dr.  Jayne — 
has  a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  The 
manufacturing  interest  of  the  place  is  repre- 
sented by  the  blacksmith  and  wagon  shop  of 
Joseph  Goslawn.  There  is  one  church  build- 
ing partially  completed,  where  the  Methodists 
hold  services  occasionally,  though  they  have 
no  regularly  organized  society. 

The  Eberle  Post  Office  was  established  in 
the  year  1867,  and  Dr.  Allen  appointed  as 
Postmaster;  it  is  now  kept  by  W.  H.  Poynter, 
at  his  residence  in  the  sonthwestern  part  of 
the  township. 

Lucas  is  the  only  Republican  township  in 
this  strong  Democratic  county,  and  generally 
gives  that  ticket  majorities  ranging  from 
forty  to  sixty  at  important  elections.  At  an 
election  held  in  the  year  1863,  one  Demo- 
cratic vote  was  cast,  a  fact  so  seldom  heard 
of  that  we  venture  to  give  the  lonesome  voter's 
name.  Mr.  Baty  will  pardon  us  for  making 
mention  of  him  in  this  public  manner. 

Perhaps  but  few  sections  in  the  State  mani- 
fested their  loyalty  during  the  great  rebellion 
in  a  more  substantial  manner  than  did  Lucas 
Township.      The  alarm  of   war   and   the  cry 


that  the  country  was  in  danger  was  but  ut- 
tered when  brave  and  true  men  were  seen  fly- 
ing to  the  nearest  recruiting  office  to  proffer 
their  services,  and  lives,  if  need  be,  in  defense 
of  the  Union  they  had  been  taught  to  love. 
The  idea  that  75,000  could  crush  the  rebell- 
ion in  three  months  was  soon  found  to  be  a 
very  grave  mistake,  and  no  locality  seemed 
more  fully  to  realize  this  fact.  Almost  every 
man,  whether  able-bodied  or  otherwise,  was 
inspired  with  the  idea  that  his  services  were 
needed  by  the  Government  for  this  trying 
occasion.  Farmers  left  their  plows,  work- 
men their  shops  and  hurried  to  the  front  to 
assist  in  the  great  struggle  that  was  to  decide 
the  nation's  existence.  The  following  list 
comprises  the  brave  boys  who  donned  the  blue 
diu'ing  the  dark  days  of  war: 

Ner  Stroud,  S.  J.  Stroud,  N.  S.  Stroud,  E 
J.  Stroud,  J.  P.  Barkly,  Henry  Barkly,  A.  L. 
Elliott,  G.  S.  Elliott,  Waymack  Merry,  J.  R. 
Merry,  Fred  Merry,  Mack  D.  Men-y,  G.  W. 
Merry,  J.  T.  Poynter,  George  Adamson,  J. 
A.  Evans,  Henry  Lake,  W.  P.  Halloway,  D. 
H.  Halloway,  Marshall  Lown,  Manassah 
Jones,  Benjamin  Cox,  Henry  Evans,  Andrew 
Dunn,  T.  J.  Dunn,  W.  C.  Baty,  Robert  Baty. 

Those  of  the  above  number  who  went  but 
never  returned — who  laid  dovm  their  lives  to 
uphold  the  honor  of  an  insulted  flag  will  al- 
ways be  remembered.  May  the  mold  which 
covers  their  inanimate  forms  never  again  be 
disturbed  by  the  tramp  of  soldier  nor  the 
iron  hoof  of  war-horse. 


giff^ 


250 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


CHAPTEE    XXIIL* 


TEUTOPOLIS  TOWNSHIP-ITS   DESCRIPTION  AND    FORMATInN_ToPOGRAPHY-THE  PRAIRIE   -VND 

TIMBER  SOILS— GERMAN  EMKiRANTS-VILLAGE  OF  TEUT0P(^LIS— THE    GERMAN  COLONY 

-GROWTH    OF    THE    VILLAGE-SCHOOLS  -  ST.    JOSEPH'S    COLLEGE-SISTERS    OF 

NOTRE  DAME— THE  CHURCH— VILLAGE  INCORPORATION  AND  OFFICERS. 


"  O  Spreclit!  warum  zogt  ihr  von  dannen? 

Das  Ncckarthal  hat  Weiii  und  Koru; 
Der  Schwarzwald  steht  vol!  finstrcr  Tannen, 
Im  Spessart  Klingt  des  Alplers  Horn." 

The  Gekmam  Emighant. 
n^ETJTOPOLIS  is  not  a  full  Congressional 
-*-  township,  but  a  part  of  the  Congressional 
township  of  Douglas.  In  the  year  1862,  a 
strip  of  the  east  half  of  Douglas  was  cut  ofi, 
being  from  east  to  west  three  miles,  from 
south  to  north  six  miles,  and  it  is  designated 
as  Town  8  north,  Range  6  east,  of  the  Third 
Principal  Meridian.  The  name  was  derived 
from  the  village  of  Teutopolis,  which  is  situ- 
ated in  the  eastern  part  of  the  township. 

The  history  of  the  formation  of  Teutopolis 
into  a  township  is  as  follows:  During  the 
late  war,  this  part  of  the  old  township  had 
furnished  a  large  number  of  volunteers  for 
the  army,  and,  as  the  Government  was  making 
a  draft  for  soldiers,  a  just  credit  could  not  be 
given  to  this  section,  unless  they  were  di- 
vided from  the  old  township.  Proper  steps 
were  taken  for  a  change,  and  a  new  town- 
ship was  created.  Another  reason  for  the 
separation  was,  that  this  part  of  the  township 
had  a  voting  precinct,  and  when  the  county 
adopted  township  organization  the  voting 
precinct  was  set  aside,  all  voters  being  re- 
quired to  go  to  Effingham,  a  distance  of  four 
miles,  to  vote.  This  was  put  forth  as  strong 
ground  for  a  new  township,  which  would  give 
the  people  a  voting  place  nearer  home.  Af- 
ter the  township  was  set  off,  a  proper  dietri- 

•  By  Charlea  KreramanQ. 


!  bution  of  volunteers  was    made,  and   it  was 
j  found  that  the  new  township  had  more  volun- 
j  teers  than  its  ratio  of  draft  called  for,  and 
hence  no  draft  was  made  here. 

Teutopolis  Township  is  bounded  on  the 
east  by  St.  Francis,  on  the  south  by  Watson, 
on  the  west  and  north  by  Douglas,  and  has 
eleven  thousand  five  hundi-ed  and  twenty 
acres;  of  this  area  about  five  thousand  acres 
is  timber  land,  running  in  a  belt  through 
the  township,  and  is  composed  of  white  oak, 
ash,  walnut,  hickory,  elm,  burr  oak,  black 
oak,  pin  oak,  Cottonwood,  etc.  The  land, 
when  cleared,  is  unexcelled  for  farming  pivr- 
poses.  The  soil  is  of  a  more  durable  nature 
than  the  prairie  land,  and  many  fine  farms 
have  been  made  by  some  of  the  tii-st  settlers. 
Most  of  them  settled  in  the  timber  under  the 
impression  that  prairie  land  could  not  be 
cultivated,  and  that  it  would  not  produce 
crops.  Through  this  belt  of  timber,  two 
streams  run — Salt  Creek  enters  the  township 
about  a  half  mile  north  of  the  National  road 
and  flows  west  some  three  miles,  thence  south 
for  about  one  mile,  where  it  passes  into  Doug- 
las Township;  Willow  Creek  enters  the 
township  at  the  northeast  part,  and  runs  in  a 
southwestern  direction  to  the  center,  where 
it  empties  into  Salt  Creek.  There  are  a 
number  of  other  small  streams  which  serve 
as  a  drainage  to  the  low  lands. 

The  i^rairie  land  is  of  a  rolling  nature,  and 
its  soil  is  of  a  deep  black.  In  the  year  1847, 
the    settlers    commenced    to    cultivate    the 


HISTORY  or  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


251 


prairie  land  and  adjacent  to  the  timber. 
Most  of  the  prairie  is  now  under  cultivation, 
and  farms  can  be  made  at  much  less  expense 
than  in  the  timber.  The  prairie  laud  is  well 
adapted  to  raising  wheat,  oats,  corn,  barley. 
The  average  yield  of  corn  is  forty-five  bush 
els  to  the  acre;  of  wheat,  about  fifteen  bush- 
els, and  oats,  thirty-five  bushels.  The  average 
price  paid  for  this  land  hj  the  early  settlers 
was  SI. 25  per  acre.  The  price  has  steadily 
increased  to  $35  'per  acre.  More  or  less  of 
the  land  is  swamp,  very  low  and  wet,  but  of 
later  years  it  has  been  reclaimed  by  a  system 
of  drains;  when  drained,  which  can  easily 
be  done,  it  produces  better  crops  than  the 
high  land,  and  is  equal  to  the  timber  soil. 

The  village  of  Teutopolis  is  situated  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  township  upon 
Sections  13  and  14.  In  tho  year 
1S37,  it  was  laid  out  and  incorporated, 
February  27,  1845,  a  company  was  formed 
by  Germans  at  Cincinnati,  consisting  of  the 
following  members:  Bernard  Arusen,  Henry 
Art,  B.  H.  Brockmann,  Joseph  Bussmann, 
John  F.  Boving,  Joseph  Bockmann,  Frantz 
Brinkmann,  J.  H.  Buddeke,  Joseph  Beans, 
J.  H.  Bergfeld,  Franz  Borgmann,  G.  H. 
Berg  f eld,  J.  H.  Brummer,  Joseph  Brock- 
mann, Franz  Betentom,  John  Berus,  Joseph 
Brockamp,  J.  H.  Baving,  B.  N.  Deters,  G. 
N.    Deters,    H.    Determann,   John    Frilling, 

F.  Frommeyer,  Joseph  Feldhake,  Joseph 
Frey,  J.  M.  Goos,  R.  Grobmeyer.  H.  Grob- 
meyer,  J.  H.  Grunkemoyer,  Anna  Mary  Hille, 

G.  H.  Hahnhorst,  B.  H.  Hille,  Anton  Hos- 
mann,  J.  H.  Hille,  C.  HuUe,  D.  Hahuhorst, 
Henry  Hursmann,  H.  H.  Hardmann,  H.  A. 
Hollfogt,  Henry  Hackmann,  J.  W.  Humler, 
Henry  Imwaldo,  J.  H.  Imbush,  B.  lukrot. 
B.  Jonning.  Henry  Kempker,  Franz  Kramer, 
J.  H.  Kabbes,  Arnold  Kreke,  Joseph  Keyser, 
Joseph  Krieg,  Henry  Renter,  John  G.  Korf- 
hagen,   Joseph   Klein,   Allert  Kunen,   J.   H. 


Klone,  John  Kark,  Joseph  Kemppe,  B. 
Sohub,  B.  Kriog,  N^Lugers^  G.  Lugers,  H. 
Losekamp,  Franz  Meyer,  Joseph  Mesch,  F. 
Nacke,  Joseph  Moritz,  C.  Moritz,  G.  Meyer, 
Franz  Meyer,  J.  H.  Mindruj),  Joseph  Met- 
ten,  Joseph  Meyer,  C.  Meyer,  J.  H.  Newhans, 
B.  Nurre.  Joseph  Ostendorf,  F.  H.  Pudhoff,  J. 
H.  Plaspohl,  Elizabeth  Pudick,  William 
Pirbach,  F.  Rumpling.  C.  Rabe,  William 
Ruckener,  J.  II.  Runobaum,  C.  Rnckoner, 
William  Rolfer,  H.  H.  Rehkamp,  G.  Rocken, 
J.  H.  Renscher,  H.  H.  Rickelmann,  B. 
Riesenbeck,  J.  H.  Rabe,  Joseph  Rabe,  R. 
Schutte,  Joseph  Stukenborg,  G.  Schutte, 
Joseph  Schwegmann,  Christine  Schonhoff, 
J.  H.  Schurbesk,  Henry  Shmidt,  David 
Springmeyor,  Anton  Sudbeck,  Casper  Schwe- 
deck,  J.  G.  SchelmoUer,  C.  Sleper,  Franz 
S  leper,  Henry  Stolteben,  C.  G.  Sander,  Franz 
Schriver,  Theodor  Thies,  John  Wessel  Tobe, 
Peter  Thole,  B.  Tangemann,  Anton  Thole,  D. 
Thole,  Allert  Volking.  W.  Uthell,  J.  H. 
Uptmor,  H.  H.  Uptmor,  C.  Uptmor,  Mary 
Ann  Uptmor,  B.  Verweck,  G.  Venemann, 
Anton  Venemaun,  Otto  Voske,  Joseph  Vene- 
mann, Theodore  Venemann,  J.  H.  Vormor, 
Casper  Waschefort,  John  F.  Waschefort, 
Joseph  Weloge,  Josej)h  Westendorf,  H  H. 
Wempe,  G.  Windhaus,  H.  H.  Wernsing, 
Anton  Zumbrick,  Herman  Zerhusen,  Bar- 
nard Zerhusen,  Hemy  Zerhusen. 

The  members  had  to  pay  1 10  each  month 
until  the  sum  of  $10,000  was  accumulated. 
A  committee  was  appointed,  consisting  of 
Clem  Uptmor,  John  F.  Waschefort  and  G. 
H.  Bergfeld,  who  were  appointed  to  look  out 
for  a  suitable  locality.  And  on  the  17th  day 
of  April,  1837,  they  started  upon  their 
mission.  After  making  a  tramp  through 
Indiana,  they  came  to  Illinois,  traveled  over 
a  considerable  portion  of  the  State,  and 
finally  selected  this  place.  After  they 
returned   and  made  their  report,   they  were 


252 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


instructed  to  buy  the  land.  The  committee 
had  to  guard  against  sharpers,  who  ondeav 
ored  to  find  out  where  the  land  was  to  be 
bought,  thus  desiring  to  get  ahead  of  them, 
buy  the  land  and  make  them  pay  a  profit  on 
it.  But  by  the  shrewd  management  of  Mr. 
C.  Uptmor,  who  cautioned  all  those  present 
in  the  meeting  not  to  say  a  word  as  to  the 
place  of  their  selection,  thereby  completely 
outwitting  the  sharpers.  Sixteen  thousand 
dollars  was  the  sum  they  had  with  them  for 
this  entry,  ten  thousand  acres,  paying  for  it 
$1.25  per  acre,  except  eighty  acres  in  the 
town,  for  which  they  had  to  pay  $400.  Upon 
their  return,  the  land  was  laid  off  to  each 
shareholder — a  share  being  $50.  Each 
member  who  had  paid  $50,  and  $10 
for  expenses,  was  entitled  to  forty  acres  and 
fom*  lots  in  the  village.  There  were  one 
hundred  and  forty-two  who  onh'  had  one 
share  of  $50.  and  fifty-two  who  had  two 
shares  in  addition  to  the  one.  The  destribu- 
tion  was  made  by  lottery.  The  total  expense 
of  this  committee  was  not  quite  $400. 

All  the  deeds  were  made  by  J.  F.  Wasche- 
fort  to  the  members  and  the  plot  of  the 
village  was  made  in  Cincinnati.  The  main 
street  is  on  the  old  National  road  and  is 
eighty  feet  in  width,  all  other  streets  running 
with  the  main  streets  are  sixty  feet,  as  well 
as  the  cross  streets.  Blocks  were  forty-eight 
in  number,  and  each  block  had  nine  lots  of 
fifty  feet  front  and  five  hundred  and  thirty- 
three  feet  in  depth.  Outside  of  these  blocks 
are  lots  called  garden  lots  and  are  of  two 
acres  each.  This  plat  was  recorded  in  the 
year  18:^8.  About  one-third  of  the  village 
lie.s  in  the  timber,  and  the  land  is  of  a  rolling 
nature. 

In  the  year  of  1838,  J.  H.  Uptmor,  Henry 
Vormor,  G.  H.  Bergfeld  Niemann,  Joseph 
Bockmann  located  here  and  were  the  first  set- 
tlers.    They  came  here  in  the  fall,  and  in  the 


following  spring  Mr.  C.  Uptmor  came  out. 
The  first  house  sold  was  by  J.  H.  Uptmor 
to  his  brother  Clemens,  and  the  price  paid 
was  $5.  Mr.  C.  Uptmor  settled  in  the  town 
but  the  others  settled  upon  the  land  and 
commenced  farming. 

The  early  settlers  emigrated  by  wagon  or 
by  water;  the  most  practical  route  then  was 
by  water  from  Cincinnati  to  St.  Louis,  Mo. , 
thence  by  wagon,  it  being  only  one  hundred 
miles  from  St.  Louis  here.  C.  Uptmor 
made  the  trip  twice  on  foot.  Others  came 
by  stage.  Some  of  the  early  settlers  came 
directly  from  the  old  country  by  the  way  of 
New  Orleans.  They  found  it  very  hard  to 
make  a  start.  Teams  were  difficult  to  get. 
Horses  were  not  thought  of.  The  first  horse 
was  owned  by  J.  Bockmann,  and  often  he 
might  be  seen  with'one  ox  and  horse  hitched 
to  a  roller  wagon,  going  to  mill.  Plows 
were'made  of  wood,  all  except  a  small  strip 
of  iron  put  in  front  in  place  of  share.  Wag- 
ons were  made '  from  ends  of  logs  cut  off 
about  six  inches  thick,  as  wheels,  and  with- 
out iron.  Poultry  had  to  be  got  in  Marshall, 
some  forty  miles  distant.  Some  of  our  early 
settlers  got  chickens  from  a  place  called 
Spring  Point,  east  of  here  about  fifteen 
miles,  and  had  to  carry  them  on  their  back, 
and  when  they  came  with  them  they  pre- 
sented a  fine  spectacle.  All  provisions  and 
groceries  had  to  be  hauled  in  wagons  from 
St.  Louis.  Mr.  C.  Uptmor,  in  the  year  1839, 
started  a  small  store;  $50  was  his  invoice, 
and  it  is  now  often  related  that  at  that  time 
this  small  stock  was  looked  upon  as  greater 
than  our  first-class  stores  are  at  the  present 
time.  The  nearest  mill  was  at  Newton,  111., 
a  distance  of  twenty- one  miles.  Often  the 
road  was  so  bad  that  the  jjeople  could  not 
get  to  mill  by  wagon  (such  as  they  had)  and 
woiild  go  on  foot  and  carry  their  grist  on 
their  back.     When  out  of  meal,   they  would 


HISTORY  or  EFFINGHAM  OOUKTY. 


253 


crack  corn  with  a  hammer  and  make  bread 
of  it.  But  in  the  year  1842  Mr.  C.  Uptmor 
and  his  brother,  H.  Ujitmor,  built  a  fom-  arm 
windmill.  This  mill  had  only  one  pair 
buhrs.  It  had  a  bolt  which  had  to  be  turned 
by  hand.  This  added  much  to  the  conven- 
ience, and  the  settlers  were  happy  when  they 
could  get  their  grinding  done  at  home.  But 
still  sometimes  there  would  be  no  wind  to 
make  the  mill  go.  Then  it  was  like  Smith's 
mill  in  the  poem: 

••  Save  ouly  wlien  the  winJ  was  west, 
Still  as  a  post  it  stood  at  rest." 

And  often  in  such  cases  they  would  run 
short  of  meal.  To  overcome  this  difficulty, 
Frantz  Weber  built  a  horse-power  mill,  but  it 
was  a  slow  way  of  grinding,  five  bushels  of 
corn  being  a  big  day's  work.  This  difficulty 
was  removed,  however,  in  the  year  1857, 
when  John  F.  Waschefort  built  a  steam  mill 
with  a  capacity  of  tift_y  barrels  a  day.  He 
also  attached  a  saw  mill  to  this,  which  is  still 
in  operation  and  doing  a  good  business.  In 
the  year  18S2,  G.  Uptmor  &  Son  built  a  large 
mill  at  a  cost  of  over  §40,000,  and  with  a 
capacity  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  bushels  a 
day.  This  mill  is  the  best  in  the  county; 
all  of  its  machinery  is  of  the  latest  improve- 
ment. 

The  first  saw  mill  was  built  by  Theodore 
Penner  in  1848,  and  was  an  old-fashioned 
water  mill,  which  would  only  run  when  Salt 
Creek  was  very  high.  There  were  built  a 
number  of  other  mills,  but  their  dates  cannot 
be  given. 

The  first  schoolhouse  was  built  in  1840, 
and  was  of  logs.  Mi:  C.  Robe  was  the  first 
school-teacher,  and  sis  pupils  was  the  largest 
number  he  had  at  one  time.  A  new  public 
schoolhouse  was  built  in  1855,  at  a  cost  of 
$1,500.  A  fine  schoolhouse  and  residence 
for  the  Sisters  of  Notre  Dame  was  built  in 
18(38,   at  a  cost  of  $15,000;  and  in  1879  a 


schoolhouse  was  built  at  a  cost  of  $6,000. 
This  building  has  a  large  hall  in  the  second 
story,  and  at  one  end  a  tine  stage.  The  hall 
is  used  principall}-  for  holding  public  meet- 
ings. 

The  St.  Mary's  Academy,  under  the  super- 
vision of  the  Sisters  of  Notre  Dame,  already 
alluded  to,  is  a  flourishing  institution.  The 
Sisters  who  came  here  in  December,  1861, 
were  Sister  Margueretta  Mueller,  Mother  Su- 
perior, and  Sister  Mauritia  Ultzmann,  and 
the  candidate  Marguerite  Rudolph.  Their 
number  has  increased  from  time  to  time,  un- 
til at  present  they  number  eight  sisters  and 
one  candidate,  under  the  supervision  of  Sis- 
ter Verena,  Mother  Superior.  When  they 
first  came  here,  they  occupied  a  large  two- 
story  log  house,  opposite  the  church,  in 
which  they  taught  school  for  six  years.  In 
1867,  the  congregation  built  a  large  two-story 
brick,  with  basement  and  attic,  oOxSO  feet. 
Two  of  the  lower  and  one  of  the  upper  rooms 
are  used  for  the  school;  the  others  as  a  resi- 
dence for  the  sisters,  except  one  in  the  first 
story  used  for  a  chapel.  The  institution  ie 
an  academy  for  young  ladies,  taught  by  the 
sisters,  in  all  branches,  including  music  and 
fancy  needle-work.  Four  deaths  have  occurred 
in  the  institution  since  it  commenced,  viz., 
three  Sisters  and  one  candidate.  The  build- 
ing is  situated  on  a  fine  lot  near  the  church. 
The  ground  is  highly  ornamented  with  trees 
and  shrubbery. 

The  princij^al  Mother  House  is  at  Milwau- 
kee, Wis.,  and  all  institutions  like  this  are 
subject  to  it.  The  main  support  of  the 
academy  is  from  teaching.  A  certain  sum  is 
received  from  the  School  Directors;  something 
is  received  from  tuition  of  the  boarders  in 
the  institution  in  young  ladies'  department, 
and  from  needlework,  etc. 

*S^  Joseph's  Diocesan  College. — This  insti- 
tution of  learning  was  founded   in  the  year 


354 


HISTOllY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


1861.  The  congregation  of  St.  Francis,  at 
Teutopolis,  had  been  intrusted  to  Franciscan 
Fathers,  sent  to  this  country  in  1858  by  the 
Very  Rev.  Gregory  Yanknecht,  O.  S.  F., 
Provincial  of  the  Westphalian  Province  of 
Saxony  of  the  Holy  Cross,  Prussia,  at  the 
entreaties  of  Rt.  Rev.  Henry  D.  Junker, 
D.  D.,  Bishop  of  Alton.  In  their  zeal  for 
the  flock  committed  to  their  charge,  the  pious 
Fathers  soon  were  convinced  of  the  useful- 
ness and  necessity  of  a  high  school  for  the 
education  of  the  growing  young  men  of  the 
congregation.  Accordingly,  under  the  au- 
spices of  Very  Rev.  Damian  Hennewig, 
O.  S.  F.,  a  committee  was  formed,  consisting 
of  Messrs.  Clement  Uptmor,  John  Wernsing, 
Diederich  Eggermann  and  John  Waschefort, 
for  choosing  a  convenient  bui  Iding  ground  and 
for  procuring  the  necessary  funds  for  the  erec- 
tion of  the  college.  An  area  of  eighteen  lots 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  town— partly  donat- 
ed, partly  bought — was  selected  as  a  suitable 
site  for  the  institution.  A  two-story  brick 
house  with  basement  was  erected,  and  fur- 
nished with  all  the  improvements  belonging 
to  an  edifice  of  this  nature;  a  beautiful  gar- 
den and  extensive  play  grounds  were  laid 
out,  and  the  whole  inclosed  with  a  fence. 
The  expenses  were  almost  entirely  covered 
by  subscriptions. 

The  work  so  rapidly  progressed  that  in  the 
year  1862  the  institution  was  opened  by  the 
Franciscan  Fathers,  under  the  direction  of 
Rev.  P.  Heribert  Hofmann,  O.  S.  F.,  as 
rector,  and  was  deeded  to  Rt.  Rev.  H.  D. 
Junker,  D.  D.,  Bishop  of  Alton,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  diocese. 

The  Bishop  raised  the  institution  to  an 
Ecclesiastical  Seminary,  and  sent  his  candi- 
dates for  the  holy  ministry  to  Teutoiwlis, 
there  to  complete  their  course  of  philosophy 
and  theology.  Bat  the  number  of  Fathers 
was  very  small,   and    the    few  were    besides 


engaged  in  preaching  missions  and  in  other 
pastoral  duties,  as  the  direction  of  congrega- 
tions, etc.  In  consequence  of  these  multifari- 
ous labors,  they  could  not  possibly  give  the 
necessary  attention  to  the  seminary,  and  they 
thought  it  proper  to  close  it  and  to  devote 
their  energy  to  giving  young  men  a  thorough 
classical  education  and  a  good  moral  train- 
ing. This  plan  was  carried  out  at  the  acces- 
sion of  Very  Rev.  P.  Maurice  Klostermann, 
O.  S.  F.,  to  the  rectorship;  a  man  renowned 
not  only  as  an  excellent  musician,  but  also  as  a 
master  in  the  art  of  instructinsr  and  trainiucr 
the  young.  The  course  of  studies  was  di- 
vided into  a  preparatory  one  of  two  classes, 
and  a  collegiate  one  of  four  classes.  Subse- 
quently, a  commercial  coiu'se  was  introduced. 
The  course  of  studies  embraces  the  Greek, 
Latin,  French,  German  and  English  Ian-' 
guages;  rhetoric,  poetry,  history,  geography, 
book-keeping,  arithmetic,  mathematics,  nat- 
ural philosophy,  natural  history,  drawing, 
penmanship  and  instrumental  and  vocal 
music.  The  college  has  also  a  good  library, 
to  which  students  have  access. 

The  number  of  scholars  ever  increasing, 
the  building  could  no  longer  accommodate 
all  those  who  applied  for  admission.  For 
this  reason,  in  1877,  the  college  was  enlarged 
by  an  addition  to  the  east  side. 

The  fame  of  the  institution  spread  more 
and  more,  so  that  parents  even  from  a  dis- 
tance intrusted  their  sons  to  St.  Joseph's 
College.  Litei'ary  institutions,  also,  to 
which  students  of  St.  Joseph's  repaired  for 
the  completion  of  their  studies,  acknowledged 
its  merits,  not  to  mention  that  bishops  who 
had  their  candidates  for  the  ministry  edu- 
cated at  Teutopolis,  were  highly  pleased  with 
the  result.  The  institution  numbers  among 
its  former  scholars  many  priests,  both  secular 
and  regular;  and  others,  distinguished  as 
physicians,  teachers,  merchants,  and  in  other 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


255 


avocations.  In  fact,  the  aim  of  the  institu- 
tion is  not  only  to  cram  the  mind  with  bare 
facts  and  to  develop  the  mental  powers,  but 
also  and  principally  to  give  a  moral  training 
to  its  charges,  to  call  forth  and  cultivate  in 
them  a  relish  for  virtue — in  a  word,  to  form 
noble,  honest,  moral  characters.  To  this 
efifect  the  students  are  always  under  the 
vigilant  care  of  their  professors  and  tutors, 
and  form  but  one  family  with  them.  They 
are  warned  against  the  dangers  peculiar  -to 
youth,  and  ai-e  strengthened  by  advice  tor 
the  time  of  temptation. 

In  the  year  1881,  Right  Rev.  P.  J.  Baltes, 
D.  D.,  Bishop  of  Alton,  had  the  college  iu- 
corporated  as  a  Diocesan  institution.  Hereby 
it  received  the  right  to  grant  the  academic 
degrees,  A.  B.  and  M.  A. 
■  The  following  year,  Very  Rev.  P.  M. 
Klostermann,  O.  S.  F. ,  compelled  by  dimness 
of  sight,  resigned  the  reetorate,  and  Rev.  P. 
Michael  Richards,  O.  S.  F.,  was  elected  to 
succeed  him. 

In  the  current  year,  the  number  of  students 
is  over  100.  The  following  gentlemen  belong 
to  the  faculty:  Rev.  P.  Michael  Richards, 
O.  S.  F.,  Rector;  R&v.  P.  Nicholas  Leonard, 
O.  S.  F.,  sub-Rector;  Rev.  P.  Francis  Haase, 
O.  S.  F.,  Professor;  Rev.  P.  Hugolinus  Storff, 
O.  S.  F.,  Professor;  Rev.  P.  Floribert  Jaspers, 
O.  S.  F.,  Professor;  Mr.  Gerard  Schuette, 
Professor;  Mr.  Henry  Rolf,  Professor;  Mr. 
Peter  Rhode   Professor. 

<S'/.  Francis  Conve/it. — This  house  is  inhab- 
ited by  the  Franciscan  Fathers  or  Friars 
Minor  who  came  to  Teutopolis  September 
23,  1858.  It  was  then  a  branch  of  the 
"Province  of  the  Holy  Cross  of  Saxony," 
which  province  was  erected  1221,  during  the 
life  of  St.  Francis  of  ^ssisi,  the  founder  of 
the  different  orders  of  Franciscans.  The 
first  members  that  arrived  in  Teutopolis  came 
at  the  request  of  Right  Rev.  Dami an  Junker, 


First  Bishop  of  the  Diocese  of  Alton.  Rev. 
Damian  Hennewig  (deceased  December  12, 
1865),  Rev.  Servatius  Altmicks,  Rev. 
Capistran  Zwinge,  and  three  lay  brothers 
were  the  first  Franciscans  that  came  to  this 
place.  (They  came  from  Warendorf,  West- 
phalia, Europe.)  On  their  arrival,  they  oc- 
cupied a  farmhouse  of  two  rooms  belonging 
to  Mr.  J.  F.  Washefort,  till  a  small  brick- 
house,  the  pastor's  residence,  near  the  church, 
was  completed.  A  two-story  frame  house, 
thirteen  rooms,  was  built  in  1859  in  addi- 
tion to  it,  which  was  moved  south  to  give 
place  for  the  present  two-story  brick  build- 
ing. In  1807,  the  east  wing  was  built;  in 
1868,  the  north  wing,  fifty-eight  rooms  in  the 
building,  size,  24x84  and  24x70.  November 
26,  1859,  the  following  members  arrived  in 
Teutopolis:  Rev.  Her ibert  Hoffmanns, Rev. 
Ferdinand  Bergmeier,  Rev.  Mauritius  Klos- 
termann, Rev.  Raynerius  Dickneite.  At 
various  times,  new  members  carae  from  Ger- 
many, and  the  order  obtained  many  members 
from  this  country.  The  number  grew  con- 
tinually till  1875,  when  an  unusually  great 
niunber  arrived  from  Europe,  owing  to  the 
infamous  May-laws,  passed  May,  1873,  at 
the  sviggestions  of  Bismarck.  On  the  3d  of 
July,  1875,  eighty  members,  and  July  16, 
twenty-six  arrived  and  sought  shelter  in 
Teutopolis, 

Up  to  this  time,  the  following  convents 
sprung  up  from  that  of  Teutopolis:  Quincy, 
111.,  1859;  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  1863;  college  in 
Teutopolis.  1861;  Cleveland,  Ohio,  1808; 
Memphis,  Tenn.,  1809;  Hermann,  Mo., 
1875. 

As  so  many  new  members  were  addwd,  the 
Franciscans  built,  in  1875,  convents  at  In- 
dianapolis, Ind. ;  Chicago,  111. ;  Radom,  111. ; 
Rhineland,  Wis.;  Mt.  St.  Mary's,  Mo.;  Col- 
umbus and  St.  Bernard,  Neb. ;  Jordan,  Minn. ; 
Joliet,    111.;  Chillicothe,    Mo.;    and   Indian 


2r.6 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


missions  at  Keshena,  Minn.,  and  Bayfield, 
Chaska,  and  Superior  City,  Wis. 

The  number  had  increased  from  the  origi- 
nal (5  to  400  membprs,  therefore  a  new  prov- 
ince, under  the  title«of  "The  Sacred  Heart," 
was  erected  April  26,  1879,  a  decree  was  is- 
sued by  the  Pope,  and  on  the  2d  July  of  the 
same  year,  the  new  provincial  or  superior 
was  installed  in  Teutopolis. 

Teutopolis  is  the  mother-house,  as  it  is 
called,  of  this  branch  of  Franciscafl.s,  con- 
tains the  novitiate,  where  the  aspirants  are 
tried  for  one  year  to  test  their  vocation  for  re- 
ligious life.  Also  rhetoric  is  taught  in  the 
house  as  a  preparation  for  ministerial  duties, 
by  Rev.  Francis  Albers  and  Rev.  Richard 
Van  Heek.  The  com-se  of  philosophy  is 
taught  in  Quincy;  theology  in  St.  Louis. 
At  present  there  are  forty  members  in  Teu- 
topolis. 

Superiors  of  this  cjnvent  were  Rev. 
Damian  Heunewig,  Rev.  Kilian  Schloesser, 
(first  guardian),  Rev.  Mathias  Hiltermann, 
Rev.  Francis  Moenning,  Rev.  Gerard  Becker, 
Rev.  Damasus  Ruesing,  Rev.  Dominicus 
Florian,  Rev.  Paulua  Teroerde,  the  present 
Superior  since  July  13,  1881. 

Volumes  in  library,  about  6,000.  Num- 
ber of  deaths  of  this  branch,  forty,  of  which 
twelve  died  in  Teutopolis.  The  Franciscans 
have  charge  of  the  congregation  of  Teutopo- 
lis, Sigel,  Pesotum,  Neoga,  Shumway,  Alta- 
mont,  St.  Elmo,  Bishop's  Creek,  Montrose, 
Island  Grove,  Lillyville,  Big  Spring,  Green 
Creek. 

Church. — A  chm-ch  building  (log)  built  be- 
tween Effingham  and  Teutopolis  on  Masque- 
lette's  place,  1839;  another  log  church  build- 
ing in  town  near  railroad  track;  third  and 
present  brick,  1850,  consecrated  by  R.  Rev. 
H.  D.  Junker.  Addition  to  sanctuary  of 
choir  built  1872. 

Many  other  congregations  were  taken  from 


Teutopolis.  Effingham,  at  the  time  called 
Broughton.  1859;  Bishop,  1864;  Sigel  and 
Neoga,  1866;  Lillyville,  1877;  Island  Grove, 
1874;  Montrose,  1879.  Pastors  were  secular 
priests  till  1858.  At  that  time,  the  Francis- ' 
cans  took  charge,  first  pastor:  Rev.  Damian 
Hennewig,  who  was  succeeded  by  Mathias 
Hiltermann,  Gerard  Becker,  Damasus,  Do- 
minicus, and  Paulus,  the  present  pastor. 

Pastors  before  1858:  Joseph  Masquelette, 
Rev.  Charles  Oppermann,  1845;  Rev.  Zoe- 
gel,  1853-54;  Rev.  Joseph  Weber,  S.  J., 
1854;  Rev.  Charles  Raphael,  1854-56;  Rev. 
W.  Liermann,  1856;  Rev.  T.  Frauenhofer, 
1857;  Rev.  J.  H.  Fortman,  1857;  Rev. 
Barth.  Bartels,  1858.  Others  are  known  to 
us  by  name. 

From  its  earl 3'  days  of  settlement,  Teutop- 
olis has  improved,  and  so  has  the  surround- 
ing country.  It  can  be  truly  said  that  it  is 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  country  villages  in 
the  State.  In  schools,  we  are  vmequaled, 
having  a  good  public  school,  a  college  and  a 
female  academy,  also  a  tine  church  and 
convent,  two  first-class  mills,  four  general 
stores,  two  hardware  stores,  one  drug  store, 
three  shoe-makers,  two  eabinet-makers,  two 
hotels,  one  livery  stable,  four  saloons,  one 
bakery,  a  brick  yard,  four  blacksmith  shops, 
two  wagon-makers,  two  doctors,  two  grain 
merchants  and  one  clothing  store.  The 
village  has  a  population  of  456,  and  the 
township  555  inhabitants.  It  has  a  St. 
Peter's  men's  society,  which  was  organized  in 
1850 ;  a  St.  Mary  women's  society,  organized  in 
1855;  a  young  men's  society,  organized  1857; 
a  St.  Rosa  young  ladies'  society,  organized  in 
1865;  a  reading  society  and  a  dramatic  club. 

The  first  village  election  was  held  under  the 
incorporation  law.  the  first  Thiu-sday  in 
April,  1846.  There  were  then  in  the  town 
only  eight  voters  and  all  voted.  The  result  of 
the  election  was  Clemens  Uptmor,  President; 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


267 


J.  Rabe,  Clerk;  Theodore  Pramer,  Treasurer; 
Andrew  B.  Klausing,  Trustees;  B.  Klausing, 
Justice  of  Peace,  iind  also  Bernard  Brock- 
mann.  There  only  remained  one  citizen  who 
had  no  office.  It  has  often  been  said  that 
these  Trustees  had  no  trouble  to  keep  order. 
The  first  Postmaster  was  C.  Uptmor,  who 
was  in  office  for  twenty-eight  years,  and 
there  has  only  been  made  the  following 
changes:  J.  Habing  after  Mi-.  Uptmor,  then 
G.  G.  Habing:  these  only  held  the  office  for 
a  short  time.  Dr.  F.  F.  Eversmann  was  the 
next,  and  held  the  office  for  twelve  years. 
Frederick  Thoele  succeeded  Eversman  in  the 
spring  of  18S8.  All  of  these  Postmasters  were 
strong  Democrats,  and  up  to  this  day  there  has 
not  been  a  Postmaster  biit  what  was  a  Democrat. 
This  is  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  town.ship  is 
solidly  Democratic,  and  the  administration 
could  not  find  any  Republican  timber  in  the 
township  out  of  which  to  make  a  Postmaster. 
The  township  has  a  voting  population  of  over 
two  hundred  and  thirty-five  votes,    and  the 


highest  vote  ever  cast  for  a  President  was  for 
Gen.  Hancock  in  1880.  The  highest  vote 
ever  p3led  by  the  Republicans  was  two. 

The  village  is  now  incorporated  under  the 
general  law;  and  the  present  officers  are  C. 
Eversmann,  President:  H.  Sander,  Treasurer; 
G.  Kreke  and  E.  Kolker,  Street  Commis- 
sioners; A.  Brumleve  and  J.  M.  FuUe,  Trust- 
ees; T.  C.  Thole,  Clerk;  and  J.  H.  Wernsiag, 
Police  Magistrate. 

The  Vandalia  Railroad  runs  through  the 
village,  and  has  a  fine  depot  in  the  town. 
The  Effingham  &  South  Eastern  Narrow 
Guage  runs  through  the  township  one  mile 
south  of  the  village.  The  township  aided  the 
Vandalia  Railroad  in  building,  by  subscribing 
to  its  capital  stock  §15,000.  The  town  gave 
its  bonds  payable  in  fifteen  years  at  a  rate  of 
ten  per  cent  per  annum.  The  bonds  fall 
due  in  the  years  1884  and  1885,  and  the 
township  will  pay  them  off  when  due.  The 
township  has  no  other  debts,  and  is  in  a 
flourishing  condition. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


WEST  TOWNSHIP— INTRODUCTORY  AND  DESCRIPTIVE— TOPOGRAPHY  AND  PHYSICAL  FEATURES— 

THE  FIRST  SETTLEMENTS— PIONEER  INDUSTRIES  AND  INTERNAL    IMPROVEMENTS— 

AN  INCIDENT— SCHOOLS,   CHURCHES,    ETC.— VILLAGE    OF  GILMORE— 

WAR  RECORD  AND    EXPERIENCE,  ETC. 


"All  the  world  is  full  of  people, 

Hurrying,  rushing,  passing  by, 
Bearing  burdens,  carrjing  crosses, 

Passing  onward  with  a  sigh; 
Some  there  are  with  smiling  faces. 

But  with  heavy  hearts  below; 
Oh,  the  sad-eyed,  burdened  people, 

How  they  come,  and  how  they  go." 

TT^HIS  is  a  beautiful  section  of  the  county. 
-'-  Fancy  yourself  standing  upon  yonder 
swell  of  the  ground  fifty  years  ago.  It  is 
June,  say;  your  senses  are   regaled  with  the 

•By  W.  H.  Perrin. 


beauty  of  the  landscape,  the  singing  of  the 
birds,  the  fragrance  of  the  air,  wafting  grate- 
ful odors  from  myriads  of  flowers  of  every 
imaginable  variety  of  size,  shape  and  hue, 
blushing  in  the  sunbeam  and  opening  their 
petals  to  drink  in  ils  vivifying  rays,  while 
gazing,  enraptured,  you  descry  in  the  dis- 
tance a  something  moving  slowly  over  the 
prairies,  and  through  the  forest  and  among 
the  gorgeous  flowers.  As  the  object  nears 
you,  it  proves  to  be  a  wagon,  a  "  prairie 
schooner,"  drawn  by  a  team  of  oxen,  contain- 


258 


HISTOllY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


ing  a  family  and  their  earthly  all.  They  are 
moving  to  the  "  far  West"  (now  almost  the 
center  of  civilization),  in  quest  of  a  home. 
At  length  they  stop,  and,  on  the  margin  of  a 
grove,  rear  their  lone  cabin,  amid  the  chat- 
tering of  birds,  the  bounding  of  deer,  the 
hissing  of  serpents  and  the  barking  of  wolves. 
For  all  the  natives  of  these  wilds  look  upon 
the  intruders  with  a  jealous  eye,  and  each  in 
his  own  way  forbids  any  encroachments  upon 
his  fondly-cherished  home  and  his  long  un- 
disputed domain.  From  the  same  point  look 
again  in  midsummer,  in  autumn  and  in  win- 
ter. Audio!  fields  are  inclosed,  waving  with 
grain  and  ripening  for  the  harvest.  Look 
yet  again,  and  after  the  lapse  of  fifty  years, 
and  what  do  you  see  ?  The  waste  has  become 
a  fruitful  field,  adorned  with  ornamental 
trees,  enveloping  in  beauty  commodious  and 
even  elegant  dwellings.  In  short,  you  be- 
hold a  land,  whose 

"Rocks  and  hills  and  brooks  and  vales 
With  milk  and  honey  flow." 

And  where  abound  spacious  churches, 
schools,  etc.,  and  other  temples  of  learning; 
a  land  of  industry  and  wealth,  checkered 
with  railroads  and  public  thoroughfares.  A 
land  teeming  with  life  and  annually  sending 
off  Burijlus  fruits,  with  hundreds,  notUo  say 
thousands,  of  its  sons  to  people  newer  regions 
beyond.  A  land  whose  resources  and  im- 
provements are  so  wonderful  as  to  stagger 
belief  and  surpass  the  power  of  description. 
When  the  first  whites  came  here  it  was  the 
great  West,  just  as  we  now  call  the  country 
beyond  the  Mississippi  the  great  West.  To 
the  emigrant  from  Kentucky,  Tennessee  and 
Ohio,  with  their  wagons  and  ox  teanls,  it  was 
a  tjreat  imdertakincr  to  move  out  West — to 
Illinois.  Fifty  years  ago,  to  load  up  all  one's 
worldly  goods  in  a  wagon,  hitch  four  horses 
to  it,  or  three  yoke  of  oxen,  and  start  on  a 
journey  of  two  or  three  hundred  miles  over 


bad  roads,  and  often  where  there  were  no 
roads  at  all,- was  a  trip  that  most  of  us  would 
shrink  from  now.  It  was  a  greater  under- 
taking than  it  is  at  the  present  day  to  cross 
the  continent,  or  even  to  go  to  Europe.  Yet 
that  is  the  way  the  pioneers  came  to  Illinois 
half  a  century  ago. 

West  Township  is  situated  in  the  southwest 
part  of  the  county,  and  is  an  unexceptionally 
fine  farming  country,  being  mostly  prairie. 
The  western  part  of  the  township  is  very 
level,  but  the  eastern  portion  is  more  rolling 
and  drains  well  without  artificial  means. 
There  is  considerable  timber  in  places  and 
along  Fulfer  Creek,  which  runs  through  the 
entire  township,  there  was  originally  a  great 
deal  of  tine  white  oak  timl  er,  most  of  which 
has  been  cut  away.  The  other  growths  are 
walnut,  hickory,  cottonwood,  several  kinds  of 
oak,  hackberry,  buckeye,  sugar  maple,  etc. 
The  principal  water-course  is  Fulfer  Creek, 
which  traverses  the  entire  township  from  east 
to  west,  or  vice  versa.  A  few  other  small 
streams  flow  in  different  directions,  but  are 
without  names.  West  has  Mound  Township 
on  the  north,  Mason  Township  on  the  east, 
Fayette  County  on  the  south  and  west,  and 
taken  all  in  all  is  one  of  the  finest  agricult- 
m-al  regions  in  the  county.  According  to 
the  Congressional  survey  of  the  State,  it  com- 
prises Township  6  north,  in  Range  4  east,  of 
the  Third  Principal  Meridian.  It  is  inter- 
sected by  the  Springfield  Division  of  the  Ohio 
&  Mississippi  Railroad,  to  which  it  contrib- 
uted liberally  and  aided  materially  in  con- 
structing. Gillmore  Station,  as  a  shipping 
point,  amply  repays  the  people  for  the  money 
they  invested  iu  building  the  road. 

Settlements  were  not  made  in  West  Town- 
ship as  early  as  in  many  other  portions  of  the 
county,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  land  was 
principally  prairie  and  the  pioneers  did  not 
believe  in   attemjiting  a  settlement  on    the 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


259 


open  prairies.  They  believed  these  vast  plains 
would  never  be  fit  for  anything  but  pa^tui-es, 
and  hence  shunned  them  as  wholly  unfit  for 
farming  pui'poses.  Thus  it  was  that  not  un- 
til nearly  IS-tO  that  a  settlement  was  made  in 
what  now  forms  West  Township.  "When  IVIr. 
Gillmore  came  here,  in  1845,  there  were  then 
living  in  the  township  the  following  families, 
viz.,  Nelson  Simons,  Abraham  Riddle,  Jesse 
Newman,  Jacob  Nelson,  Jack  Houchin,  Jerry 
and  Abraham  Hammonds  and  Morgan  Kava- 
naugh.  These  were  mostly  Tennesseans. 
Simons  settled  near  the  present  Gillmore  Sta- 
tion, about  a  mile  from  the  east  line  of  the 
township.  He  was  a  live,  energetic  man,  full 
of  fun  and  fond  of  his  "  toddy."  His  motto 
was,  "  drink  plenty  of  whisky  and  keep  the 
ager  ofif."  He  finally  sold  out  and  moved 
away,  probably  to  Missom-i.  Riddle  settled 
about  a  mile  west  of  Simons.  He  was  a 
quiet,  easy-going  man,  possessing  but  little 
energy;  ho  died  in  the  township  several  years 
ago. 

Newman  settled  on  Fulfer  Greek,  and  was 
a  fine  business  man  and  a  useful  man  in  the 
community.  He  kept  a  store,  the  first  in  the 
township,  and  bought  the  surplus  produce  of 
the  settlers.  This  he  hauled  in  wagons  to 
St.  Louis,  and  in  retium  brought  back  goods 
which,  he  supplied  to  the  neighborhood, 
thereby  creating  a  market  at  home.  He 
finally  sold  out  and  moved  into  Mason  Town- 
ship, where  later  he  died,  much  respected. 
The  Hammonds  set+lod  near  Newman.  Abra- 
ham still  lives  in  the  township,  but  Jerry  died 
a  few  years  ago.  Mr.  Kavanaugh  settled  in 
the  same  neighborhood,  on  the  creek.  He  is 
dead,  but  has  a  son  living  in  the  township 
and  other  descendants  in  the  county. 

Jacob  Nelson  and  Houchin  have  been  ac- 
credited by  some  as  the  first  actual  settlers 
in  the  township,  but  this  is  not  known  of  a 
certainty  at   this    time.     They   are   said  to 


have  moved  in  about  1829  or  1830.  Nelson 
afterward  moved  into  Jackson  and  died  there. 
Houchin  was  from  Kentucky  and  settled  there 
soon  after  Nelson.  Later,  he  moved  up  into 
Shelby  County,  where  he  built  a  mill,  and 
some  years  afterward  moved  into  Coles  Coun- 
ty, near  the  village  of  Paradise,  and  died 
there  at  a  good  old  age. 

These  families  above  mentioned  were  the 
eai'liest  settlers  in  the  township.  If  there 
were  others  here  as  early  their  names  are  now 
forgotten.  A  number  of  families,  however, 
came  in  shortly  after,  beginning  about  184:4- 
45.  From  this  time  a  continual  stream  of 
immigration  was  kept  up  until  all  the  avail- 
able lancl  was  occupied.  Among  the  first  of 
those  later  emigrants  were  the  Gillmores, 
Isham  Mahon,  Judge  Jonathan  Hook  and 
Jeff  Hankins.  J.  L.  and  William  .Gillmore, 
both  of  whom  are  still  living  in  the  township, 
came  originally  from  Kentucky  with  their 
father,  when  quite  small,  and  settled  in  Fay- 
ette County.  From  thence  the  boys  came 
here,  as  above,  in  1845.  Mahon  came  a 
year  or  two  after  the  Gillmores.  He  is  from 
Virginia  and  is  still  a  resident  of  the  town- 
ship. 

Judge  Hook  was  from  Ohio,  and  settled 
about  the  same  time.  He  was  a  man  highly 
respected  in  the  community  in  which  he  lived. 
For  many  years  he  served  as  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  and  was  elected  County  Judge,  which 
office  ho  filled  acceptably  for  one  term. 
When  he  died,  Jie  was  followed  to  the  grave 
by  the  largest  funeral  procession  ever  seen  in 
the  township.  He  was  buried  in  Edgewood 
Cemetery.  Hankins  settled  near  Mahon. 
He  was  a  relative  of  the  Hankinses,  who  set- 
tled in  the  county  at  an  early  day,  in  Sum- 
mit and  Jackson  Townships.  He  came  here 
from  Fayette  County,  and  after  remaining  a 
few  years  returned  whence  he  came. 

About  this  time,  quite  a  number  of  settlers 


260 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


were  moving  in  from  Indiana  and  Ohio. 
These  did  not  assimilate  readily  with  the 
Southern  people,  who  formed  by  far  the  larger 
portion  of  the  early  settlers.  The  Kentuckians 
and  Tennesseans  looked  upon  everybody  born 
and  bred  north  of  the  Ohio  River  as  Yankees, 
and  the  very  word  Yankee  to  them  implied 
all  that  was  bad  and  wicked.  But  a  home 
in  the  wilderness,  a  life  on  the  frontier,  is  a 
grand  leveler  of  hviman  prejudice;  so,  as  they 
were  made  better  acquainted  with  each  other 
by  constant  intercourse,  their  old  antipathies 
were  swept  away,  and  they  became  the  best 
of  fi'iends. 

West  Township  possesses  little  of  historical 
interest  beyond  its  settlement  and  occupation 
by  white  people.  There  is  not  a  town — ex- 
cept Gillmore  Station,  which  can  scarcely  be 
called  a  town — in  the  township;  there  is  not 
a  mill,  and  never  has  been,  save  a  saw-mill 
or  two;  nor  is  there  a  church  building.  This 
leaves  but  little  to  say,  beyond  the  fact  that 
the  people  are  moral,  industrious,  energetic 
and  intelligent,  attending  strictly  to  their 
own  business  and  cultivating  and  improving 
their  lands. 

That  there  is  no  church  building  in  the 
township,  it  does  not  follow  that  the  people 
are  all  Bob  Ingersolls.  They  are  not  of  that 
class  by  any  means.  The  schoolhouses  are 
used  for  church  as  well  as  for  school  pur- 
poses, and  with  the  towns  of  Altamont,  Mason 
and  Edgewood  in  close  proximity,  the  people 
have  no  lack  of  spiritual  consolation  and 
teaching.  Many  of  them  attend  religious 
services  at  these  places,  and  are  members  of 
the  churches  there  located.  One  of  the  first 
things  our  Pilcjrim  Fathers  did  after  crossins: 
"  the  stormy  seas,"  was  to  assemble  upon  the 
barren  rocks  of  Plymouth,  in  the  great  tem- 
ple, whose  majestic  dome  was  the  over-arching 
skies,  and  offer  prayers  of  thanksgiving  for 
their  safe   voyage    and    successful    landing. 


So  it  was  with  the  first  settlers  of  Illinois, 
and  the  pioneers  of  West  Township  were  no 
exception.  Whenever  a  few  families  were 
near  enough  to  each  other  to  be  called  a 
neighborhood,  they  often  assembled,  either 
in  the  open  air,  or  within  the  narrow  confines 
of  some  pioneer  cabin,  blending  their  hymns 
of  praise  with  the  moan  of  the  winds,  and 
amid  the  scream  of  the  panther  and  the  howl 
of  wolves,  returning  thanks  to  the  Giver  of 
all  good.  In  all  their  trials  and  sufferings, 
their  early  privations  and  hardships,  the  pio- 
neers never  once  forgot  that  God  was  the 
great  source  of  blessing  and  would  not  for- 
sake them  in  their  time  of  need.  With  all 
the  churches  surrounding  them  that  there 
are,  the  good  people  of  the  township  are  well 
supplied  with  the  Gospel. 

The  first  schoolhouse  in  the  township  was 
built  on  Section  10,  on  Fulter  Creek,  near 
where  Jim  Beck  now  lives.  The  uame  of  the 
first  teacher  is  not  remembered,  nor  the  date 
of  the  school  taught.  At  the  present  time 
there  are  five  good,  substantial  schoolhouses 
in  the  township.  They  are  all  neat  fi-ame 
buildings,  in  which  schools  are  taucrht  each 
year  for  the  usual  term  by  competent  teach- 
ers. 

Jesse  Newman,  as  we  have  said,  kept  the 
first  store  in  the  township:).  He  was  one  of 
the  most  useful  men  in  the  sparsely  settled 
community,  and  bought  everything  the  farm- 
er had  to  sell,  giving  him  the  necessaries  of 
life  in  return.  He  bought  wheat  and  hauled 
it  to  St.  Louis  at  60  cents  a  biishel,  and  our 
farmers  now  grumble  at  having  to  sell  for 
$1  a  bushel  and  haul  it  a  few  miles  to  the 
railroad.  But  then  some  people  would  grum- 
ble if  thev  were  going  to  be  hung.  Mr. 
Newman  had  a  large  peach  orchard,  and 
manufactured  peach  brandy.  He  always 
kept  a  large  supply  of  this  exhilarating  bev- 
erage in  his  cellar,  and  fiu'nished  his  custom- 


% 


^,h^A<^J^ 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


263 


ers  liberally  with  it,  particularly  when  he 
wanted  to  make  a  good  bargain  with  them. 
Everything  was  then  hauled  to  St.  Louis  in 
wagons.  Mr.  Gillmore  says  he  has  hauled 
many  a  load  of  wheat  to  St.  Louis  for  60 
cents  a  bushel  and  was  very  glad  to  get  even 
that.  The  old  National  road  was  a  great 
thoroughfare  in  those  daj's,  and  fully  as  many 
wagon  trains  went  over  it  as  trains  of  cars 
now  go  over  the  Vandalia  Railroad. 

By  reference  to  the  chapter  on  township 
organization,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  county 
was  previously  divided  into  districts,  or  pre- 
cincts, for  election  purposes,  and  that  when 
the  county  adopted  township  organization, 
Township  6,  in  the  foiu'th  range,  was  called 
West  Township,  being  the  first  designated 
on  the  west  side  of  the  county.  Mr.  J.  L. 
Gillmore  was  the  first  Supervisor,  and  has 
served  in  that  capacity  for  fourteen  years, 
which  proves  conclusively  that  he  is  the  "  right 
man  in  the  right  place."  Since  him  other 
Supervisors  have  been  N.  T.  Wharton,  Au- 
gustus   Wolf, Willett,   then   Gillmore 

again  and  William  Velter.  The  present  offi- 
cers are  William  Velter,  Supervisor;  N.  T. 
Wharton,  School  Treasurer;  Bobert  Mahon, 
Township  Clerk,  and  William  Donnelly  and 
Augustus  Wolf,  Justices  of  the  Peace. 

Like  all  of  Effingham  County — except  Lu- 
cas Township — West  is  largely  Democratic 
upon  the  political  issues  of  the  day.  In  the 
late  war,  it  was  patriotic,  and  furnished  more 
than  its  full  quota  of  men.  A  large  number 
of  them,  however,  enlisted  at  Effingham  and 
other  places,  for  whom  the  township  did  not 
get  credit.  This  resulted  in  one  draft  being 
imposed,  for  two  men  only.  The  first  time, 
we  are  told,  two  Republicans  were  drafted. 
They  reported  at  Olney,    then  the  military 


headquai'ters  for  this  section,  and  by  some 
sleight-of-hand  work,  got  off  and  came  home 
as  "  unfit  for  service."  A  new  draft  was  or- 
dered, and  this  time  the  lightning  struck  two 
Democrats — Nick  T.  Wharton  and  John  W. 
Wilson.  They  got  off  too — by  paying  the 
moderate  sum  of  $1,600  for  substitutes.  The 
dealer  in  substitutes  who  furnished  these  two 
to  West  Township  made  a  little  fortune  in 
this  rather  questionable  business.  But  as  a 
proof  that  it  was  questionable,  he  eventually 
lost  it,  and  at  the  last  accounts  of  him  he  was 
peddling  sewing-machines  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  State.  Verily,  "  the  way  of  the 
transgressor  is  hard." 

There  is  bvtt  one  small  village  or  hamlet  in 
the  township,  viz  ,  Gillmore  or  Welton.  The 
place  was  established  as  a  station  on  the  rail- 
I'oad  when  it  was  built  and  was  called  Gill- 
more. The  post  office  still  goes  by  that 
name.  Recently,  however,  the  place  has 
been  sm-veyed  and  laid  out  as  a  town  and 
called  Welton,  after  the  proprietor  of  the  land 
— H.  S.  Welton.  It  was  platted  August  2, 
1882,  and  is  situated  on  the  northeast  quarter 
of  Section  11,  of  this  township.  The  post 
office  was  established  in  1872,  and  John  Fur- 
neaux  appointed  Postmaster.  The  first  store 
was  also  kept  by  Furneaus,  who  is  still  in 
the  business  and  who  still  keeps  the  post 
office.  A.  Carlston  had  a  small  store  here 
some  time  ago,  but  has  quit  the  business. 
Mr.  Randall  keeps  a  good  store  at  the  pres- 
ent time.  He  also  buys  grain  for  Welton, 
who  lives  in  Springfield  and  does  a  large 
business  in  that  line.  A  blacksmith  shop  is 
kept  by  Cole.  There  is  no  church,  but  a  good 
school  building,  which  is  used  both  for  church 
and  school.  These  with  some  half  dozen  or 
more  residences  comprise  the  little  town. 

0 


264 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER  XXV.* 


RUNNER    TOWNSHIP -TOPOGRAPHY-TIMBER    GROWTH,    ETC. -THE    SETTLEMENT -BINGEMAN, 
RENTFROW  AND  OTHER  PIONEERS-WOLF    HUNTS-CHURCHES    AND    CHURCH  INFLU- 
ENcls-SCHOOLS-YILLAGE  OF  SHUMWAY-ITS    GROWTH    AND  DEVELOP- 
-    JIENT— RELIGIOUS    AND    EDUCATIONAL  FACILITIES. 


"We  cross  the  prairies,  as  of  old 
The  pilgrims  crossed  the  sea. 
To  make  the  West,  as  they  the  East, 
The  homestead  of  the  free." 

BANNER  is  a  fractional  township,  lying 
in  the  north  central  part  of  the  county, 
and  was   formerly  included   in  the   territory 
of  Summit,  from  which  it  was  separated  in 
the  year  1874.     It  is  bounded  on  the  east, 
south  and  west  by  the  townships  of  Douglas. 
Summit  and  Liberty,  on  the  north  by  Shelby 
County,    and   comprises   the    south   half    of 
Township  9  north,  Eange  5  east.     The  prin- 
cipal   streams   by  which   it    is  watered    and 
drained  are  the  Little  Wabash,  Shoal  Creek, 
and  Moot's    Creek.     The  first  named  flows 
through  the  southeast  corner,  and  is  a  stream 
of  considerable  size  and  importance:    Moot's 
Creek  flows  nearly  east,  through  the  central 
part   of    the   township,   uniting  with    Shoal 
Creek    in   Section   33,  and  finally  emptying 
into  the  Little  Wabash.     Aside  from  those 
mentioned,  there  are  several  smaller  streams 
that  are  nameless  on  the  county  map.      The 
land   is   diversified    between    woodland    and 
prairie,  the  latter  predominating.     The  tim- 
bered  districts    are    confined    principally  to 
the  eastern    and    northeastern  portions   and 
the    creeks,  while   the   prairie    occupies   the 
central    and   southern   parts,    and    comprise 
about  three-fourths  of  the  townships.      The 
timber  consists  of  hickory,  ash,  maple,  elm, 

*By  G.  N.  Berry„ 


and  sycamore,  several  varieties   of   oak  and 
walnut  in  limited  quantities.     The  prairies, 
when  the  first  pioneers  made  their  appear- 
ance, were  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of 
tall  grass,  so  tall  that  a  person  riding  through 
it  on  horseback  could  hardly  be  seen,  and  so 
dense    that    the    sun's    rays  were  wholly  ex- 
cluded from  the  ground,  thus  rendering  the 
surface   of   the   country  damp    and  wet   the 
entire  year,  and  proving  a  prolific  som-ce  of 
malaria    during   the    hot    months    of    July, 
August  and  September.      These  facts  caused 
the  early  pioneers  to   give  this  part  of  the 
country  a  roomy  berth,  and  it  was  not  until 
many  years  after   the   first    settlements  were 
made  in  the  timber  that  any  one  was  found 
foolhardy  enough  to  ventm-e  even  a  suggestion 
that  the  prairies  could  be  cultivated.     Years 
after,  as   the   country  became   more  thickly 
populated,  and  all  the  available  timber  land 
had  been  bought  up,  a  system  of  drainage  was 
adopted,  and  the   land   made   comparatively 
dry.      The  prairie  farms  are  now  the  best  and 
most  fertile  in  the  township.     This  region  is 
exclusively  agriculttural,  there  being  no  fac- 
tories of  any  kind,  and  but  one  flouring  mill 
in  the  township. 

The  first  settlement  within  the  present 
limits  of  Banner  was  made  in  the  timber 
along  the  little  Wabash,  about  the  year  1840, 
by  John  Bingeman.  He  had  been  a  resident 
of  the  county  several  years  before  moving 
here,  having  located  in  Jackson  Town'^hip  at 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


^65 


an  early  day,  though  this  seems  to  have  been 
his  iirst  permanent  improvement.  He  moved 
to  Southwestern  Missouri  in  1865  and  died 
there  ten  years  ago  at  an  advanced  age. 
Jefferson  Rentfrow  was  a  prominent  pioneer 
of  Banner  and  came  into  this  psu't  of  the 
county  in  the  year  1843,  and  located  the 
farm  uf)on  which  he  still  resides.  About 
the  time  of  their  arrival,  or  yierhaps  a  few 
months  later,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Ramsey 
made  some  improvements  iu  the  timber  near 
Reutfrow's  place  and  was  prominently  con- 
nected with  the  early  history  of  the  town- 
ship; his  death  occurred  about  the  year  1855. 
The  place  he  improved  is  at  present  owned 
by  George  Section.  Robert  Shumard  was 
an  early  settler  also,  and  located  near  the 
timber,  where  he  lived  for  a  number  of  years. 
He  disposed  of  his  improvements  about  the 
year  1800,  and  went  to  the  city  of  Mattoon, 
his  present  place  of  residence.  Nathan 
Ramsey  settled  on  land  lying  about  one  mile 
east  of  where  Shumway  now  stands,  about 
the  year  18-49,  where  he  lived  until  1877, 
when  becoming  restive  under  the  rapid  ad- 
vances of  civilization,  and  thinking  there 
were  more  congenial  quarters  for  him  further 
west,  turned  his  face  in  that  direction  and  is 
now  a  resident  of  the  State  of  Texas.  A  son, 
William  Ramsey,  occupies  the  old  place. 
The  same  year  and  about  the  same  time  that 
Ramsey  settled  here,  Hugh  Dennis  came  to 
the  township  and  located  near  the  present 
site  of  Shumway,  on  land  now  in  possession 
of  Henry  Bernard.  He  afterward  purchased 
a  large  tract  of  land,  including  the  ground 
which  the  village  now  occupies,  and  sold  it 
later  to  the  Paducah  Railroad  Company 
when  that  route  was  first  surveyed  through 
the  country.  Dennis  was  a  man  of  fine  qual- 
ities, and  like  the  majority  of  early  settlers 
in  a  new  country,  came  here  poor,  but  by 
industry  and  frugality  soon  acquired  a  com- 


petency. His  death  occurred  in  this  town- 
ship about  fourteen  years  ago.  In  the  spring 
of  1850,  Thonuis  Robinson  made  his  advent 
to  this  part  of  the  county,  and  improved  a 
farm  adjoining  the  place  where  Shumard 
settled.  He  came  from  Ohio,  as  did  manv 
of  the  early  pioneers  of  northern  Effing- 
ham, and  by  industry  and  energy  soon 
reclaimed  a  fine  farm  from  the  wild 
prairie,-^- which  is  still  in  possession  of  his 
family.  During  the  last  named  and  fol- 
lowing year,  quite  a  number  of  settlers  took 
up  their  residences  in  various  parts  of  the 
township,  prominent  among  whom  were 
Samuel  Crollard,  John  Draper.  Brantley  ( far- 
rett  and  Frank  Wetherell.  The  first  named 
located  in  the  northwest  part  and  improved 
land    lying    in   the    prairie.     Draper    came 

from  Tennessee  and  bought  land  where 

Bennius  now  lives.  Garrett  was  a  Tenues- 
sean  also,  and  selected  for  his  home  a  tract 
of  land  adjoining  the  Nathan  Ramsey  farm. 
Wetherell  made  improvements  about  two 
miles  east  of  the  town  of  Shumway,  where  he 
resided  until  the  year  1881.  These  were  all 
successful  fai'mers  and  accumulated  during 
their  residence  in  the  townshij)  a  large 
amount  of  land,  which  was  brought  to  a  high 
state  of  cultivation  and  the  majority  of 
which  is  still  iu  the  possession  of  their  re- 
spective families. 

WTien  the  first  settlers  came  here  the  coun- 
ti-y  was  full  of  game;  the  prairies  abounded 
in  large  flocks  of  wild  chickens,  plover, 
geese,  etc.,  while  in  timber  were  found  tur- 
keys, deer  and  some  few  bears.  Wolves  were 
numerous  and  very  troublesome,  often  doing 
great  damage  to  the  settlers  by  carrying  off 
pigs  and  poultry,  and,  when  the  winters  were 
very  cold,  cattle  and  horses  have  been  at- 
tacked and  severely  injured.  The  black 
wolf  that  infested  the  timber  was  larger, 
and    more   ferocious  than  the  small  prairie 


266 


HISTORY  or   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


wolf,  though  not  so  numfirous.     During  cer-  | 
tain  seasons    they  became  very  savage,  and 
have  been  known  to  attack  man  himself.      As  i 
the  township  settled  up  steps  were  taken  to 
rid  the  country  of  these  scourges,  and  sys-  [ 
tematic  hunts  were  planned  in  which  all  the 
neighbors   for  miles    around  would   partici- 
pate, and  by  this  means  many  of  the  wolves 
were  killed  and  the  balance  driven  from  the 
country.  • 

The  nearest  source  of  supplies  to  the  early 
residents  of  the  township  was  Shelbyville,  at 
that  time  but  a  mere  village,  consisting  of  a 
a  few  dwelling  houses  and  a  few  stores. 
Though  at  no  great  distance,  the  trip  there 
was  beset  with  many  difficulties,  the  chief  of 
which  were  the  absence  of  roads,  muddy  con- 
dition of  the  prairies,  and  the  countless  mill- 
ions of  green-headed  flies  that  swarmed  over 
the  country  by  day,  so  that  traveling  by 
night  became  a  necessity.  The  principal 
crop  to  which  the  pioneer  looked  for  support 
for  his  family  and  stock  was  corn,  which,  for 
a  number  of  years,  was  about  the  only  crop 
that  could  be  raised  in  the  country.  It  was 
ground  a*^  the  small  horse  mills  of  which 
there  were  several  in  the  adjoining  town- 
ships, though  none  appear  to  have  been  in 
operation  in  Banner.  Wheat  was  not  raised 
for  several  years  after  the  first  settlements 
were  made,  the  ground  at  that  time  being  in 
no  condition  for  its  culture.  After  the  land 
had  been  drained  somewhat,  attempts  were 
made  toward  raising  wheat,  which  met  with 
but  indifferent  success.  Some  grew  discour- 
aged, while  others,  more  sanguine,  persevered 
season  after  season,  until  finally  they  suc- 
ceeded in  harvesting  good  crops,  after  finding 
out  how  to  prepare  and  treat  the  soil.  Ban- 
ner is  now  one  of  the  best  wheat-producing 
townships  in  Effingham  County — a  reputa- 
tion it  has  sustained  for  years. 

The  best  evidence   of   moral  advancement 


and  Christian  civilization,  in  a  new  country, 
is  the  establishment  of  churches.  The  relig- 
ious history  of  Banner  is  co-equal  with  its 
settlement  by  white  people.  The  first  relig- 
ious services,  of  which  we  learned  anything 
definite,  were  conducted  at  the  residence  of 
Nathan  Ramsey,  by  the  Old- School  Baptists. 
The  preacher  on  that  occasion  was  Elder 
Henry  Shellenberger,  a  minister  who  came 
to  the  county  at  a  very  early  period  of  its 
history,  and,  like  all  the  pioneer  soldiers  of 
the  Cross  who  preceded  or  followed  in  the 
wake  of  Western  civilization,  was  a  man  of 
of  untiring  energy  in  the  cause  of  Him  whom 
he  delighted  to  serve.  The  meetings  at  Ram- 
sey's were  held  at  intervals  for  several  years, 
and  served,  not  only  as  a  means  of  spiritual 
refreshings,  but  as  social  events  as  well;  for 
all  met  there  on  a  common  level,  talked 
about  matters  in  which  all  had  a  common 
interest,  and  enjoyed  many  pleasant  recrea- 
tions from  their  common  lot  of  labor.  Shel- 
lenberger established  a  church  of  his  creed 
just  west  of  the  timber,  on  "Wall  Creek,  where 
a  house  was  erected.  A  small  congi-eeration 
worshiped  in  this  building  for  a  number  of 
years,  but  does  not  appear  to  have  gained 
much  in  numbers.  The  organization  was 
afterward  moved  to  a  place  about  one  mile 
north  of  the  village  of  Shumway,  and  a  house 
of  worship  erected,  which  is  still  standing, 
though  not  used  for  church  purposes,  as  the 
society  was  abandoned  manv  years  ago.  The 
German  Methodists  established  a  church, 
north  of  Shumway,  in  the  year  1869,  which 
was  afterward  moved  to  the  village. 

The  schools  next  claim  our  attention,  and 
follow  very  appropriately  the  notice  of  the 
religious  history,  as  both  possess  refining 
influences,  and  furnish  the  highest  standard 
of  civilization.  The  first  schoolhouse  was  a 
small  log  structiu'e,  that  stood  in  the  eastern 
part    of    the    township,   and    F.  M.  Griffith 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


267 


taught  the  first  term  in  it.  The  building  was 
used  for  school  purposes  about  twelve  years, 
when,  from  some  unknown  cause,  it  took  fire 
and  was  burned  to  the  ground.  A  new  one 
was  erected  in  its  place,  a  log  bouse  also,  but 
much  better  fiu-nished  and  far  more  con- 
venient. The  first  frame  schoolhouse  in 
the  township  was  built  prior  to  the  year 
1869,  and  stood  a  short  distance  north  of  the 
town  of  Shumway.  The  first  public  school 
was  taught  in  this  house  by  F.  M.  Griffith, 
now  a  prominent  minister  of  the  Missionaiy 
Baptist  Church,  and  one  of  the  oldest  teachers 
of  the  county.  Among  other  early  teachers 
who  wielded  the  birch  at  this  place,  can  be 
mentioned  Hester  Ann  Crollard,  Maggie 
Means,  Martha  Means,  Susan  Small,  Riley 
Walker,  and  J.  A.  Arnold,  present  Superin- 
tendent of  County  Schools.  There  are  three 
good  frame  schoolhouses  in  the  township,  in 
which  schools  are  taught  about  eight  months 
of  the  year.  The  present  township  board  is 
composed  of  the  following  gentlemen:  Will- 
iam Rechter,  John  Breitzueiser  and  George 
Shumard,  Trustees;  Henry  Bernard  is  Treas- 
urer and  Clerk  of  the  board. 

Like  other  divisions  of  the  county,  this 
township  is  well  supplied  with  roads,  the 
majority  of  which  are  regularly  established 
and  in  good  condition.  The  Paducah  & 
Chicago  Railroad,  now  a  branch  of  the  Wa- 
bash, St.  Louis  &  Pacific,  passes  thi-ough 
Banner,  and  has  been  a  great  benefit  to  the 
farmers  of  this  section.  Since  its  completion, 
the  township's  growth  and  development  have 
been  very  marked. 

The  village  of  Shumway  is  situated  in  Sec- 
tion 33,  on  the  land  formerly  owned  by  Hugh 
Dennis,  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  the 
county,  and  by  him  sold  to  the  Chicago  & 
Puducah  Railroad  Company,  in  the  year 
1863.  The  company  surveyed  the  land  into 
town  lots  and  put  them  on  the  market  in  the 


year  1874.  When  the  first  sales  were  made, 
Henry  Bernhard,  Ed  Meyer,  M.  M.  Hemp- 
hill, Henry  Metzler  and  Dr.  J.  N.  Phifer 
being  the  first  purchasers.  These  parties  at 
once  began  improving  their  respective  lots 
by  erecting  dwellings  and  other  buildings, 
and  by  the  close  of  the  year  quite  a  number 
of  houses  were  completed  and  occupied. 
The  first  houses  finished  were  the  dwelling 
and  blacksmith  shop  belonging  to  Fred 
Meyer,  and  quite  an  extensive  building,  sit- 
uated ill  the  northern  part  of  the  village,  and 
still  occupied  by  Mr.  Meyer.  A  hotel  was 
built  about  the  same  time  by  M.  M.  Hemp- 
hill, and  the  large  storeroom  belonging  to 
Henry  Bernhard  was  completed  in  a  short 
time  afterward  and  stocked  with  goods. 
Metzler's  dwelling  and  business  house  and 
the  residence  of  Dr.  Phifer  were  erected 
during  the  svimmer  of  1874,  and  from  that 
time  the  growth  of  the  place  has  been  steady 
and  substantial. 

Henry  Bernhard  opened  a  large  stock  of 
goods,  consisting  of  and  including  all  articles 
generally  called  for  in  a  country  store,  from  a 
grindstone  to  a  paper  of  pins.  He  continued 
business  with  good  success  until  the  fall  of 
1878,  when  he  disposed  of  the  stock  to  James 
McNair  in  order  to  engage  in  the  milling 
business.  McNair  replenished  the  stock  and 
sold  goods  imtil  September,  1881,  when  he 
sold  to  William  Geiaeking  &  Son,  who  are 
the  present  proprietors.  The  second  store 
in  the  place  was  started  by  Henry  Metzler 
in  the  fall  of  1874,  and  also  consisted  of  a 
general  stock,  with  groceries  a  specialty. 
Metzler  continued  the  business  but  a  short 
time,  when  he  sold  his  goods  at  auction, 
fitted  up  his  room  for  a  saloon,  in  which 
business  he  is  at  present  engaged.  In  1875, 
a  third  store  building  was  erected  by  Fred 
Hoese  &  Co. ,  who  started  a  branch  store  here, 
their  main  stock  being  at  the  town  of  Stew- 


268 


HISTORY   OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


artson,  Shelby  County.  These  parties  con- 
tinued theii'  business  with  varied  success  for 
several  years,  but  finally  rented  their  room 
and  removed  the  stock  to  other  points;  their 
building  is  at  present  occupied  by  the  mil- 
linery store  of  Mrs.  Walterson. 

The  first  physician  to  locate  in  the  new 
village  and  probably  the  first  in  the  town- 
ship was  Dr.  J.  N.  Phifer,  who  as  already 
stated  erected  one  of  the  fii'st  houses  in  the 
'place,  which  he  still  occupies.  The  village 
has  always  sustained  a  reputation  as  a 
healthy  place,  yet,  despite  this  discouraging 
fact  the  following  physicians  have  at  differ- 
ent intervals  practiced  the  healing  art  hero, 
viz. ,  J.  H.  Carper,  J.  B.  Johnson,  John  Van- 
dervort  and  George  Haummesser,  all  of 
whom  were  regularly  graduated  M.  D.'s  of 
the  different  schools  of  medicine. 

A  schoolhouse  was  built  during  the  sum- 
mer of  1875,  and  occupied  the  following  fall 
and  winter  by  Prof.  J.  A.  Arnold,  the  present 
County  Superintendent.  Prof.  Arnold  still 
resides  in  the  village,  which  fact  may  ac- 
count for  the  fine  reputation  the  schools  here 
have  always  sustained.  The  present  school- 
room is  hardly  sufficient  to  accommodate  the 
constantly  increasing  number  of  pupils,  and 
the  propriety  of  erecting  a  building,  more  in 
keeping  with  the  growth  of  the  town,  is  now 
being  discussed. 

The  Shumway  Flouring  Mill  was  erected  in 
1878  by  Henry  Bernhard,  and  is  one  of  the 
best  mills  in  the  countiy.  The  main  build- 
ing is  four  stories  high,  with  basement,  and  is 
40x50  feet.  There  are  three  run  of  stones, 
which  when  run  steadily  will  grind  on  an 
average  of  from  fifty-five  to  sixty  barrels  of 
flour  per  day.  The  cost  of  the  mills  with 
additional  improvements  will  aggregate 
about  $13,000.  Connected  with  the  mill  is 
an  extensive  stave  factory  and  cooper  shop, 
where  all  the  material  used  in  shipping  flour 


is  manufactured,  giving  work  to  several 
mechanics,  besides  affording  a  good  market 
for  the  oak  timber  of  the  surrounding 
country^ 

A  large  warehouse  was  moved  to  the  vil- 
lage from  the  town  of  Dexter  in  the  winter 
of  1874,  thus  bringing  a  good  grain  market 
to  the  very  doors  of  the  farmers  of  this  part 
of  the  county,  who  prior  to  this  time  hauled 
all  their  grain  long  distances  to  the  cities  of 
Altamont,  Teutopolis  and  Effingham.  This 
warehouse  was  operated  by  H.  A.  Carter  for 
some  months  and  by  him  sold  to  Benjamin 
Walton,  of  Fairbury,  who  has  a  large  and 
remunerative  business  ever  since.  A  second 
grain  house  was  built  some  time  during  the 
year  1875  and  is  at  present  managed  by  M. 
M.  Hemphill,  who  handles  many  thousand 
bushels  of  grain  annually.  Mr.  Hemphill 
is  also  the  gentlemanly  proprietor  of  the  first 
hotel  erected  in  the  place,  a  business  in 
which  he  has  been  engaged  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  which  has  returned  him  a  hand- 
some income.  The  following  exhibit  shows 
the  present  standing  of  the  village  from  a 
business  stand-point:  Geisking  &  Son,  gen- 
eral store,  have  a  stock  representing  several 
thousand  dollars,  and  are  doing  a  flourishing 
business.  S.  F.  Smith  keeps  a  general  stock 
of  goods  which  is  managed  by  two  clerks, 
one  of  whom,  Ignatz  Helmerbacher,  is  the 
present  Postmaster.  Mr.  Smith  does  not 
give  the  business  his  personal  attention,  be- 
ing engaged  in  railroading  and  holding  an 
important  position  on  the  Vandalia  line. 
Rickets  &  Bowen  keep  a  general  assort- 
ment of  merchandise,  and  in  addition  deal 
largely  in  lumber  and  timber,  principally 
railroad  supplies,  etc.  The  millinery  estab- 
lishment of  the  village  is  kept  by  Mrs.  Wal- 
terson. There  are  at  present  three  black- 
smiths in  the  town — Fred  Meyer,  already 
named,  Fred  Fischer    and    H.  Schmidt.     P. 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


269 


Leismister  keeps  a  wagon  shop;  G.  Scliurz, 
boot  and  shoe  maker;  Paris  GriiSth  keeps  a 
hotel — the  Shumway  House.  The  post  office 
at  this  point  .was  established  in  the  year  1874, 
with  H.  Bernard  as  Postmaster,  and  for  several 
years  went  by  the  name  of  Tolerance,  which 
afterward  changed  to  Shumway  while  James 
McNair  had  charge  of  the  office.  There  are 
in  the  village  three  religious  organizations, 
with  as  many  neat  temples  of  worship,  which 
ought  to  speak  much  for  the  morals  of  the 
place.  The  Lutheran  Chui-ch,  known  as  the 
Trinity  Congregation,  was  organized  in  the 
year  1804,  mainly  through  the  labors  of  Eev. 
Mr.  Ringer  at  the  Buckeye  Schoolhouse,  and 
numbered  among  its  original  members  the 
households  of  the  following  persons,  viz.: 
William  Raetz,  Henry  Keller,  Henry  Bern- 
hard,  Robert  Fulte,  Edmund  Redloffe,  Got- 
lieb  Konrad,  Fred  Lane,  Charles  Dunteman, 
Louis  Fulte,  F.  Quast,  Louis  Engell,  Charles 
'  Lacherhouse,  Gottlieb  Weiss  and  Charles 
Heiden.  The  schoolhouse  served  as  a  meet- 
ing place  about  seven  months,  when  a  small 
house  of  worship  was  erected  near  by,  where 
the  congregation  met  at  intervals  till  the  year 
1880,  when  steps  were  taken  to  erect  a  more 
commodious  structure,  and,  as  the  village 
was  thought  to  be  the  proper  place,  it  was 
unanimously  decided  to  build  here.  The 
house  was  completed  and  dedicated  in  the 
fall  of  1880,  and  is  the  largest  audience  room 
in  the  town.  The  cost  of  the  building,  in- 
cluding furnishing  and  additional  improve- 
ments, was  about  $3,500.  The  first  regular 
pastor  the  congregation  employed  while  they 
met  in  the  first  building  was  Rev.  Charles 
Hartmann,  who  preached  about  four  years. 
Rev.  Dykoman  was  pastor  one  year.  Rev. 
George  H.  Geickler  succeeded  Dykeman  and 
remained  three  years,  doing  much  during  his 
pastorate  toward  establishing  the  church 
upon  the  firm  footing  it  has  since  sustained. 


Rev.  Henry  Pence,  present  pastor,  commenced 
his  labors  in  the  year  1876,  and  has  been 
the  regular  supply  ever  since.  There  are  at 
the  present  time  the  names  of  about  forty 
members  in  good  standing  on  the  church 
roll,  among  whom  are  some  of  the  most  sub- 
stantial citizens  of  the  township.  The  Sun- 
day school  is  under  the  superintendency  of 
the  pastor,  and  is  well  attended. 

The  German  Methodist  CKiurch  of  Shiun- 
way  dates  its  organization  from  the  year 
186U,  at  which  time  Rev.  Jacob  Tanner  came 
into  the  place,  and  being  actuated  by  that 
zeal  in  the  cause  of  his  Master,  characteristic 
of  the  true  Christian,  at  once  went  to  work 
and  gathered  together  a  little  band  of 
disciples,  whom  he  organized  into  a  class. 
Their  names  are  as  follows:  John  Bramstadt, 
Jacob  Probst  and  wife,  Joachim  Futz  and 
wife,  Michael  Schwadt  and  wife,  and  Mat- 
thias Beruyas  and  wife.  For  a  little  more 
than  one  year,  the  congregation  met  for 
worship  at  the  schoolhouse,  where  the 
organization  took  place,  but  as  their  numbers 
increased,  a  larger  place  of  meeting  became 
a  necessity,  and  a  building  was  erected  in 
the  year  1871,  about  half  mile  north  of  the 
village.  This  house  was  used  for  seven  years, 
when  the  church  decided  to  move  their 
organization  to  the  town,  and  a  new  building 
was  accordingly  erected  in  the  year  1879. 
This  house  is  frame,  will  seat  about  250 
persons,  and  cost  the  congregation  some 
$2,000.  Since  its  organization  this  church 
has  had  the  following  pastors  in  the  order 
named:  Rev.  Tanner  served  one  year,  and 
was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Cha»les  Ghelert,  who 
looked  after  the  spiritual  wants  of  the  con- 
gregation throe  years,  and  was  in  turn 
followed  by  Rev.  F.  H.  Miller;  Miller 
remained  one  year,  as  also  did  his  successor. 
Rev.  George  Heiden;  Henry  Brinkmeier  was 
pastor   three   years;     Rev.    William    Simon 


270 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


preached  three  years;  Rev.  J.  P.  "Wilhelme 
two  years;  Rev.  Charles  Ghelert  again  took 
charge  of  the  church  in  1881,  and  has 
preached  for  the  congregation  ever  since. 
There  are  at  present  about  thirty-two 
members.  Edward  Meyer  is  Superintendent 
of  the  Sunday  school,  which  is  one  of  the 
most  flourishing  in  the  place. 

St.  Mary's  Roman  Catholic  Church  of 
Shumway  was  organized  in  the  year  1879 
with  a  membership  of  about  twenty-six 
families,  at  a  place  called  Blue  Point,  one 
mile  west  of  the  village.  A  comraittee  was 
appointed  by  the  organization  to  determine 
on  a  place  of  building,  and  after  much  dis- 
cussion, it  was  finally  agreed  to  erect  a  house 
at  Shumway,  which  was  accordingly  done  in 
the  fall  of  the  same  year.  This  building  is  a 
tine     frame     structure,      30x60     feet,     well 


furnished  and  finished,  and  cost  about  $3,000 
to  complete  it.  Father  Bonifacius  was  the 
first  pastor  of  the  church,  and  remained  but 
one  year,  working  hard  dm-ing  that  time  to 
build  up  the  congregation,  and  much  of  the 
present  prosperity  of  the  church  is  due  to  his 
labors.  Rev.  Francis  Hasse  succeeded,  his 
pastorate  extending  over  a  period  of  little 
more  than  four  years.  The  next  pastor  was 
Father  Fulgencius,  who  ministered  to  the 
church  one  year  and  six  months,  and  was 
succeeded  in  1881  by  the  present  pastor  Rev. 
Norbert  Wilhelme,  a  man  universally  es- 
teemed by  all  irrespective  of  church  or  creed, 
for  his  piety,  learning  and  benevolence. 
Under  his  care,  the  congregation  has  been 
considerably  strengthened,  and  became  one 
of  the  strong  congregations  in  this  diocese. 


CHAPTER    XXVI.* 


MOCCASIN   TOWNSHIP— CONFIGURATION    AND   BOUNDARIES— STREAMS,    TIMBER,  ETC.— PIONEER 
SETTLEMENT  — EARLY    LIFE   OF    THE   PEOPLE— AN   INCIDENT  — CHURCHES    AND 
PREACHERS- THE   FIRST    SCHOOLHOUSE  — SCHOOLS    OF  THE  PRESENT- 
MOCCASIN  VILLAGE— PL.\TTED— GENERAL  BUSINESS  OF  THE  PLACE. 


"Once  upon  a  time  life  lay  before  me, 
Fresh  as  a  story  untold, 
Now  so  many  years  have  traveled  o'er-me, 
I  and  the  story  are  old." — Bushnell. 

~r  ONG  ago,  one  morning  in  May,  a  young 
-L- ^  man  rode  across  the  Illinois  prairies 
with  a  friend.  They  passed  on  over  the  bound- 
less expanse,  far  out  of  sight  of  any  human 
habitation.  Thousands  of  flowers  bloomed 
around  them  everywhere,  their  beauty  and 
fragrance  surpassing  all  that  they  had  ever 
dreamed  of  floral  loveliness  and  perfume. 
It  seemed  as  if  the  whole  world  had  been 
converted  into  green  grass,  blue  sky,  bloom- 
ing  flowers    and    glorious    sunshine.       The 

»  By  W.  H.  Perrin. 


scene  was  one  that  might  have  inspired  the 
sweet   "Southern"  singer,  when  she  sang — 

"  Like  gladsome  gales  on  Orient  seas 

With  odors  blown  from  isle  and  coast, 
From  fragrant  shores  we  felt  the  breeze 
That  whispered  of  the  Eden  lost. 
"  We  dranli  the  balm  of  hidden  flowers, 
Whose  breath  was  nectar  to  the  heart, 
Nor  thought  we  then  the  rosy  hours 
With  life's  May  dawn  would  soon  depart." 

Many  people,  bubbling  over  with  poetical 
sentiment,  have  tried  to  describe  the  great 
prairies  of  the  West,  and  to  portray  their 
feelings  when  first  beholding  them.  No 
doubt  they  were  "grand  and  gorgeous  "  (the 
prairies,  not  the  people  who  tried  to  describe 
them)  in  their  pristine  beauty  before  the  set- 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


371 


tier  came  to  rocar  and  destroy  their  beauty 
and  loveliaess,  by  turning  things  (literally) 
"  upside  down."  Whether  or  not  the  little 
scene  noted  at  the  begining  of  this  chapter 
occurred  in  Moccasin  Township  "  long  ago," 
when  its  territory  was  the  undisputed  posses- 
sion of  the  gopher  and  prairie  wolf,  it  mat- 
ters not.  We  have  the  authority,  however, 
of  a  gushing  wi-iter  of  the  period,  that  it  oc- 
cun-ed  somewhere  in  Illinois,  and  so  we  ap- 
ply it  to  this  section,  on  the  strength  of  its 
adaptability.  Nearly  all  of  the  township  is 
prairie,  and  generally  level,  but  sufficiently 
undulating  as  to  require  no  artificial  drain- 
age. The  woodland  is  contiguous  to  the 
water-courses,  of  which  the  principal  are 
Moccasin  and  Wolf  Creeks.  These  streams 
were  named  by  the  old  pioneer,  Grifidn  Tip- 
sword.  When  he  first  came  to  Moccasin 
Creek,  he  discovered  a  great  many  moccasin 
tracks,  or  human  tracks,  wearing  moccasins, 
in  the  sand  along  its  banks,  hence,  he  called 
it  Moccasin  Creek.  He  named  Wolf  Creek 
in  consequence  of  the  great  number  of  wolves 
that  lived  in  the  timber  along  the  stream. 
Moccasin  Creek  Hows  east  and  west  nearly 
through  the  center  of  the  township.  Little 
Moccasin  flows  in  the  same  direction,  but  a 
mile  or  two  farther  north,  passing  near  the 
village.  Wolf  Creek  is  in  the  northwest 
corner,  while  Beech  Creek,  a  mile  or  two 
south  of  Moccasin,  runs  parallel  with  it. 
There  are  several  other  small  and  nameless 
streams  laid  down  on  the  map.  These  water 
courses  afford  an  excellent  system  of  irriga- 
tion and  drainage,  together  with  an  abund- 
ance of  stock  water. 

The  timber  of  Moccasin,  which  is  incon- 
siderable in  quantity,  is  that  common  in  this 
portion  of  the  county,  and  consists  princi 
pally  of  white  oak,  hickory,  walnut,  cotton- 
wood,  sugar  tree,  elm,  etc. ,  etc.  Moccasin  is 
bounded  north  by  Liberty  Township,  east  by 


Summit  Township,  south  by  Mound  Town- 
ship, west  by  Fayette  County,  and  is  desig- 
nated as  the  Congressional  Township  8 
north,  in  Range  4  east,  of  the  Third  Princi- 
pal Meridian. 

The  settlement  of  Moccasin  Township  is  of 
a  more  modern  date  than  many  other  portions 
of  the  county.  Being  mostly  prairie,  the 
people  did  not  venture  out  upon  the  vast 
plains,  until  crowded  out  by  the  increase  of 
population.  Even  then,  it  was  with  many 
misgivings  as  to  what  the  final  result  would 
be.  But  as  the  great  army  of  pioneers  con- 
tinued to  come  in,  and  the  timber  land  was 
all  taken  up,  they  were  forced  to  spread  out 
on  the  prairies  for  want  of  room.  As  soon 
as  their  virtues  were  discovered,  the  prairies 
were  then  settled  as  rapidly  as  the  timber 
had  been  before  them. 

Although  not  settled  as  early  as  some  of 
the  other  townships,  yet  it  is  not  possible  to 
say  who  was  the  first  actual  settler  in  what 
now  forms  Moccasin  Township.  The  Tip- 
swords  figiu'ed  in  this  section,  and  Griffin, 
the  pioneer  and  patriarch  of  the  tribe,  was, 
doubtless,  the  first  white  man  who  ever  saw 
it,  but  from  the  best  of  our  information  he 
lived  over  in  the  present  township  of  Liberty. 
When  Moses  Doty,  still  a  respected  citizen 
of  the  township,  came  here,  in  IS-tO,  he  found 
already  here  the  following  settlers  and  their 
families,  viz. :  S.  R.  Powell,  Thomas  Perry, 
John  Scully,  J.  P.  and  Hiram  Doty,  Samuel 
Cunningham,  Edward  and  Samiiel  Mahon, 
Jesse  and  Daniel  Troxell,  Lyman  Pratt  and 
Thomas  Doty.  All  these  came  between  1830 
and  1840,  most  of  them  toward  the  end  of 
the  decade. 

Powell  came  from  Tennessee,  and  settled 
on  Moccasin  Creek.  He  lived  to  be  quite  an 
old  man,  and  died  near  the  village  of  Dexter. 
He  has  two  sons  and  thi-ee  daughters  still 
living  in  the  county.     Perry  came  from  Ken- 


273 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUKTY. 


tucky,  and  settled  in  the  west  part  of  the 
township.  He  is  dead,  but  has  a  daughter 
living  here.  He  had  several  sons,  but  all  of 
them,  we  believe,  have  moved  further  west. 
Scully  was  an  Irishman,  born  and  reared  in 
Ohio — that  is,  he  was  a  native  of  Ireland, 
but  brought  iip  principally  in  Ohio — from 
which  State  he  emigrated  to  Illinois,  and 
settled  in  this  township.  He  was  an  en- 
ergetic, money-making  man,  and  was  fast 
growing  rich  when  he  died.  He  was  buried 
on  Wolf  Creek,  in  the  Tipsword  graveyard. 
Cunningham  also  came  from  Ohio.  After 
living  here  some  years,  he  moved  to  the 
southern  part  of  the  State,  where  he  died. 
The  Troxells  were  likewise  from  Ohio.  Jesse 
died  on  Wolf  Greek  many  years  ago.  Daniel 
came  here  in  1839,  and  settled  on  Wolf  Creek 
where  he  died  about  1853-54.  The  Dotys, 
Pratt  and  Mahons,  were  all  from  the  Buck- 
eye State — prolific  land  of  "  Ohio  statesmen." 
J.  P.  and  Hiram  Doty  both  entered  land  on 
Moccasin  Creek,  and  are  both  still  living — 
J.  P.  in  Missouri,  and  Hiram  in  Texas. 
They  are  brothers  to  Moses  Doty.  Thomas, 
a  cousin,  came  out  in  1839,  and  after  remain- 
ing a  few  yeai's  returned  to  Ohio,  where  he 
died.  Pratt  settled  on  Moccasin,  and  after- 
ward moved  back  to  Ohio,  with  Tom  Doty. 
The  Mahons  came  about  1838.  Edward  was 
a  single  man,  and  married  Powell's  eldest 
daughter  after  he  came  here.  He  moved  to 
Iowa,  and  died  there,  when  the  family  came 
back,  and  are  now  living  in  the  township; 
Samuel  died  here,  and  his  family  moved  back 
to  Ohio. 

Moses  Doty,  to  whose  intelligence  and  vivid 
recollection  of  early  times  we  are  indebted  for 
much  of  the  history  of  this  neighborhood,  came 
to  Illinois  in  1840,  and  settled  in  the  present 
township  of  Moccasin.  There  were  but  few 
people  then  in  Effingham  County,  and,  in- 
deed, the  county  itself  had  not  completed  its 


first  decade  as  an  organized  and  independent 
community.  Mr.  Doty  says  he  stopped  and 
fed  his  team  where  the  city  of  Effingham 
now  stands,  and  all  around  it  was  apparently 
a  wilderness.  An  old  man,  of  the  name  of 
Slover,  had  a  cabin  there,  a  few  rods  east  of 
the  railroad  depot.  His  son-in-law,  Jim 
Cartwright,  lived  with  him,  and  there  was 
not  another  habitation  in  sight.  Mr.  Doty 
has  been  a  resident  of  the  county  for  over 
forty  years,  and  has  seen  -it  grow  up,  as  it 
were,  from  a  handful  of  struggling  pioneers 
to  a  rich  and  prosperous  county.  He  knew 
old  Ewington  in  its  palmy  days;  was  well 
acquainted  with  old  Freemanton  when  it  was 
known,  far  and  wide,  as  the  hardest  hole  in 
Southern  Illinois,  when  it  could  get  away 
with  more  "rot-gut"  whisky  and  scare  up 
more  fights  than  any  other  place  of  its  size 
in  the  wide  world.  He  knew  Tipsword 
well,  has  heard  Boleyjack  preach,  and  was 
with  Ben  Campbell  the  day  he  died;  and  of 
the  early  history  of  the  county,  few  now 
living  know  more  of  it,  or  can  tell  it  better. 

Among  other  early  settlers  who  came  in 
1840,  were  Joshua  and  Jonathan  Bodkins  and 
Joseph  Doty,  all  from  Ohio.  The  first  two 
mentioned  were  cousins,  and  after  remaining 
a  few  years,  they,  with  Joseph  Doty,  moved 
back  to  Ohio.  Prom  this  time  on,  the  settle- 
ments grew  rapidly,  and  settlers  came  in  such 
numbers  as  to  render  it  impossible  to  keep 
track  of  them.  Their  eiforts  in  reducing  a 
wilderness,  and  subjecting  it  to  the  uses  and 
benefits  of  man,  are  seen  to-day  in  the  elegant 
homes  and  prodiictive  farms  of  the  township. 

This  state  of  wealth  and  prosperity  was 
not  attained  without  labor  and  toil.  The 
forests  bad  to  be  felled  (for  the  first  settlers 
all  located  in  the  timber),  the  gi-ound  cleared, 
fenced  and  planted,  and  crops  raised  upon 
which  to  sustain  life;  clothing  had  to  be 
manufactured,  and  this  was  no  small   job,  as 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


373 


there  were  no  stores  in  the  country.  And  if 
there  had  been,  there  was  no  money  to  buy 
clothing  or  other  hixuries  of  life.  The 
clothing  was  coarse,  and  was  manufactured 
by  the  good  wife  and  her  daughters  at  home. 
The  cloth  from  which  it  was  made  was  also 
manufactured  at  home,  and  the  material  from 
which  the  cloth  was  made  likewise  of  home 
production,  and  was  either  flax  or  wool  or 
both.  This  seems  to  us,  who  can  step  into  a 
a  store,  and  for  a  few  dollars,  buy  an  entire 
wardrobe  for  either  male  or  female,  a  hard 
life,  and  had  the  majority  of  oxiv  young  ladies 
of  the  present  day  to  depend  upon  their  own 
exertions  in  the  matter  of  dress,  as  did  their 
grandmothers,  no  doubt  many  of  them  would 
have  to  fall  back  to  mother  Eve's  system  of 
millinery.  But  the  passing  years  have 
brought  ample  remuneration  for  the  dangers 
and  hardships  borne  in  the  early  times. 

Many  incidents  and  anecdotes  of  the  early 
times  might  be  related  of  every  portion  of 
the  county,  but  space  will  not  permit.  We 
will  give  one,  however,  which  occiu-red  in 
Moccasin,  and  shows  how  the  people  of  the 
township  are  disposed  to  deal  out  justice  to 
evil-doers.  It  is  related  of  a  couple  of 
citizens,  who,  after  partaking  rather  freely 
of  rifle  whisky,  finally  got  into  a  drunken 
row.  In  the  melee  one  of  them  caught  the 
other,  pushed  him  down  in  a  chair,  and 
taking  hold  of  his  whiskers,  pulled  his  head 
over   the   back   of  the   chair,   and  seizing  a 

"case-knife,"  swore  he  would  cut  his 

throat.  He  drew  the  knife  across  the  man's 
neck,  and  the  only  reason  that  he  did  not  cut 
his  throat  from  ear  to  ear  was  becai^se  the 
knife  was  too  dull.  His  intention  was  good 
to  do  a  first-class  job  in  that  line.  In  the 
meantime,  the  wife  of  one  of  the  combatants 
interfered  and  succeeded  in  preventing 
perhaps  a  murder.  AVhen  the  facts  became 
known,  the  would-be  murderer  was  arrested 


and  taken  before  a  magistrate  for  trial. 
That  dignitary  was  not  thoroughly  read  up 
in  criminal  law,  and  instead  of  making  out  a 
case  of  "assault  with  intent  to  kill,"  he 
impaneled  a  jury  of  tweWe  men,  and  tried 
the  fellow  for  murder.  After  hearing  the 
evidence,  the  jury  brought  in  a  verdict  of 
guilfi/,  but  set  no  punishment.  The  question 
then  arose  as  to  what  to  do  with  the  prisoner, 
when  a  happy  thought  entered  the  head  of 
some  one,  to  take  him  to  Efiiugham.  This 
was  done,  and  the  legal  snarl  was  straight- 
ened   out. 

The  pioneers  of  Moccasin  Township  took 
an  early  interest  in  education,  and  established 
schools  as  soon  as  there  were  children  enough 
to  sujiport  them.  It  is  not  known  now  who 
taught  the  fii-st  school  in  the  township.  The 
first  schoolhouse  was  built  in  the  edge  of  the 
timber  on  Moccasin  Creek,  and  was  a,  small 
log  cabin.  Samuel  Mahon  was  one  of  the  first 
teachers  to  occupy  it,  but  it  is  not  thought 
that  he  was  the  first  teacher  in  the  settlement. 
The  township  is  well  suj^plied  with  schools 
and  schoolhouses  at  the  preseht  day. 

The  first  preacher  remembered  in  this 
section  was  Boleyjack.  Mr.  Doty  says  that 
the  first  time  he  attended  church  after  he 
came  here,  as  he  approached  the  meeting  he 
saw  Boleyjack  sitting  on  an  old  log  by  the 
roadside  tieing  on  his  shoes  with  hickory- 
bark.  He  was  bare-headed,  and  his  hair, 
which  was  unkempt  and  uncombed,  was  full 
of  feathers  and  down,  and  upon  the  whole, 
the  old  fellow  looked  as  little  like  a  preacher 
as  possible.  The  first  meetings  were  held  at 
the  people's  cabins,  and  in  warm  weather  in 
the  groves. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  standing 
on  Section  17  was  tlie  first  church  built  in 
the  township.  It  was  erected  about  the  year 
1854-55,  at  a  cost  of  some  $800,  and  is  a 
plain  frame  building.     It  is  a  rather  strong 


274 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


and  vigorous  church,  and  supports  a  flourish- 
ing school. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South, 
on  Section  8,  about  a  half  mile  west  of  the 
village,  was  built  in  1868-69.  It  is  a  neat 
frame  building,  and  its  society  is  floimshing. 
Rev.  Ml'.  Lee  is  the  present  pastor.  A  good 
Sunday  school  is  maintained. 

The  German  Methodist  Chui-ch  is  located 
on  Section  24,  near  the  railroad.  It  is  a 
handsome  and  substantial  frame  building, 
and  was  erected  about  1871-72.  It  is  strong 
numerically,  and  keeps  up  a  good  Sunday 
school. 

There  is  a  station  or  shipping  point  on  the 
Wabash  Railroad  at  this  church,  but  noth- 
ing like  a  towQ  or  village;  it  is  merely  a 
shipping  point,  and  no  other  business  is  car- 
ried on  than  the  shipping  of  grain  and  stock. 

The  village  of  Moccasin,  embracing  thirty 
acres  of  ground,  is  situated  on  the  southwest 
quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter,  and  the 
southeast  quarter  of  the  southwest  quarter  of 
Section  9;  and  the  northeast  quarter  of  the 


northwest  quarter  of  Section  16,  of  Moccasin 
Township.  It  was  surveyed  by  John  Maguire, 
April  26,  1S72,  for  Benjamin  Jones,  Joseph 
Yarnall  and  J.  H.  Miller,  proprietors  of  the 
land.  It  was  called  Moccasin,  which  name 
the  township  bears,  and  which  was  bestowed 
on  the  latter  in  memory  of  Moccasin  Creek, 
the  largest  stream  in  this  part  of  the 
county. 

Snook  &  Ross  opened  the  tii-st  store  in  the 
village.  Snook  now  lives  in  Altamont.  J. 
P.  Condo  succeeded  them  in  the  mercantile 
business.  Mr.  Condo  operates  the  only  store 
now  in  the  place.  He  is  also  Postmaster. 
A  store  was  carried  on  awhile  by  J.  W. 
Hotz,  but  has  been  discontinued.  Mr.  Hotz 
buys  grain  here  for  Minor  &  Jennings,  of 
Effingham,  and  does  a  large  business  in  that 
line. 

The  importance  of  the  place  may  be  thus 
summarized:  One  general  store,  one  grain  es- 
tablishment, two  blacksmith  shops,  one  post 
office,  one  schoolhouse,  and  probably  a  pop- 
ulation of  twenty  families. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


BISHOP  TOWNSHIP— TOPOGRAPHY  AND  SURFACE  FEATURES— COMING  OF  THE  PIONEERS— THEIR 
HARD  TIMES  AND  VICISSITUDES— THE  EARLY  I.MPROVEMENTS  IN  LIVING— ROADS,  MILLS. 
ETC.— SCHOOLS     AND     SCHOOLHOUSES  —  RELIGIOUS     HISTORY— CHURCHES 
AND  PREACHERS— THE  VILLAGE  OF  ELLIOTTSTOWN,  ETC.,  ETC. 


TDISHOP  TOWNSHIP  lies  in  the  eastern 
-•-^part  of  Effingham  County,  and  is  bounded 
on  the  north,  south  and  west,  respectively,  by 
the  townships  of  St.  Francis,  Lucas  and  Wat- 
8on,while  its  eastern  boundary  is  J  asperCounty. 
About  three- fourths  of  the  surface  was  origi- 
nally prairie,  the  rest  brush  and  timber  land. 
The  timber  was  in  little  groves,  often  of  con- 
siderable length,  and  along  the  water-courses 
the  greater  part  of  which  has  long  since  dis- 

•  By  0.  N.  Berry. 


appeared  before  the  settler's  ax.  The  varie- 
ties consisted  principally  of  walnut,  hickory, 
sycamore,  elm,  ash,  linden,  a  dense  growth 
of  underbrush  and  hazel.  The  prairie  is 
mostly  level,  especially  in  the  southern  part, 
while  in  the  north  it  is  more  undulating.  The 
soil  of  the  prairie  is  fertile,  easily  cultivated, 
and  produces  abuudaut  crops,  while  the  tim- 
ber-land is  more  of  a  clayey  nature  and  thin  in 
some  places,  yet  by  proper  cultivation  it  re- 
tiu'ns  fair  crops  for  the  labor  bestowed  upon  it. 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


275 


Wheat  and  corn  are  the  staple  products, 
though  all  other  cereals  common  to  this  j^art 
of  the  co'intry  are  raised  more  or  less.  Per- 
haps no  better  fruit-producing  land  can  be 
found  in  the  county,  and  fruit  culture  is  re- 
ceiving consideraV)le  attention,  and  is  rapidly 
coming  to  the  front  as  an  impoi"tant  indus- 
try. Large  orchards  are  to  be  seen  on  almost 
every  farm  of  any  note,  and  the  varieties  of 
fruit  are  among  the  best  produced  in  the 
country.  It  is  as  an  agricultural  district, 
and  a  great  deal  of  attention  has  of  late  been 
given  to  cattle-raising.  There  are  a  goodly 
number  of  stock  farms,  where  can  be  seen 
blooded  and  imported  stock.  Farmers  are 
fast  learning  that  the  improvement  of  their 
stock  has  become  a  safe  investment,  and  con- 
siderable capital  is  expended  annually  in 
that  direction. 

There  are  two  creeks,  namely,  Bishop  and 
Salt,  that  run  through  the  township;  thetirst 
rises  in  Section  1,  and  flows  southwesterly 
about  four  miles,  when  it  takes  an  abrupt 
turn  almost  due  west  until  it  leaves  the  town 
ship.  A  branch  of  this  creek  has  its  source 
in  Section  4,  running  south  and  uniting  with 
the  main  stream  in  Section  29.  Salt  Creek 
flows  through  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
township,  and  furnishes  ample  drainage  and 
sufficient  stock-water  to  that  locality.  These 
streams  are  small,  and  during  the  hot  months 
of  very  dry  seasons  dry  up  altogether,  but 
diuring  the  spring  freshets  they  become 
raging  torrents,  oftentimes  overflowing  their 
banks  and  sweeping  away  fences,  bridges, 
and  everything  else  of  a  movable  nature. 
Crops  are  sometimes  severely  injui'ed  by 
these  overflows,  whole  fields  of  grain  being 
frequently  inundated  and  almost  completely 
destroyed. 

The  settlement  of  Bishop  dates  from  about 
the  year  1837,  at  which  time  the  first  pioneer 
made   his    appearance    and   erected    a   little 


cabin  in  the  timber,  near  the  eastern  part  of 
of    the    township.       This    first    settler   was 
Samuel    Bishop,   after   whom    the   township 
was  named,  but  nothing  definite  concerning 
him  could  be  learned.      About  this  time,  sev- 
eral squatters  erected  temporary  habitations 
along  the  water-courses,  but  made  no  further 
improvements,    spending    all    their    time    in 
hunting  and  trapping — a  business  which  re- 
tiu'ned  them  a  very  fair  profit,  as  the  country 
at  that  time  was  full  of  game  and  fur-bearing 
animals.     They  remained  but  a  short  time, 
and  left  for  the  country  further  west,  as  soon 
as  the  permanent   settlers   began  improving 
the  lands.      The  next  pei'manent  settlement 
was  made  in  the  central  part  of  the  township, 
near  the  spot  where  the  Catholic  Chiu'ch  now 
stands,   by  a    German^  who    came    into    the 
country  about   the   year    1838.     This  man's 
name  was  Christian  Reamen.     He  came  from 
Germany,  find  made  this  township  his  first 
stopping  place,  where  he  continued  to  reside 
until  his  death,  in  the  year  1878.     He  was  a 
man    of    quiet,  unassiuning  "ways;    attended 
strictly  to  his  own  business,  and,  by  dint  of 
hard  labor,  reclaimed  a  large  tract  of  land 
from  its  wild  state.     A  man  named  Westen- 
dorf   settled  in  the  same  vicinity  one  year 
later,  and  improved  a  small  farm  adjoining 
Reamen's    place.      He  was    a    German    also, 
and  left  the  "  fatherland  "  for  the  purpose  of 
bettering  his  condition  and  securing  a  home 
for   his    children    in    the    New  World.      His 
hopes  were  realized  beyond  his  expectations, 
as    he,    in   time,    became  very  wealthy,   and 
owned  much  of  the  land  that  formerly  sur- 
rounded his  little  claim,  and  which  is  now 
in  possession    of  his  two  sons — George  and 
Henry — highly  respected  citizens  of  the  town- 
ship.    These  were  the  only  settlements  made 
up  to  the  year  1842.     That  year  was  marked 
by  the    advent  of   Elias  Layton,  Theophilus 
Wilson,  William  White,  and  Thomas  White — 


276 


HISTORY   OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


all  of  whom  came  from  Ohio,  and  were  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  early  history  of 
their  respective  communities.  The  fii'st 
named  entered  a  piece  of  timber  land  near 
Bishop  Point,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
township,  where  he  still  lives.  .  Wilson  set- 
tled in  the  timber  also,  north  of  Layton's 
place,  and  made  the  first  improvements  on 
the  farm  where  William  'Field  now  lives,  to 
whom  he  sold  it  about  twenty  years  ago  and 
moved  to  Missoui'i.  He  remained  in  Mis- 
souri but  a  short  time,  returning  again  to 
Effingham  County  and  purchasing  a  farm  in 
the  neighboring  township  of  Watson,  where 
he  died  about  ten  years  ago.  Several  repre- 
sentatives of  this  family  still  reside  in  the 
county. 

William  White  located  a  farm  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  the  township,  in  Section  30, 
where  he  lived  for  fifteen  years,  when  he  sold 
the  place  and  purchased  a  tract  of  land  near 
Bi.shop  Point,  which  was  his  home  as  long  as 
he  remained  in  the  county.  White  was  a 
noted  character  in  the  community,  and  was 
well  known  all  over  this  and  the  adjoining 
county  of  Jasper.  A  very  giant  in  statm'e, 
and  endowed  with  the  strength  of  a  Hercules, 
he  was  universally  feared  by  all,  as  he  was 
in  the  habit  of  drinking  a  great  deal  and, 
when  under  the  influence  of  the  ardent,  his 
passions  were  easily  aroused,  and  nothing 
suited  his  fiery  disposition  better  than  a  knock 
down.  His  neighbors,  knowing  his  peculiar 
weakness  (or  strength),  and  having  ample 
cause  to  fear  his  gigantic  strength,  were  care- 
ful on  such  occasions  to  let  him  severely 
alone.  Woe  to  the  luckless  fellow  who  re- 
plied to  any  of  his  insulting  gibes,  as  he  was 
sure  to  resent  it  in  a  manner  that  the  ofifense 
was  never  repeated.  Hosj)itality  was  a  trait 
which  he  cultivated;  anybody  applying  to 
him  for  food  or  shelter  was  never  turned 
away  from  his  door.     The  little  brown  jug 


was  always  trotted  out,  and  a  guest  could 
offer  him  no  deeper  insult  than  to  refn.se  to 
drink,  which  he  looked  upon  as  a  breach  of 
hospitality.  The  guest  was  told,  verj'  de- 
cidedly, to  choose  which  he  preferred — a 
drink  or  a  sound  thrashing;  and  the  red-eye 
was  generally  taken  in  preference  to  the 
pummeling,  which  all  knew  meant  nothing 
less  than  a  mashed  head  and  broken  bones. 
During  the  last  years  of  his  life,  he  became 
very  dissipated,  and  when  working  on  his 
farm  kept  a  jug  of  whisky  at  each  end  of  the 
field,  and  between  the  two,  which  he  managed 
to  drain  before  night,  became  so  gloriously 
patriotic  that  his  wife  had  to  go  on  a  regular 
hunt  for  him  every  day  and  pilot  his  tottering 
steps  home.  His  death  occurred  a  number 
of  years  ago.  Thomas  White  was  a  brother 
of  William,  and,  though  not  so  rough  a 
character,  his  name  cannot  be  placed  in  the 
calendar  of  saints  by  any  means.  He  was, 
like  his  brother,  a  man  of  great  physical  pow- 
ers, and  prided  himself  upon  his  strength, 
which  was  remai'kable.  He  settled  near 
Bishop  Point,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine,  belong- 
ing, as  he  often  said,  to  the  school  of  com- 
mon sense,  and  was  one  of  the  very  few  who 
gi-aduated  from  their  institutions.  His  medi- 
cines were  digged  from  the  earth,  scraped 
from  the  bark  of  trees  and  boiled  from  their 
leaves,  and  when  old  and  stubborn  cases  of 
malaria,  then  so  prevalent  in  the  country, 
baffled  the  effects  of  his  botanic  remedies, 
recourse  was  had  to  charms,  signs,  etc. ,  which 
generally  effected  (?)  the  desired  cure.  He 
left  the  township  a  number  'of  years  ago,  and 
moved  to  a  place  culled  Island  Grove,  in 
Jasper  County. 

Joseph  Melson,  John  Tedrick,  Isaiah  Wall 
and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Ai'mstrong  were 
residents  of  the  township  as  early  as  the  year 
1844.     The  first  named  came  from  Ohio  and 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


377 


settled  near  Bishop  Point  on  a  farm  which  is 
present  in  possession  of  his  widow.  Tedi-ick 
entered  land  in  Section  27,  where  he  still 
lives  at  an  advanced  age.  He  originally 
came  from  Maryland  and  emigrated  to  Indi- 
ana when  that  part  of  the  country  was  on  the 
oiitskirta  of  civilization.  His  farm  in  this 
township  is  a  model  in  the  way  of  improve- 
ments, and  the  family  are  in  affluent  circum- 
stances. Wall  came  from  Ohio  and  improved 
a  farm  in  Section  27,  which  he  sold  shortly 
afterward  and  with  his  family  moved  to 
Posey  County,  Ind.  Armstrong  located 
in  Section  27  also,  and  was  the  first  preacher 
in  the  township.  He  held  religious  services 
at  a  number  of  places  in  this  and  the  ad- 
joining settlements,  but  never  organized  any 
society.  His  neighbors  are  held  responsible 
for  the  saying  that  his  preaching  and  practice 
did  not  always  harmonize,  but  his  advice 
to  his  congregations,  if  not  exactly  Script- 
lu-al  was,  to  say  the  least,  plausible,  and 
savored  very  much  of  good  sense,  i.  e.  ' '  Don't 
do  as  Armstrong  does,  but  do  as  Armstrong 
tells  you."  He  ajripears  to  have  been  a  great 
himter,  and  nothing  gave  him  more  delight 
than  rambling  thi-ough  the  woods  in  quest  of 
the  game,  and  so  great  was  his  love  for  the 
sport  that  he  often  carried  his  gun  with  him 
to  church,  and  after  preaching  a  long  dis- 
coui'se  on  the  ''sinfulness  of  sin,"  and  the 
necessity  of  keeping  the  Sabbath  holy,  would 
go  to  the  woods,  spend  the  rest  of  the  day  at 
his  favorite  pastime  and  return  at  night  well 
loaded  with  the  fruits  of  his  day's  sport.  At 
one  time,  while  hunting  along  Salt  Creek, 
night  overtook  him  in  the  woods.  The 
wolves,  which  were  then  plenty,  gave  him 
chase  and  soon  overtook  him,  when  he  turned 
and  shot  two  of  them.  This  served  as  a 
check  until  he  could  load  his  gun,  when  an- 
other one  was  killed.  His  dog,  in  the  mean- 
time, was  not  idle,  Imt  rushed  into  the  p;iek 


and  was  very  soon  ovei'powered  and  killed. 
Seeing  his  dog  eaten  up  alive  before  his 
eyes,  Armstrong  clubbed  his  gun  and  made 
an  onslaught  on  the  fierce  beasts,  which  at 
once  tiu-ned  upon  him.  Now  ensued  a 
struggle  for  life,  and  many  of  the  wolves  bit 
the  dust  before  the  vigorous  blows  of  the 
gun,  but  being  almost  tired  out,  his  savage 
enemies  had  the  advantage,  as  others  kept 
coming  up  all  the  time  and  joined  in  the 
fray.  Armstrong's  cries  for  help  were  heard 
by  some  parties  who  lived  not  very  far  away, 
and  after  fighting  for  almost  an  hoiu-,  he 
was  rescued.  The  wolves,  seeing  the  other 
men  coming,  quit  their  intended  victim  and 
scampered  away.  Armstrong  received  sev- 
eral ugly  gashes  on  the  legs,  arms  and  about 
the  face  and  had  his  clothing  almost  stripped 
from  his  body.  Roland  Childs  was  a  pio- 
neer of  Bishop,  having  come  into  the  town- 
ship about  the  year  1846.  The  place  where 
■  he  located  is  in  Section  28,  and  is  at  present 
owned  by  Henry  Smith. 

The  Fields  were  a  prominent  family  of  this 
township,  and  have  been  identified  with  all 
movements  calculated  to  advance  its  material 
prosperity.  Ambrose  Field,  father  of  Will- 
iam and  Dr.  Field,  located  in  Section  31 
about  the  year  1847.  He  came  to  this  part 
of  the  country  from  Edgar  County,  to  which 
place  he  moved  from  the  State  of  Kentucky 
when  Illinois  was  in  the  infancy  of  its  exist- 
ence. Ho  died  in  the  year  1855,  a  victim  to 
the  cholera,  which  raged  through  the  country 
at  that  time.  The  place  where  he  settled  is 
owned  and  occupied  by  Andrew  Bogart.  Dr. 
Field,  one  of  the  first  physicians  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  county,  came  with  his 
father  from  Edgar  County  and  engaged  in 
the  business  of  school  teaching,  prosecuting 
his  medical  studies  in  the  meantime.  He 
entered  a  piece  of  land  in  Section  30,  on 
which  he  moved    and    made  some   improve- 


278 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


ments,  but  his  practice  increased  so  rapidly 
that  he  was  compelled  to  quit  farming  alto- 
gether and  devote  his  whole  attention  to  his 
profession.  He  resides  in  the  village  of  El- 
liottstown  and  has  a  large  and  remunerative 
practice.  Samuel  Field  located  near  Bishop 
Point,  where  he  still  resides.  John  W.  Field 
purchased  land  near  the  village  of  Elliotts- 
town,  which  is  still  in  his  possession.  He  is 
at  present  -Justice  of  the  Peace,  an  office 
which  he  has  acceptably  filled  for  several 
years.  The  foregoing  list  comprises  the 
most  prominent  settlers  of  the  township  down 
to  the  year  1848,  though  there  may  be  others 
entitled  to  a  mention  whose  names  we  were 
unable  to  learn.  Since  1848,  the  influx  of 
population  has  been  steady  and  constant;  the 
land  has  all  been  taken  up  and  improved; 
good  roads  have  been  established  through- 
out the  township.  Comfortable,  and  in  some 
cases,  elegant  farm  residences  have  taken  the 
places  of  the  primitive  pole  cabin  and  board 
shanty.  Villages  have  been  laid  out,  schools 
established,  neat  schoolhouses  erected  at 
proper  intervals,  commodious  temples  of 
worship  built,  and  everything  bespeaks  the 
prosperity  with  which  the  citizens  of  this 
part  of  the  county  are  blessed. 

Life  in  this  country  forty  years  ago  was  en- 
tirely diiferent  from  what  it  is  to-day.  In 
nothing  are  the  manners  and  customs  of  the 
people  similar  to  those  who  first  introduced 
civilization  into  the  Western  wilds.  The 
dwellings,  clothing,  diet,  social  customs,  in 
fact,  everything,  has  undergone  a  total  revo- 
lution, and  it  is  a  difficult  task  to  give  our 
youth  anything  like  a  just  idea  of  the  manner 
in  which  their  fathers  lived  and  prosjaered  in 
the  days  when  the  country  was  a  wilderness. 
Game  of  all  kinds  then  infested  the  woods 
and  prairies,  and  furnished  the  table  of  ihe 
early  settler  a  plentiful  supply  of  fresh  meat. 
Venison  was  no  rarity,  but  was  a  staple   ar- 


ticle of  food,  deer  being  so  numerous  as  to 
cause  great  injury  to  the  crops,  and  hence 
were  killed  even   when  not  needed  for  food. 

The  first  mill  in  the  township  was  a  very 
diminutive  affair,  operated  by  horse-power, 
and  erected  by  IVIr.  Ai'mstrong,  an  early 
settler,  near  his  jilace  of  residence  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  township.  The  grind- 
ing af)paratus  rested  on  a  large  oak  stump 
that  had  been  smoothed  off  for  the  purpose, 
and  was  covered  by  a  rude  shed,  the  frame 
work  of  which  consisted  of  foiu-  forked  poles, 
stuck  in  the  ground,  on  which  rested  the 
roof.  The  mill  ground  very  slow,  but  made 
a  fair  article  of  meal,  and  was  extensively 
patronized  by  the  citizens  of  this  and  neigh- 
boring townships.  It  was  in  operation  about 
ten  years,  and  did  a  great  deal  of  business  for 
a  mill  of  its  capacity.  Dr.  White  erected  a 
small  horse  mill  shortly  after  he  came  to  the 
township  at  Bishop  Point,  which  was  in 
operation  about  fifteen  years.  It  was  a 
decided  improvement  on  the  first  named, 
having  better  machinery,  ground  faster,  and 
made  a  better  article  of  flour  and  meal.  It 
was  kept  running  day  and  night  for  some 
time,  people  often  coming  many  miles  with 
their  grists,  and  remaining  two  days,  and 
sometimes  longer  before  their  turns  came  for 
grinding.  Both  of  those  old  mills  disap- 
peared long  since,  and  not  a  vestige  of  either 
remains  to  mark  the  spots  where  they  stood. 
No  other  flouring  mills  were  built  in  Bishop 
until  the  year  1871,  when  a  man  by  name  of 
Lambert  erected  one  in  the  western  part  of 
the  townshij).  This  was  a  combination  mill, 
operated  by  steam,  and  did  a  flourishing 
business  for  several  years.  It  was  torn  down 
in  the  spring  of  1882,  and  moved  to  the  town 
of  Wheeler,  where  it  is  at  present  in  opera- 
tion. 

The   first    electio.  ,    in    which     the    early 
settlers  of  this    township    participated,  took 


-^.-d 


O^^^^tJ'-r-^ 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


281 


place  in  the  year  1848,  and  was  held  at  the 
residence  of  Levi  Jacobs,  aL  early  settler  who 
came  into  the  county  about  ten  years 
previous.  The  number  of  votes  cast  was  not 
large,  nor  all  confined  to  Bishop,  as  the 
county  was  at  that  time  made  up  of  precincts. 
The  township  has  been  strongly  Democratic 
ever  since  its  organization,  giving  that  ticket, 
at  the  last  Presidential  election,  over  100 
majority. 

The  cause  of  education  received  the  early 
attention  of  the  pioneers  of  Bishop,  and 
to-day  its  fruits  may  be  seen  in  the  intelli- 
gence and  culture  of  the  descendants  of  the 
early  and  honest  settlers.  Though  in  the  first 
settlement  there  were  a  great  many  influences 
that  worked  against  the  development  of  a 
general  system  of  education — neighborhoods 
were  thinly  settled,  money  scarce,  and  people 
generally  poor,  no  schoolhouses,  no  public 
fur;d,  no  trained  and  qualified  teachers,  no 
books,  and  nothing  of  the  present  system  was 
at  the  hands  of  the  pioneers — yet  they 
organized  schools,  their  children  were  taught, 
and  grew  to  manhood  and  to  years,  wiser 
and  more  learned  than  their  venerable  sires. 
The  date  of  the  first  school  in  Bishop  Town- 
ship was  not  learned,  nor  the  name  of  the 
first  teacher.  A  school  was  taught  near 
Bishop  Point,  at  an  early  day,  by  Samuel 
Field,  a  man  who  threw  a  great  deal  of 
enthusiasm  into  his  profession,  and  gave  his 
patrons  universal  satisfaction.  A  neat  brick 
house  was  built  at  the  Point  in  1853,  ii, 
which  the  first  public  school  in  the  township 
was  taught  by  Mr.  Field  the  same  year;  he 
was  afterward  followed  by  James  Gillen- 
waters,  who  was  among  the  successful 
teachers  of  the  township.  He  taught  here 
several  years,  and  was  untiring  in  his  efforts 
to  bring  the  schools  up  to  a  high  standard  of 
excellence.  There  are  at  {iresent  five  frame 
schoolhouses  in  the  township,  well  furnished. 


The  wages  paid  teachers  in  Bishop  average 
from  $'20  to  $40  per  month,  which  all  con- 
cede to  be  much  too  low,  as  first  class  teachers 
cannot  be  procured  at  such  figures.  The 
people  are  fast  realizing  that  a  few  dollars 
per  month  in  a  good  teacher's  salary  is  not  at 
all  to  be  considered  or  compared  to  a  poor 
school  in  the  hands  of  a  cheap,  but  incompe- 
tent instructor.  There  are  in  addition  to  the 
public  schools  of  the  township,  two  parochial 
schools,  under  the  control  of  the  Lutherans 
and  Catholics  respectively,  both  of  which  are 
reputed  in  flourishing  condition. 

The  first  religious  services  in  Bishop  were 
conducted  by  Elder  Stephen  A.  Williams,  a 
pioneer  preacher  of  Union  Township,  at 
private  residences  and  at  schoolhouses.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church,  or,  as 
they  are  more  commonly  known,  "New 
Lights,"  and  organized  the  first  society  of 
that  denomination  in  the  county.  The  Meth- 
odists held  services  throughout  the  township 
during  its  early  history,  but  never  had  a 
permanent  organization.  The  southern  and 
western  parts  of  the  township  were  settled 
principally  by  Germans,  the  majority  of 
whom  are  connected  with  the  Catholic  and 
Lutheran  Churches,  each  denomination  hav- 
ing a  flourishing  congregation  near  the 
village  of  Dieterieh. 

St.  Aloysius  Eoman  Catholic  Church  dates 
its  history  from  the  year  1859,  at  which  time 
a  meeting  was  called  for  the  purpose  of  tak- 
ing steps  toward  the  erection  of  a  house  of 
worship.  It  was  decided  at  this  meeting  to 
erect  a  temporary  frame  structure,  and  a  so- 
liciting committee  was  appointed  which  soon 
succeeded  in  raising  several  hundred  dollars, 
when  an  order  arrived  from  Bishop  Junker 
to  either  build  a  substantial  edifice,  suitable 
for  a  house  of  God,  or  none  at  all.  This  or- 
der served  as  a  check  on  the   building,  and 

no  further  eiforts  were  made  in  that  direction 

p 


282 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


nntil  the  year  1805,  when  the  present  house 
was  erected.  i 

It  is  H  fine  brick  edifice,  40x60  feet,  and 
cost,  when  completed  and  furnished,  the  sum 
of  $7,000.  In  the  fall  of  1865,  Rev.  lii-oeger 
held  the  first  services  in  the  new  building 
with  great  pomp  and  ceremony.  The  first 
regular  pastor  was  Father  Nazarias,  who  had 
charge  of  the  church  but  a  few  weeks. 
Father  Mauritius,  at  that  time  rector  of  St. 
Joseph's  College,  was  next  appointed  pastor, 
and  succeeded  during  his  pastorate  in  paying 
off  the  greater  amount  of  the  church's  in- 
debtedness. Fathers  Aloysius,  Chrisosto- 
mus,  Eustachius,  Clementinus  and  Marcus 
have  had  charge  of  the  congregation  at  dif- 
ferent times. 

Twenty  families  comprised  the  original 
membership,  which  has  since  increased  until 
there  are  now  350  active  members  belonging 
to  the  church,  and  it  is  considered  one  of  the 
most  flourishing  parishes  in  the  diocese  of 
Alton. 

The  necessity  of  having  a  denominational 
school  south  of  Salt  Creek  had  long  been 
felt  by  the  Catholic  families  living  here,  as 
the  distance  to  the  nearest  school,  Teutopolis, 
was  too  great  to  be  traveled  by  the  children 
of  the  neighborhood.  Forty  acres  of  gi'ound 
were  purchased  for  school  purjsoses,  in  the 
year  1852,  and  a  suitable  log  house  erected. 
Mr.  Hulls  was  the  first  teacher,  in  which 
capacity  he  served  until  the  year  1854. 
From  1854  until  1863.  the  following  teachers 
successfully  taught  one  term:  Repking, 
Nieuaher,  Borgman,  Klinkhammer,  Wern- 
sing  (the  present  County  Treasurer),  Peters, 
Ackersmann,  Gottesleben  and  Baltenweck. 
In  1803,  Mr.  Hei.nieier  taught  with  great  suc- 
cess, and  continued  with  the  school  until 
1872.  C.  H.  Guithues  was  then  appointed 
and  followed  his  vocation  until  1880,  when 
he  resigned,   and   was  succeeded  by  his  son. 


Theodore  Guithues,  who  still  holds  the  posi- 
tion. A  new  building  was  erected  in  the 
year  1877,  a  short  distance  from  the  log 
structure.  It  it,  built  of  brick,  cost  $1,000, 
and  is  in  every  respect  a  model  of  neatness 
and  comfort.  At  present  there  are  sixty 
children  attending  the  school. 

St.  John's  Lutheran  Church  was  organized 
in  the  year  1800,  by  Rev.  Mr.  Dickman,  with 
a  membership  of  about  fifteen  families.  The 
schoolhouse  northeast  of  Elliottstown  served 
as  a  meeting  place,  until  their  first  house  of 
worship  was  erected.  Their  present  neat  ed- 
ifice was  built  in  the  year  1876,  at  a  cost  of 
$1,600.  There  are  now  about  forty  commu- 
nicants connected  with  the  church.  The 
present  Trustees  are  H.  Helmbrecht,  G. 
Gerth  and  J.  Woltmeiu.  Rev.  G.  Wagner  is 
the  pastor  now  in  charge.  A  parochial  school 
was  established  the  same  time  the  church 
was  built,  and  has  been  in  successful  opera- 
tion ever  since.  They  have  a  good  house, 
and  the  average  attendance  is  about  sixty  pu- 
pils. The  difierent  pastors  have  had  charge 
of  the  school  as  instructors. 

The  Village  of  Elliottstown. — This  town 
dates  its  history  from  June  17,  1854,  at 
which  time  the  ground  was  surveyed  into 
lots  by  County  Siu-veyor  R.  A.  Howard,  for 
Smith  Elliott,  proprietor  of  the  land.  An 
addition  was  made  to  the  original  plat  a  few 
years  afterward  of  a  number  of  lots  lying 
south  of  the  main  street  in  Lucas  Township. 
A  short  time  after  the  survey  was  made,  sev- 
eral dwellings  and  business  houses  were  in 
process  of  erection.  There  were  a  couple  of 
buildings  on  the  town  site  before  the  groimd 
was  platted,  belonging  to  Dr.  L.  J.  Field 
and  E.  A.  Elliott.  The  former  stood  on  the 
corner  now  occupied  by  George  Dye's  hotel, 
and  was  used  for  the  threefold  pvu-pose  of 
dwelling,  doctor  "shop"  and  post  office. 
The  last  named  is    still   standing   and   was 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


283 


formerly  U8ed  as  a  dwelling  and  storeroom. 
It  is  at  present  occupied  by  Mrs.  Higgins  as 
a  residence.  The  post  office  had  been  estab- 
lished at  this  point  several  yeai-s  before  the 
town  was  laid  out,  with  Dr.  Field  as  Post- 
master, a  position  he  held  for  over  seventeen 
years.  It  was  not  on  any  regular  route,  and 
the  proceeds  of  the  office  were  supposed  to 
be  sufficient  to  pay  for  cairying  the  mail. 
Sometimes,  however,  pay  from  this  source 
fell  short  and  the  deficiency  had  to  be  made 
up  from  private  means  of  the  Postmaster, 
who  in  this  way  lost  over  $00  during  his 
term  of  office.  About  the  time  the  town  was 
contemplated,  a  storehouse  was  built  and 
stoclied  with  a  miscellaneous  assortment  of 
merchandise  by  Robert  Evans,  who,  for  some 
two  years,  did  a  very  handsome  little  business, 
which  served  as  a  good  advertisement  for  the 
place.  A  second  store  building  was  erected 
about  the  year  1854  by  John  Marble,  who 
kept  a  general  line  of  merchandise,  with  a 
barrel  of  "Old  Johnson  County"  to  make 
his  variety  complete.  He  continued  his 
business  but  one  year,  when  he  disposed  of 
his  stock  and  moved  into  St.  Francis  Town- 
ship. The  building  was  afterward  torn  down 
and  removed  to  a  place  east  of  Teutopolis, 
where  it  is  still  standing.  About  1855,  H. 
L.  Smith  started  a  third  store,  which  was 
kept  in  the  house  where  Mrs.  Higgins  now 
lives,  and  for  a  while  carried  on  a  good 
trade.  Dr.  Field  kept  a  store  in  one  room 
of  his  residence  for  two  years,  which  he  op- 
erated in  connection  with  his  medical  prac- 
tice. The  latter  having  grown  to  so  consid- 
erable extent,  and  finding  he  could  not  do 
his  mercantile  business  justice  without  in- 
terfering with  his  profession,  he  closed  out 
bis  stock,  after  having  sold  goods  for  two 
years.  Since  the  town  started,  the  following 
firms  have  done  business  here  at  different  in- 
tervals :       Sloan  &  BaiT,   William    Hunter, 


Lloyd  &  Kennedy,  Lloyd  &  Wilds,  Sloan 
&  Floyd,  George  Dye,  W.  H.  Hyden,  F. 
B.  Schooley.  The  business  of  the  town  is 
represented  at  present  by  Merry  &  Sons, 
who  keep  a  very  fine  store,  with  a  stock  of 
goods  representing  a  cash  value  of  perhaps 
$2,700.  George  Dye  keeps  a  di'Ug  store  and 
handles  a  line  of  groceries  also.  He  is  the 
good-uatured  proprietor  of  the  only  hotel  in 
place,  a  good  one  by  the  way,  and  we  mean 
no  reflection  on  him  when  we  call  his  place 
the  "Dye"  House.  Dr.  Field  was  the  first 
physician  in  the  town.  Drs.  Abbott,  Hughes, 
Sloan.  Johnson,  Lessem-,  Shindle  and  Lara- 
bee  have  at  different  times  during  the  town's 
history  ministered  to  the  afflicted  of  the  vil- 
lage and  surrounding  county.  Dr.  T.  J. 
Dunn,  a  son-in-law  of  Dr.  Field  and  a  regu- 
larly gi-aduated  M.  D.,  is  at  present  located 
here  and  is  gaining  a  large  and  lucrative 
practice.  The  first  blacksmith  shop  in  the 
village  was  built  by  John  V.  Bail,  in  the 
year  1855.  He  worked  at  his  trade  here  for 
two  years,  when  he  sold  his  shop  and  moved  to 
the  village  of  Watson,  where  he  has  been 
ever  since.  A  shop  is  run  at  present  by 
John  Dye.  G.  W.  Baty  built  a  steam  flour- 
ing and  saw  mill  combined,  in  the  year  1854, 
and  operated  it  about  five  years,  when  he 
sold  it  to  a  Mr.  Patterson.  The  mill 
blew  up  a  short  time  after  Patterson 
purchased  it,  killing  him  instantly,  and 
tearing  the  mill  to  shreds.  Nobody  else 
was  hurt,  though  several  had  very  narrow 
escapes.  A  steam  saw  mill  was  operated  in  the 
village  several  years,  by  Samuel  Field,  but 
at  present  there  are  no  mills  or  manufactur- 
ing establishments  of  any  kind  in  the  place. 
There  were  in  the  village  during  its  days  of 
infancy  several  saloons — ginshops,  sample 
rooms,  or,  to  be  more  explicit,  "hell-holes," 
which  had  a  demoralizing  effect  upon  the 
town   and  entire  community,   and  gave  the 


28-4 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


place  a  bad  reputation  abroad.  These  can- 
cers were  removed  a  number  of  years  ago, 
and  fortunately  for  the  good  sense,  intelli- 
gence and  morality  of  the  citizens,  nothing  of 
the  kind  has  been  permitted  since.  A  man 
named  Jim  Green  finally  kept  whisky  by  the 
barrel,  which  he  retailed  from  his  residence, 
causing  the  better  disposed  citizens  a  great 
deal  of  annoyance,  but  all  their  eflbrta  to 
induce  him  to  quit  the  business  were  fruit- 
less. During  the  progress  of  a  great  temper- 
ance revival  which  took  the  country  by  storm, 
some  parties  thought  they  could  further  the 
cause  by  destroying  Green's  whisky  barrel, 
and  accordingly  went  to  work  with  that  object 
in  view.  The  barrel  was  kept  in  his  smoke- 
house, as  they  supposed,  right  over  the  well, 
at  least  they  had  seen  cer(  ain  parties  go  there 
for  the  purpose  of  sampling  the  "creature." 
Fired  by  the  holiness  of  their  mission,  these 
cold  water  disciples  crept  cautiously  up  to  the 
barrel  one  night,  and  after  placing  their  sen- 
tinels on  the  watch,  in  order  to  insure  safety, 
proceeded  to  bore  a  hole  in  the  cask  which 
contained  the  hated  poison.  The  hole  was 
bored,  but  fearing  detection  the  templars  did 
not  wait  to  see  the  result,  but  went  to  their  i 
respective  homes,  cheered  no  doubt  by  approv-  | 
ing  consciences  for  the  part  they  had  taken 
in  the  great  work  for  humanity.  The  next 
morning  the  entire  contents  of  Mrs.  Green's 
brand  new  barrel  of  soft  soap  was  found  in 
the  well,  and  nobody  knew  who  bored  the  , 
hole.  I 

The  first  school  in  EUiottstown  was  taught  > 
by  .John  Russ.  He  began  in  the  fall  of  1856 
and  continued  three  months.  The  house  in 
which  this  term  was  taught  was  a  small  frame 
building  erected  for  the  purpose,  and  was 
the  only  house  of  the  kind  in  the  town  for 
eighteen  years.  Among  the  different  teach- 
ers who  taught  in  this  building  were  the  fol- 
lowing :     Samuel  Field,  who  kept  one  of  the 


first  schools  in  the  township  ;  H.  B.  Keploy, 
now  ne  of  the  leadi  ng  lawers  of  Effing- 
ham, and  W.  B.  Hannawalt.  The  old  house 
was  replaced  in  1874  by  the  present  building, 
which  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $S00. 
The  first  school  in  this  house  was  taught  by 
Dr.  T.  J.  Dunn.  Present  teacher  is  Mi-.  J. 
M.  Britton  who  has  an  interesting  school  of 
about  fifty  pupils. 

The  Baptist  Church  is  the  oldest  religious 
society  in  EUiottstown,  and  was  organized 
by  an  ecclesiastical  council  which  convened 
for  that  purpose  at  the  residence  of  Smith 
Elliott,  March  27, 1852.  The  principal  actors 
in  the  organization  were  Elders  J.  H.  Larkin, 
G.  W.  Barcus  and  Stephen  Blair.  At  this 
meeting,  articles  of  faith  were  adopted,  rules 
of  order  accejsted,  and  the  following  names 
eni'olled  as  members:  Smith  Elliott,  Emily 
Elliott,  L.  J.  Field,  Frances  Field,  George 
Baty.  Mary  E.  Baty,  John  B.  Strife,  Elizabeth 
Field,  Margaret  Arnold,  Isaac  McCroom  and 
William  Gordon.  Of  this  number  but  two 
or  three  are  now  living  in  the  village.  The 
little  congregation  held  their  first  meetings 
at  Elliott's  residence  for  one  year,  when  the 
schoolhouse  was  secured  for  that  purpose, 
and  used  as  a  place  of  worship  until  the  year 
1858.  Their  present  handsome  and  conven- 
ient edifice  was  erected  in  that  year,  at  a  cost 
of  iS2,000.  The  house  is  frame,  dimensions 
forty  by  sixty  feet,  and  will  comfortably  seat 
over  three  hundred  people.  Elder  G.  W. 
Barcus  was  called  to  act  as  pastor  at  the  first 
meeting,  and  served  in  that  capacity,  at  dif- 
ferent intervals,  iov  twenty  years.  He  was  a 
man  universally  respected  for  his  piety,  and 
did  as  much  if  not  more  than  any  other 
pastor  toward  building  the  congregation 
and  leading  the  members  toward  the  higher 
life.  He  is  now  a  resident  of  Kansas,  where 
he  moved  in  the  spring  of  1882.  Of  the 
other  pastors  who  ministered  to  the  church 


HISTORY  OF  EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


285 


were  Revs.  Eeed,  Patton  and  Chris,  and 
othors.  In  the  early  days  of  its  history,  the 
church  was  a  strong  oraranization,  and  was 
greatly  strengthened  by  niimeroiis  revivals, 
during  the  progress  of  which  many  were 
converted  and  their  names  enrolled  on  the 
church  records.  There  have  been  over  one 
hundred  members  at  different  times,  but 
many  have  died  and  others  moved  away  until 
now  there  are  but  about  forty  names  on  the 
chm-eh  books.  There  has  been  no  preaching 
for  some  time  past,  and  a  general  decay  seems 
to  have  fastened  itself  upon  the  once  flourish- 
ing society. 

The  Christian  Church  of  Elliottstown  was 
organized  in  1866,  by  Elder  Henry  Vandooser, 
with  a  membership  of  twelve  or  fifteen  per- 
sons. The  organization  was  effected  at  the 
schoolhouse,  where  for  two  years  their  serv- 
ices were  held,  when  the  use  of  the  Baptist 
Chiu'ch  was  secured,  where  the  congi'egation 
met  for  worship  two  years  longer.  The 
church  grew  prosperous,  and  its  membership 
increased  very  rapidlj'.  The  members  are 
united  as  one  in  their  social  and  religious 
relations,  and  six  years  had  scarcely  passed 
from  the  date  of  their  organization,  when 
they  found  themselves  sufficiently  strong  to 
build  a  house  of  worship  of  their  own.  Their 
building  is  a  convenient  and  comfortable 
frame  structure,  and  represents  a  capital  of 
about  $1,500.  Elder  Thomas  Wall  was  the 
first  pastor,  and  served  one  year.  His  suc- 
cessor was  Elder  Barlow  Higgins,  who  re- 
mained with  the  congi'egation  tbe  same  length 
of  time  as  his  predecessor,  and  was  followed 
by  the  present  pastor,  William  Gordon,  of 
Watson,  who  is  now  on  his  fifth  year's  work 
with  the  church.  The  present  membership 
is  about  seventy.  The  elders  of  the  church 
are  Barlow  Higgins,  Jesse  Melson,  F.  B. 
Schooley  and  Wilfred  Fields.  Deacons: 
John  Dye,  George  Dye  and  William  Layton. 


The  Trustees  are  John  and  George  Dye  and 
Frank  Poe.  A  Sabbath  school,  numbering 
some  eighty  or  a  hundred  pupils,  is  among 
the  most  interesting  and  progressive  features 
of  the  church.  F.  B.  Schooley  is  the  Super- 
intendent, and  also  one  of  the  earnest  workers 
of  the  congregation. 

Delia  Lodge,  No.  525,  A.,  F.  &  A.  M., 
was  organized  at  the  village  of  Winterrowd.  in 
Lucas  Township,  in  1867,  and  the  organiza- 
tion moved  to  this  place  a  couple  of  years 
later.     The  charter  was   granted   by  Jerome 

E.  Gorin,  at  that  time  Grand  Master  of  the 
State,  and  the  following  names  appear  as 
charter  members:  Phenis  Palmer,  K.  G. 
Scott,  C.  -M.  Scott,  Washington  Winterrowd, 
John  C.  Palmer,  David  Palmer,  L.  G. 
Field,  David  C.  Kershner,  John  A.  Barr, 
George  W.  Sloan,  B.  L.  Palmer,  Andrew 
Wiles,  J.  W.  Hourigan  and  Waymack  Merry. 
First  officers  were,  Phenis  Palmer;  W.  M.; 
R.  G.  Scott,  S.  W. ;  and  W.  Winterrowd,  J.  W. 
The  several  offices  are  filled  at  present  by  F. 
B.  Schooley,  W.  M. ;  J.    F.  Poynter,    S.  A\'. ; 

F.  J.  Wood,  J.  W. ;  George  Dye,  Treasurer; 
T.  J.  Dunn,  Secretary;  J.  W.  Fields,  S.  D. ; 
W.  H  Davis,  J.  D.;  W.  H.  Poynter,  Chaplain; 
Waymack  Merry  and  L.  J.  Field,  Stewards, 
and  J.  Treese,  Tiler.  The  lodge  is  in  good 
working  order,  and  has  some  twenty-one  or 
twenty-two  members.  Their  meetings  are  held 
in  a  very  fair  hall  that  is  owned  by  the  lodge. 

The  little  village  of  Dieterich,  or  Dieterichs- 
burg,  is  situated  in  the  northwest  corner  of 
the  township,  on  Section  13,  and  was  laid  out 
by  M.  Dieterich,  who  owned  the  land.  It  was 
surveyed  by  C.  A.  Van  Allen,  County  Sur- 
veyor, January  8,  1881.  This  town  is  an 
outgrowth  of  the  Springfield,  Effingham  & 
South-Eastern  Railroad,  which  was  recently 
completed  through  this  part  of  the  county 
and  which  has  given  new  stimulus  to  the 
agricultiu'al    interest    of   this   tovmship,    by 


a86 


HISTORY  OF   EFFINGHAM  COUNTY. 


bringing  good  grain  markets  to  the  people's 
doors.  There  are  at  this  station,  three  ware- 
houses, operated  by  Jennings  &  Minor,  M. 
Dieterich  and  M.  V.  Parks.  Their  business 
has  largely  increased  during  the  past  year, 
and  at  no  other  small  point  in  the  cou^nty 
were  as  many  bushels  of  wheat  handled  in 
1881  and  1882.  The  place  boasts  two  stores, 
which  are  kept  by  James  Prather  and  Henry 
Habing;  two  blacksmith  shojis,  where  John 
Sonnenberg  and  William  Richards  work  at 
their    trades:    two    brick    yards   are  in   suc- 


cessful operation,  by  Habing  &  Field,  and 
several  new  houses  will  soon  be  erected. 
John  Richards  was  the  first  Postmaster,  hav 
ing  been  appointed  when  the  office  was 
established,  in  the  year  1881.  The  office  is 
now  kept  by  Dr.  Chapman. 

A  village  called  Graceville  was  siirveyed 
and  platted  February  5,  1881,  by  C.  A.  Van 
Allen,  County  Surveyor,  for  John  Grace, 
owner  of  the  land.  It  occupies  a  portion  of 
ground  in  Section  13,  joining  Dieterich,  and 
both  places  go  by  the  latter  name. 


ADDENDUM.— Biography  received  too  late  for  insertion  in  proper  place. 

WEILER  &  MKYER,  dealers  in  clothing,  weiler,  Rhine  Province.  Prussia,  June  13, 1855. 
gents'  furnishing  goods,  hats,  shoes  and  trunks,  Max  Meyer  was  born  in  Hamburg,  Germany, 
one  door  north  of  Zimmerman  &  Snyder,  November  10,  1859.  The  above  firm  commenced 
Altamont.     Herman  Weiler  was  born  in  Ott-     business  iu  Altamont  February  15,  1883. 


PART    II 


lOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES, 


PART  II 


Biographical  Sketches. 


EFFIITGHAM  CITY  AND 

CHRISTIAN  ALT,  Sr.,  farmer,  P.  0.  Effing- 
ham, was  born,  iu  1822,  in  German}',  son  of 
Christian  and  Katharina  (Bechtholdt)  Alt,  na- 
tives also  of  German}-;  he  was  a  farmer,  and 
died  in  St.  Clair  County,  this  State,  in  1853; 
she  died  January  3,  1874,  in  this  county;  they 
were  the  parents  of  two  children,  both  boys. 
Our  subject  received  his  education  in  Germany. 
He  was  married,  in  St.  Clair  County,  this  State, 
September  22,  1853,  to  Anna  Maria  Scharth, 
born  in  Germany,  daughter  of  Adam  and  Eliza 
Scharth,  natives  also  of  Germany.  Jlr.  and 
Mrs.  Alt  have  eight  children — John,  Christian, 
"Henry,  Louisa,  Fritz,  Katharina,  Caroline  and 
Wilhelra.  Three  of  the  boys  are  married.  Our 
subject  came  to  this  county  in  October,  1865, 
and  has  since  resided  here.  He  was  a  miller 
up  to  1880,  since  which  year  his  oldest  son  has 
run  the  mill,  although  our  subject  still  holds  an 
interest  in  it.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  and  in  politics  is  a  Democrat. 

CHRISTIAN  ALT,  Jr.,  expressman,  Effing- 
ham, was  born  in  St.  Clair  County,  this  State, 
Jan.  25, 1857,  sou  of  Christian  and  Anna  Maria 
(Scharth)  Alt,  natives  of  Germany,  are  farmers 
and  are  living  in  this  county;  they  are  the  par- 
ents of  eight  children.  Our  subject  received  his 
education  in  his  native  county,  and  also  in 
Effingham.  He  was  married,  in  Effingham, 
June  24,  1879,  to  Jlisa  Mary  Koester,  born 
February  19,   1860,  in  Germany,  daughter  of 


DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 

Conrad  and  Christina  (Ritterborn)  Koester.  na 
tives  also  of  Germany,  and  are  living,  he  in 
Effingham  and  she  in  Germany.  Our  subject 
worked  in  his  father's  mill,  and  in  1872  went 
into  the  employ  of  A.  Sewart,  in  a  general 
store.  He  afterward  worked  in  several  other 
stores,  and  December  1,  1881,  he  entered  the 
employ  of  H.  G.  Habing,  who  is  agent  for  the 
Adams  and  Pacific  Express  Companies,  and 
also  for  the  Wabash  Railroad,  the  work  per- 
taining to  the  latter  office  of  which  our  subject 
has  charge.  Mr.  Alt  is  a  member  of  the  Luther- 
an Church,  and  is  Independent  in  politics. 

JOHN  ALT,  miller,  Effingham,  was  born  in 
St.  Clair  County,  111.,  February  14,  1852,  son  of 
John  and  Mary  (Scharth)  Alt.  He  was  thirteen 
years  of  age,  when  his  parents  removed  to  this 
county  and  settled  in  Effingham,  and  our  sub- 
ject engaged  in  fiirmiug  until  he  was  eighteen. 
His  stepfather  bought  the  Old  City  Mills  about 
1866.  About  1870,  our  subject  entered  his 
present  mill,  and  remained  five  years,  when  he 
took  a  general  Western  tour,  stopping  in  Cali- 
fornia for  one  and  a  half  years.  He  returned 
in  November,  1876,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1877,  bought  an  interest  in  the  City  Mills,  and 
has  run  them  ever  since,  increasing  its  capacity 
and  improving  its  machinery.  Its  present  ca- 
pacity is  .seventy  barrels  per  day.  Flour  is  man- 
ufactured by  the  new  process,  and  the  mill  turns 
uot   several    brands — a    "Patent,"   "Straight," 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


"Gold  Dust"  and  "No.  1."  They  do  a  mer- 
chant and  exchange  business,  and  the  products 
of  the  mill  find  sale  in  the  local  market.  The 
firm  name  is  John  Alt  &  Co.,  our  subject  being 
in  partnership  with  his  step-father.  Christian 
Alt.  The  City  Mills  burned  in  1868,  and  were 
rebuilt  in  1869  at  a  cost  of  $10,000.  It  is  a 
three-story  frame,  35x50,  with  engine-room  at- 
tached; engine  is  thirty-five  horse  power,  and 
the  mill  require  altogether  five  men.  Subject 
was  married,  in  October,  1877,  to  Miss  Letitia 
Wade,  of  Btflngham.  The}'  have  one  son.  Mr. 
Alt's  father  died  in  St.  Clair  County,  this  State, 
when  he  (subject)  was  eleven  months  old. 

CHARLES  0.  ANDERSON,  merchant,  Ef- 
fingham, son  of  Enoch  Anderson,  was  born  in 
Shelby  County,  III.,  January  3,  1862.  He 
served  one  yea.r  as  clerk  in  Chicago,  111.,  and 
two  years  with  Eversman  &  Speck.  He  came 
to  Effingham  City  wlien  three  years  of  age,  and 
has  been  raised  aud  educated  in  the  public 
schools.  He  bought  the  confectionery  and  res- 
taurant of  W.  H.  Duddleston  in  September, 
1882,  and  has  since  conducted  the  business 
under  the  firm  name  of  C.  0.  Anderson  &  Co., 
near  the  post  olfice,  carrying  a  full  line  of 
confectioner}',  fine  fruits  and  oysters  and  ice 
cream,  in  their  respective  seasons.  His  parents 
were  both  natives  of  Sweden,  and  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1861. 

JONATHAN  A.  ARNOLD,  teacher,  Effing- 
ham, was  born  in  Jasper  County,  111.,  Novem- 
ber 8,  1845.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  county,  and  attended  one 
year  at  St.  Joseph's  College,  Teutopolis,  this 
county.  He  came  to  this  county  in  1863,  and 
clerked  in  a  store  in  Teutopolis  for  Venemann 
&  Co.  for  four  years,  and  afterward  three  years 
in  Effingham  for  Van  Norman  Bros.  About 
1871,  he  began  teaching  in  Liberty  Township, 
this  county,  and  lias  been  teaching  about  seven 
months  per  year  in  the.  county  ever  since.  In 
December,  1881,  he  was  appointed  Superin- 
tendent of  Schools  of  this  county  to  serve  an 


interim  between  two  terms  of  one  year.  He 
received  the  nomination  at  the  Democratic 
primary,  in  April,  1882,  for  the  same  office  for 
a  term  of  four  years.  He  had  served  as  Chair- 
man of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  for  three 
years  when  appointed,  and  had  served  as  Super- 
visor for  several  years  in  Banner  Township. 

E.  AUSTIN,  dairyman,  P.  0.  Effingham,  was 
born  August  29,  1842,  in  Hancock  County,  III., 
son  of  Seneca  and  Julia  (Burnett)  Austin,  he, 
born  in  1798,  in  Orwell,  Vt,  was  a  lawyer, 
editor  and  farmer,  and  died  in  Effingham,  in 
May,  1880;  she,  born  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  August 
29,  1812,  and  died  May  8,  1873,  in  Delhi,  Ohio. 
They  were  the  parents  of  four  children.  Our 
subject  received  his  education  in  Campbell 
County,  Ky.  He  was  a  farmer  in  early  life, 
also  taught  school,  and  learned  the  painter's 
trade.  He  was  married  in  Campbell  County, 
Ky.,  October  17,  1861,  to  Miss  Susan  L.  Winter, 
born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  November  23,  1841; 
daughter  of  William  and  Nancy  J.  Winter,  he 
a  native  of  England,  and  she  of  Kentucky, 
both  born  in  1798.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Austin  have 
nine  children -^Harry  B.,  Charles,  Cornelia, 
Frank  G.,  William,  Gustavus,  Calvin,  Julia  and 
Gertrude.  Our  subject  came  to  Illinois  in  1 862f 
and  resided  for  three  years  in  Jasper  County. 
He  then  came  to  this  county  and  worked  at 
the  painter's  trade  for  two  years.  He  then 
purchased  sixty-five  acres  of  land  near  the 
town,  and  now  has  105  acres,  on  which  he  has 
a  dairy,  market  garden  and  a  good  orchard. 
Mr.  Austin  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican. 

HON.  WILLIAM  H.  BARLOW,  attorney 
at  law,  Effingham  City,  was  born  in  Munford- 
ville.  Hart  Co.,  Ky.,  July  26,  1839.  At  the  age 
of  twelve,  he  came  with  bis  parents  to  Charles- 
ton, 111.,  where  he  lived  until  1868.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  spent  about 
two  years  in  Kenyon  College,  before  entering  the 
army.  In  July,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company 
H,  Fifty-ninth  Illinois  Infantry,  and  went  out 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


as  private.  lu  July,  1862,  he  was  promoted  to 
Assistant  Quartermaster,  witti  tlie  rank  of  Cap- 
tain of  volunteers,  and  was  in  tlie  Missouri 
Department  until  tlie  latter  part  of  1862,  join- 
ing Gen.  Sherman,  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  in  De- 
cember, 1862,  and  served  for  some  years  on 
Logan's  staff,  and  was  with  that  army  in  its 
various  changes,  and  was  on  Gen.  Sherman's 
staff  during  the  last  six  months  of  the  war. 
After  the  war  closed,  in  July,  1865,  he  was 
ordered  to  the  sea  coast,  where  he  remained 
until  October  following,  when  he  was  ordered 
to  Florida,  as  Chief  Quartermaster  of  the  State, 
with  headquarters  at  Tallahassee;  and  January, 
1866,  was  ordered  to  Fort  Garland,  Colorado, 
and  was  mustered  out  of  service  by  special 
order  from  the  War  Department,  No.  550, 
November  13,  1866,  being  the  last  of  the  volun- 
teer officers  of  Army  of  Tennessee  mustered 
out.  On  being  discharged,  Mr.  Barlow  went 
immediately  to  the  Law  Department  of  the 
University  of  Jlichigau  at  Ann  Arbor,  from 
which  he  graduated  March  25,  1868.  and  came 
to  Effingham  on  the  20th  of  May  following, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  April,  1868,  at 
Charleston,  111.  He  has  been  in  active  practice 
of  his  profession  here  ever  since.      July  20, 

1868,  he  formed  a  law  partnership  with  Benson 
and  Virgil  Wood,  which  lasted  until  November 
1,  1875,  and  has  since  been  alone.  He  was 
Chairman  of  the  Republican  County  Central 
Committee  in  1870,  and  in  1871  was  appointed 
United  States  Assessor  for  the  Eleventh  Dis- 
trict of  Illinois,  and  held  that  office  until  it  was 
abolished.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Repub- 
lican State  Central  Committee  of  Illinois  from 
1870  to  1878,  and  was  a  delegate  from  the 
Fifteenth  Congressional  District  of  Illinois  to 
the  National  Republican  Convention,  at  Chica- 
go, in  1880,  and  was  one  of  the  famous  '•  306." 
He  was  the  late  Republican  nominee  for 
Congress  in  the  Seventeenth  Congressional  Dis- 
trict of  Illinois.     He  was  married,  March  11, 

1869,  at  Green  Castle,  lud.,  to  Miss  Ella  Allen. 


They  had  one  child,  now  deceased.  His  father, 
John  P.  Barlow,  was  born  in  Virginia,  removed 
to  Kentucky  when  a  boy,  and  resided  in  Hart 
County  until  1853,  engaged  in  merchandising. 
He  came  to  Charleston,  111.,  in  1853,  and  re- 
sided there  until  1869,  when  he  came  to  Effing- 
ham, and"  is  now  living  with  subject  in  his 
seventy -seventh  year. 

H.  BECKMANN,  furniture,  Effingham,  was 
born  in  Germany  January  6, 1838,  son  of  Bern- 
hard  and  Mary  (Brinck)  Beckmann,  natives 
also  of  Germany;  he,  born  in  1780,  and  died  in 
his  native  country  in  1840;  she,  born  in  1783, 
and  is  still  living  in  Germany.  They  had  four 
children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters.  Our 
subject  received  his  schooling  in  his  native  land, 
whei'e  he  also  learned  the  carpenter's  trade. 
He  came  to  the  United  States  in  the  fall  of 
1868,  coming  to  this  county,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  He  was  married,  November  5,  1868, 
in  Etfingliam,  to  Miss  Caroline  Bussemeyer, 
born  in  Germaii3'  in  1843,  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Mary  (Meckmau)  Bussemej'cr,  natives  also 
of  Germany.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beckmann  have 
had  five  children,  four  of  whom  are  living — 
Bernhard,  Augusta.  Mary  and  Clara.  During 
the  years  1861, 1862  and  1863,  our  subject  was 
in  the  German  Army,  a  member  of  the  Thirty- 
ninth  Fusileers.  In  1866,  he  was  in  the  Aus- 
trian war,  and  was  engaged  in  the  battles  of 
Schaffenburg  and  Hammelburg,  and  two  other 
minor  engagements.  Mr.  Beckmann  has  been 
in  the  furniture  and  undertaking  business  for 
four  years,  and  has  a  good  stock  of  goods.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  in 
polities  is  a  Democrat. 

EZRA  H.  BISHOP,  merchant,  EfBngham 
City,  was  born  in  Hardy  County,  now  West 
Virginia,  February  10,  1837.  He  came  with 
his  parents  to  this  county  when  in  his  fifth 
year.  They  first  settled  in  Summit  Township, 
at  Blue  Point,  where  the  father  opened  a  farm 
and  resided  there  about  three  years,  and  then 
removed  to  Freemanton,  a  village  on  the  old 


6 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


National  Road,  where  he  kept  a  small  store 
and  practiced  medicine.  Our  subject  grew  up 
in  the  village,  and  went  to  one  of  the  delapi- 
dated  schools  of  that  day  about  three  mouths 
in  winter,  and,  at  fifteen,  began  teaming  and 
hauling  produce  to  St.  Louis,  and  brought  mer- 
chaudise  back.  His  father  brought  the  first 
steam-mill  to  the  county,  which  he  located  at 
Fremanton  about  1851  or  1852.  It  was  both 
a  grist  and  saw  mill,  aud  a  carding  machine 
being  attached  to  it  also.  After  the  mill  came, 
our  suliject  hauled  logs  and  cord  wood  until 
about  1855  or  1856,  when  the  mill  was  sold. 
He  remained  on  the  farm  until  of  age,  and 
continued  farming  for  himself  until  the 
war  broke  out.  He  came  to  PJtflngham  in 
1863,  and,  in  1865,  he  began  clerking  with  A. 
Stewart,  and  continued  as  salesman  and  book- 
keeper with  him  for  fourteen  years,  and,  in 
March,  1880,  opened  a  dry  goods  store  for  him- 
self on  Jeflierson  street,  where  he  has  since 
done  a  successful  business.  His  father,  Jacob 
Bishop,  was  born  in  Virginia,  but  spent  his 
earl^-  life  in  Ohio,  where  he  married  Sarah 
Hook,  of  Licking  County,  that  State.  He 
came  to  Effingham  County  October  1,  1841, 
where  he  passed  the  remainder  of  Ms  dajs. 
He  died  in  18G8,  in  his  fifty-ninth  year.  He 
was  the  father  of  eleven  children — John  W. 
(a  farmer  in  this  couuty),  Ezra  H.  (suliject), 
Melissa  0.  (wife  of  Joseph  Young,  of  this 
count}'),  and  Sophrouia  E.  (wife  of  John  Kelker, 
of  Pueblo,  Colo).  Our  subject's  father  studied 
medicine  in  Ohio,  with  a  view  to  self-improve- 
ment, and,  after  coming  here,  without  auj'  in- 
tention of  practicing,  was  drawn  into  a  large 
practice.  He  had  but  little  means  when  he 
came,  but  was  quite  successful.  He  and  his 
family  were  Methodists,  and  he  was  for  manj' 
years  a  local  preacher. 

SAMUEL  BLATTNER,  Effingham  City. 
Prominently  identified  among  the  busiBess 
men  of  this  place  is  the  gentleman  whose 
name  heads  this   sketch.     He   is  a  native  of 


Knetingen,  Canton  Argau,  Switzerland,  and 
was  born  November  13,  1831.  He  is  a  son 
of  John  Blattner,  who  was  born  in  1797,  in 
Switzerland,  his  occupation  that  of  a  tailor; 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1834,  and  died 
in  Madison  County,  111.  Anna  Blattner,  the 
mother  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  1804,  in 
Canton  Argau,  Switzerland,  and  died  in 
Highland,  Madison  Co.,  111.  There  are  thir- 
teen children  in  the  family,  seven  of  whom 
are  now  living.  Mr.  Blattner  went  to  school 
only  a  part  of  three  months,  in  Highland, 
111.  He  is  mainly  self-educated.  He  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1834.  He  first  land- 
ed in  New  York,  then  went  to  St.  Louis. 
From  there  he  went  to  Madison  County,  111. 
He  worked  on  a  farm  there  till  he  was  nine- 
teen years  of  age,  when  he  learned  the  black- 
smith's trade  in  Highland,  111.,  where  he  was 
married,  June  6,  1854,  to  Miss  Anna  Keaser. 
who  first  beheld  the  light  of  the  world  in 
Switzerland,  in  February,  1828.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Barbara  Keaser,  both 
of  whom  were  born  in  Switzerland.  Mr. 
Blattner  has  one  daughter,  named  Barbara, 
born  in  1855,  in  Highland,  III.  She  was 
married  to  Mr.  Albert  Gravenhorst,  whose 
father  is  the  editor  of  the  German  paper 
known  as  the  Effingham  Volksblat.  Mr. 
Blattner  enlisted  in  the  Second  Missouri  In- 
fantry, Company  K,  May  19,  1861.  He  was 
in  the  battles  of  Booneville,  Mo. ;  Wilson 
Creek,  Pea  Ridge,  Shiloh,  Corinth,  Perry- 
ville  and  Stone  River,  where  he  was  wound- 
ed, and  after  that  be  served  in  the  Invalid 
Corps,  doing  provost  duty  in  New  York  State 
until  he  was  discharged,  September  10,  1864. 
In  religion,  our  subject  is  a  Lutheran;  also 
an  old  Jeffersonian  Democrat.  After  the 
war,  Mr.  Blattner  came  to  Edgewood,  Effing- 
ham County,  in  which  place  he  went  into  the 
liquor  business,  which  he  continued  after 
coming  to  Effingham.    111.,    in    1878.       He 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


draws    a   pension,    and  was    at    one   time   a 
Trustee  in  Edgewood. 

JOSHUA  BRADLEY,  marble  dealer,  Effing- 
ham, was  born  in  Jackson  County,  111.,  Octo- 
ber 10,  1823  ;  came  to  Efflingham  County  in 
April,  1843;  bought  an  improved  tract  of  land 
of  John  G.  McCann  in  Section  29,  in  what  is 
now  Summit  Township,  and  still  owned  by 
subject.  He  paid  S150  for  the  improvement 
and  afterward  entered  it  at  different  times  until 
he  acquired  180  acres.  Subject  devoted  his 
attention  to  farming  until  1858,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Effingham  and  engaged  in  stone- 
work. His  father  was  a  stone-cutter  and  mason 
in  Jackson  Countj-,  111.,  and  made  tombstones 
there,  and  suliject  learned  that  business.  In 
1846,  he  began  making  and  furnishing  grave- 
stones out  of  sandstone,  and  some  are  still 
standing  at  Freemanton  and  Ewington  which 
are  in  good  condition  after  thirtj-six  j-ears  of 
exposure.  He  quarried  the  stone,  some  on 
Coon  Creek,  Mound  Township,  and  dressed 
them  himself;  also,  made  grindstones  when 
they  were  desired;  worked  at  this  in  the  fall, 
also  worked  on  the  stone-work  of  the  Illinois 
Central.  In  1858  moved  to  Effingham  and 
remained  until  1861,  when  he  went  back  to  his 
farm  until  1864,  when  he  again  came  to  Effing- 
ham and  engaged  in  the  marble  business,  con- 
tinuing here  until  1868,  when  he  moved  his 
stock  to  his  farm  and  carried  on  marble  busi- 
ness and  farming  until  1875,  when  he  removed 
to  Altamont  and  established  a  business  in  con- 
nection with  his  son  John  H.  Bradley,  and 
continued  there  until  February  1877,  when  he 
again  went  back  to  the  farm  and  remained 
there  for  two  years.  In  the  fall  of  1879,  he  re-  * 
moved  to  Effingham  where  he  had  formed  a 
partnership  with  James  A.  Flack  and  Daniel 
Safford,  and  has  since  continued  the  marble 
works  on  Main  and  Railroad  streets,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Bradley,  Flack  &  Saf- 
ford. Mr.  Bradley  attends  to  the  outside 
business  of  the  firm  and   the    remaining  part- 


ner's attend  to  the  shop  interests.  The  father 
of  our  subject,  James  H.  Bradley,  was  born  in 
North  Carolina  and  raised  in  Middle  Tennes- 
see, and  came  to  Illinois  about  1818,  settling 
with  his  father  in  Jackson  County.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Martha  Hughes,  daughter  of  James 
Hughes.  She  was  born  in  Randolph  County, 
in  the  Territory  of  Illinois,  in  October  15, 1804. 
She  was  raised  three  miles  northeast  of  Kas- 
kaskia,  and  was  acquainted  with  all  of  the 
principal  Indians  in  that  part  of  the  State. 
James  Hughes  came  with  some  of  his  family 
from  Kentucky  about  the  beginning  of  the 
century.  From  Reynolds'  History  of  Illinois, 
we  learn  that  James  Hughes  taught  an  evening 
school,  which  brought  ex-Gov.  Reynolds  and 
other  j'oung  men  from  five  miles  around  in 
that  vicinity  to  prepare  for  college.  James 
Hughes  was  a  Major  during  the  war  of  1812 
and  the  Indian  troubles  in  ranger  service.  One 
of  his  sons  held  all  of  the  principal  offices  in 
Randolph  Countj-.  Mother  of  subject  died  at 
the  age  of  forty-one  in  Jackson  County,  and 
his  father  died  in  Jackson  on  his  homestead 
in  Bradlej-  Township  in  1866.  He  served  as 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  about  twelve  years, 
and  had  seven  sons  and  seven  daughters,  five 
of  whom  are  now  living.  Subject  was  married 
in  March,  1843,  to  Mrs.  Matilda  S.  Flack,  widow 
of  Milton  Flack,  by  whom  she  had  one  son, 
James  A.  Flack,  now  a  partner  in  present  firm. 
His  father  was  born  otx  the  Four  Mill  Prairie, 
in  Perry  County,  111.,  where  his  father  had 
settled  in  pioneer  times.  Mrs.  Bradley  was 
the  daughter  of  Andrew  Bourland,  who  died 
at  Vandalia,  where  he  was  Justice  of  the  Peace 
and  Postmaster  at  Vandalia,  111.,  at  the  time  of 
his  death  in  1842.  Subject  has  four  sons  and 
two  daughters  bj'  his  marriage,  one  daughter 
and  one  son  dead.  Those  living  are  :  Ben- 
jamin F.,  of  Effingham;  Joshua  F.,  of  Bon- 
ham,  Texas;  John  H.,  of  rfTerre  Haute,  and 
Mary  V.,  wife  of  A.  J.  Gloyd,  of  Williams- 
ville.  111. 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


WILLIAM  S.  BRADLEY,  tie  contractor, 
Effingham,  was  born  in  Wilson  County,  Tenn., 
October  9,  1835.  He  was  six  years  old  when 
he  came  with  his  uncle,  Morris  Bradlej-,  in 
1841,  to  this  count}-.  He  rode  behind  his  uncle 
on  horseback  from  Tennessee,  being  eight  days 
on  the  wa}-.  His  uncle  bought  land  in  Mason 
Township,  where  he  (uncle)  resided  until  his 
death  about  1876.  Our  subject  grew  upon  the 
farm  and  lived  with  his  uncle,  going  to  school 
three  miles  distant,  across  the  creek  in 
Mason  Township,  near  the  side  of  the  Wabash 
Church.  He  woi-ked  on  a  farm  b}'  the  month 
until  they  began  the  construction  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad,  on  which  he  worked  three 
years.  He  then  bought  new  land  and  opened 
up  a  farm  near  IMason,  and  still  owns  land 
there.  He  farmed  with  good  success  until 
1875,  when  he  began  working  in  timber,  and 
has  been  a  tie  contractor  since,  working  from 
fifteen  to  twenty-five  men  for  the  last  five  years. 
His  parents  died  when  he  was  three  years  old, 
and  they  died  about  six  months  apart,  and  he 
was  cared  for  by  an  aunt,  until  he  came  to 
this  count}'.  He  was  married,  ip  1857,  to  Miss 
Rowena  Brockett,  daughter  of  James  Brockett, 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  county.  They 
had  two  sons,  both  living.  Mrs.  Bradley  died 
September,  1871.  Our  subject  was  married  a 
second  time,  Februarj-  7, 1876,  to  Miss  Minerva 
Martin,  daughter  of  Moses  Blartin.  They  have 
one  daughter. 

THOMAS  H.  BRAND,  proprietor  California 
House,  Effingham,  was  born  in  Cambridge- 
shire, England,  April  20,  1825.  He  came 
to  United  States,  in  his  fourteenth  j'ear  with 
his  older  brother,  and  settled  at  Flo3'd  Hill, 
Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  lived  with  his  brother 
there  on  a  farm  until  1849.  In  that  3'ear,  he 
was  sent  bj'  Emmonal  Potter,  of  Floyd  Hill,  N. 
Y.,  to  California — the  contract  was  that  Mr. 
Brand  was  to  give  Mr.  Potter  one-half  of  all 
he  made  in  the  mines  for  two  years,  and  Mr. 
Potter  to  pay  his  passage  except  $50.     Subject 


sailed  around  Cape  Horn,  and  was  157  days 
from  New  York  City  to  San  Francisco,  Cal., 
ten  days  being  spent  in  the  port  of  Valparaiso, 
Chili.  On  his  arrival,  Mr.  Brand  worked  in 
the  mines  for  three  years;  and  had  acquired 
considerable  money,  but  lost  $1,800,  all 
he  had,  as  did  many  others,  as  the  vent- 
ure proved  a  failure.  They  had  to  paj-  $2 
per  pound  for  flour,  and  high  prices  for  other 
things.  At  the  end. of  the  two  j-ears,  Mr. 
Brand  had  nothing,  and  the  fourth  year  he 
engaged  in  the  gardening  business  with  James 
L.  Halstead  at  Volcano,  in  Calaveras  County, 
Cal.  The  gardening  was  a  great  success,  and 
he  sold  potatoes  at  50  cents  per  pound,  and 
some  hills  contained  eighteen  pounds.  Mr. 
Brand  came  home  via  the  Nicaragua  route  in 
1853,  and  returned  to  his  native  county,  and, 
although  not  legall}'  or  morally  responsible  to 
his  benefactor,  he  paid  his  heirs  $500,  and  still 
holds  receipt  for  the  same.     In  the  spring  of 

1853,  Mr.  Brand  went  to  Rock  County,  Wis., 
where  he  bought  an  improved  farm  of  about 
seventj--five  acres,  which  he  sold  to  his  brother 
in  the  fall  of  1853,  and  having  met  James 
Baldwin,  of  Utica,  N.  Y.,  while  in  the  mines,  he 
was  induced  by  a  liberal  offer  by  him  to  cross 
the  plains  California,  and  proceeded  as  far  as 
Louis,  when  he  gave  up  the  project  and  settled 
at  Edwardsville,  111.,  where  he  stopped  for  a 
short  time,  and  then  went  to  Clark  County, 
Mo.,  where  he  bought  and  opened  up  a  farm  in 

1854,  and  remained  there  until  the  war  broke 
out  and  bj-  hard  work  was  in  good  circum- 
stances. In  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  Seventh 
Missouri  Cavalry  under  Col.  Bishop,  and 
-served  until  he  was  discharged  on  account  of 
disability.  He  sold  his  stock  after  his  dis- 
charge, and  removed  back  to  Edwardsville,  111., 
and  in  18G4,  he  enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred 
and  Fiftieth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  under 
Col.  Springer,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  and  returned  to  Edwardsville,  111.  Mr. 
Brand  bought  a  farm  in  Madison  County,  111., 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AKD  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


which  he  conducted  for  some  time.  In  1869, 
he  came  to  Effingham,  a'  d  leased  the  building 
now  known  as  the  '•  California  House,"  of  Gil- 
more  &  Watson,  and  afterward  bought,  and 
conducted  it  as  a  restaurant  for  a  time,  and 
has  run  it  as  a  hotel  for  many  j-ears.  He  has 
enlarged  it  until  it  has  at  present  twenty -two 
rooms  with  dining-room,  sample  rooms  and 
office.  It  has  been  run  under  the  name  of 
the  California  House  for  the  past  eiglit  years. 
Mr.  Brand  came  here  in  September,  18G9,  and, 
in  October  of  that  year,  while  trying  to  blow 
the  soot  out  of  the  chimney  with  powder,  it 
exploded  in  his  face,  putting  out  both  of  his 
ej'es.  He  was  married  in  1853  in  Oneida,  N. 
Y.,  to  Miss  Harriet  .S.  Mason,  of  Floyd.  N.  Y. 
They  have  six  children  living,  and  four  de- 
ceased. 

WILLIAM  EDWIN  BUCKNER,  the  oldest 
child  of  Josiah  and  Lorana  (Henry)  Buckner, 
was  horn  in  Larkinsburg  Township,  Chi}-  Co., 
111.,  September  24,  185G.  His  birthplace  was 
known  as  the  Joseph  Henry  farm,  three-fourths 
of  a  mile  from  the  present  town  of  Edgewood, 
in  Effingham  Count}'.  His  parents  lived  on 
this  place  for  one  year,  and  then  moved  to  Edge- 
wood,  which  was  then  just  being  built,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  which 
was  then,  in' the  year  1856,  completed,  when  his 
father  built  the  first  house  of  this  thriving  little 
town.  His  parents,  after  remaining  here  two 
years,  moved  to  the  town  of  Mason,  where  they 
resided  for  two  years  more,  when,  in  the  fall  of 
1860,  thej'  again  removed  to  their  former  home 
in  Clay  Count}-.  They  stayed  here  during  the 
fall  and  winter  of  1861,  when,  in  the  spring  of 
1862,  the}-  moved  back  to  Mason.  At  this  time 
his  father  enlisted  in  the  throe-months'  service, 
subject  to  Lincoln's  first  call.  He  joined  Col. 
W.  H.  L.  Wallace's  Eleventh  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  which  afterward  made  itself  famous  on 
many  a  hard-fought  field.  His  position  was 
second  drummer,  he  being  the  first  assistant  to 
the   famous  James  B.  McQuillan;   served  out 


his  time,  and  in  the  fall  of  18G2,  went  to  White 
County  and  joined  the  Eighty-seventh  Regiment, 
Col.  John  E.  Whitney,  uncle  of  our  subject,  as 
Drum  Major.  This  regiment  was  afterward 
known  as  the  Eighty-seventh  Illinois.  Now, 
for  three  years  young  William  had  fun,  his  prin- 
cipal amusement  being  to  play  the  truant  from 
school.  He  went  to  school  just  when  it  pleased 
him,  uU  the  arguments  to  the  contrary  notwith- 
standing. His  time  was  spent  while  out  of  school 
in  going  to  the  creek  to  bathe,  riding  on  the 
cars,  feats  at  pugilism  with  his  playmates,  play- 
ing soldiers,  and  joining  many  an  innocent  band 
of  young  marauders  on  the  various  apple  or- 
chards throughout  the  neighliorhood.  The  or- 
chard belonging  to  good  old  "Granny  Ruflfner" 
escaped,  the  secret  being  a  huge  mastiff  which 
she  kept  at  her  house,  and  whose  bark  and  fierce 
look  at  once  struck  terror  to  the  heart  of  the 
young  Buckner.  After  the  war  was  over,  his 
father  returned  home,  and  in  the  spring  of  1866, 
the  family  moved  to  a  farm  north  of  Mason, 
where  for  most  of  the  time  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  resided  with  his  parents,  until  the  spring 
of  1880,  when  he  came  to  Effingham  and  en- 
tered the  office  of  Cooper  &  Gillmore,  to  com- 
plete his  law  studies,  which  had  been  commenced 
some  four  years  prior  to  this  time.  His  study 
of  the  law  was  begun  in  1876  with  the  Hon.  H. 
B.  Kepley,  with  whom  he  studied  for  four  or 
five  mouths,  when  he  went  back  to  the  farm. 
Here  for  the  next  few  years  was  a  struggle  for 
him.  Possessiuj;  a  great  desire  to  complete  his 
law  studies,  he  worked  early  and  late,  using  all 
his  spare  time  of  mornings,  noons-nnd  evenings 
in  study.  It  was  during  this  time  that  he  read 
over  Blackstone,  Kent  and  Parsons  on  Contracts. 
During  the  spring,  summer,  fall  and  winter  of 
1878,  he  in  this  way  read  Parsons  on  Contracts 
three  times.  Parsons  has  always  been  his  fav- 
orite law-writer.  The  winter  of  1870  and  1880 
was  spent  in  teaching  the  home  district  school 
at  $25  per  month.  This  money  was  used  in 
helping  to  complete  his  law  studies.     He  re- 


10 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


mained  in  the  office  of  Cooper  &  Gillmore  until 
August,  1881,  when,  at  Mount  Vernon,  111.,  he 
passed  a  successful  examination  before  the  Ap- 
pellate Court,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  he 
being  one  of  the  twent3'-six  out  a  class  of  thirt}'- 
four.  After  his  admission,  he  settled  in  Van- 
dalia,  where  he  remained  for  four  months,  re- 
turning to  Effingham  and  opening  an  office  in 
the  Register  Building  in  March,  1882.  His  first 
case  in  the  circuit  was  the  defense  of  three  fel- 
lows for  highway  rohberj',  in  which  he  was  un- 
successful, the  proof  against  them  being  so  strong 
as  to  prevent  an  acquittal.  His  law  reading 
has  been  quite  extensive,  Blackstone,  Kent, 
Parsons  on  Contracts,  Chitty.  Goidd  and  Ste- 
phen on  Pleading,  Greenleaf  on  Evidence, 
Bishop  on  Criminal  Law,  Storj'  and  Adams  on 
Equity,  Stor3-  on  Equity  Pleading,  Reeves  on 
Domestic  Relation,  Danille's  Chancery  Practice, 
Washburn  on  Real  Property,  besides  several 
minor  works,  man}-  of  them  having  been  read 
and  recited  a  number  of  times.  He  cannot 
boast  of  a  long  line  of  royal  ancestors.  His 
grandfather,  Philip  Buckner,  was  a  sturdj'  old 
Kentucky  farmer,  who  moved  to  this  count}-  in 
1835,  where  our  subject's  fathei-,  Josiah  Buck- 
ner, was  born,  August  1,  1835,  and  who  has 
since  pursued  the  occupation  of  a  farmer,  till 
1881,  when  he  removed  to  the  city  of  Effing- 
ham, where  he  has  since  resided.  His  mother 
was  Lorana  Henry,  the  oldest  daughter  of 
Joseph  Heur}-,  who  was  a  sou  of  Elijah  Henry, 
who  also  was  a  Kentuck}-  farmer  and  black- 
smith, and  who  moved  from  Kentucky  to  Law- 
rence County,  Ind.,  and  thence  to  this  State,  in 
the  latter  part  of  the  decade  of  1840,  or  the  be- 
ginning of  1850.  Elijah  Heni-y  is  known  and 
esteemed  by  mauj'  of  the  oldest  citizens  of  this 
county  for  the  many  excellent  varieties  of 
fruit  trees  which  his  nursery  at  Mason  contained. 
Manj-  of  the  oldest  and  best  orchards  in  this 
county  were  grown  from  the  "Henrj'  Nursery." 
Josiah  Buckner  and  Lorana  Henry  were  joined 
in  the  bonds  of  holy  matrimony,  in  the  city  of 
\ 


St.  Louis,  May  4,  1855,  for  the  simple  and  well- 
known  reason  that  the  paternal  of  Lorana  ob- 
jected to  Josiah  paying  his  attentions  to  their 
daughter,  much  less  allowing  them  to  be  mar- 
ried at  home.  But.  like  a  gi-eat  manj-  marriages 
whicli  have  been  contracted  under  similar  dif- 
ficulties, the  old  folks  relented,  and  clasped  the 
young  and  happy  couple  to  their  bosoms  on 
their  return  home.  The  old  gentleman  at  once 
decided  having  Josiah  to  live  on  the  farm  with 
him,  and  started  him  in  life  as  best  he  was  able. 
Mrs.  Buckner  is  a  grand-daughter  of  the  man 
who  was  Heur}'  Cla5''s  blacksmith.  Their 
union  has  been  a  happy  one,  being  blessed  by 
seven  children — William  E.,  Jemima  J.,  Levi 
L.,  Henry  C,  Franklin  F..  Philip  0.,  Aurora. 
Of  these,  two — Jemima  J.  and  Henry  C. — passed 
away  to  that  better  and  happier  land  in  their 
infancy. 

HENRY  E.  BURBACH,  saloon,  Effingham, 
was  born  on  the  River  Rhine,  town  of  Cologne, 
Prussia,  December  2,  1835.  His  father's  name 
was  Joseph  Burbach.  he  was  born  in  the  same 
place  about  the  year  1806.  He  now  resides  in 
Milwaukee.  His  mother's  name,  before  mar- 
riage, was  Catharine  Bodden;  she  was  also 
born  in  the  same  place  in  1808;  she  died  in 
1841,  and  was  buried  there.  There  were  three 
children  in  the  family,  one  boj-  and  two  girls. 
Subject  was  educated  at  a  common  school.  In 
1854,  while  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  came  with 
his  parents  to  America,  and  settled  with  them 
in  Milwaukee,  where  he  learned  the  cooper  trade. 
He  worked  at  the  business  one  year  as  a  jour- 
neyman, and,  in  1851,  removed  to  New  Bruns- 
wick; after  a  stay  here  from  fall  until  spring, 
he  went  to  St.  Joe,  Mo.;  from  there  to  New 
Orleans  and  St.  Louis.  He  was  married,  in 
1864,  to  Miss  Catharine  Seamon,  of  Chicago. 
She  was  born  in  Prussia.  Her  father's  name 
was  Michael  Seamon,  who  was  born  in  Prussia. 
Subject  enlisted  in  Ninth  Illinois  Cavalry  De- 
cember 27,  1861;  was  promoted  Orderly  Ser- 
geant, and  served  during  the  war,  and,  with 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AKD  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


11 


the  exception  of  a  brief  period,  was  with  his 
regiment  during  all  their  marching  and  fight- 
ing. He  was  discharged  December  9,  1864. 
His  children  are  Lena,  Kate,  Margaret, 
Henry  and  Joseph.  After  his  discharge  from 
the  service,  he  returned  to  Milwaukee,  where, 
after  a  short  st.av.  he  went  to  Chicago,  and  en- 
gaged in  keeping  a  boarding-house.  He  came 
to  Effingham  in  1870. 

GEORGE  BUSSE,  farmer,  P.  0.  Teutopolis, 
son  of  Gerhard  and  Maggie  (Uphouse)  Busse, 
was  born  in  this  couutj-  in  1851.  He  is  the 
fifth  child  of  the  family  which  consists  of  nine 
children,  all  born  in  Illinois  except  Henry,  who 
was  born  in  Ohio.  His  father  has  always 
farmed,  both  in  this  and  the  old  country  (Ger- 
many). On  arriving  in  America,  he  settled 
first  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  remained 
some  six  j-ears;  previous  to  his  removal  to  Illi- 
nois, he  had  purchased  fortj'  acres  through  the 
colony  agency,  and,  after  his  arrival,  bought 
sixt^-  acres  adjoining  his  first  purchase.  He 
came  to  America  in  183-1,  and  was  married  in 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1840.  Mr.  Busse,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  was  married  in  Eftingham 
County,  in  1867,  to  Miss  Mary  Wesling,  of  the 
same  county,  but  who  was  born  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio.  They  have  three  children — Louie,  Henry 
and  Bidy.  Mr.  Busse  was  educated  in  Teu- 
topolis.    He  is  a  farmer  bv  occupation. 

SAMUEL  CAMPBP^LL,  lumber  dealer,  Ef- 
fingham, was  born  in  Somerset,  Perry  Co.,  Ohio, 
July  31,  1832.  He  was  engaged  in  thegrocery 
business  before  the  war,  beginning  at  sixteen 
years  of  age,  and  continued  until  1862,  when 
he  joined  the  Armj'  of  the  Cumberland,  and 
was  sutler  for  the  Ninetieth  Ohio  Regiment 
until  1864,  when  he  returned  home  and  en- 
gaged in  the  hardware  business  in  Somerset 
until  1871,  when  he  removed  to  Effingham, 
where  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  lumber  and 
milling  business  ever  since.  In  Jul}-,  1879, 
he  located  his  present  lumber  yards  near  the 
track   of  the   Vandalia   line,    near   which    he 


owned  and  conducted  a  saw  and  planing  mill. 
He  removed  the  saw-mill  in  Mav,  1882,  to 
Watson  Township,  where  he  bought  a  tract  of 
timber  and  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
lumber  for  this  market.  The  milling  interest 
employs  fourteen  men.  Our  subject  was  mar- 
ried in  1854  to  Miss  Sarah  Kuhns,  of  Perry 
County,  Ohio.  The}'  have  three  sons  and  six 
daughters  living — Albert  H.,  James  V.,  Will- 
iam, Mar}',  Callie,  Emma,  Rosa,  Laura  and 
Mabel. 

WILLIAM  BREWSTER  COOPER,  attor- 
ney, Effingham,  born  in  Plymouth,  Mass., 
March  8,  1835,  son  of  William  R.  and  Eme- 
line  (De  Pallies)  Cooper.  His  ancestor,  Jo- 
seph Cooper,  came  over  in  the  year  1640,  from 
England.  He  was  a  farmer  and  weaver,  who 
settled  in  Plymouth  and  married  Elizabeth 
Brewster,  daughter  of  Elder  William  Bi'ew- 
ster,  who  came  over  in  the  Mayflower,  and 
the  original  homestead  of  his  is  in  posses- 
sion of  his  descendants  by  the  Cooper  family. 
Subject  is  the  fourth  generation  from  JosepTi 
Cooper,  and  the  fifth  from  Elder  William 
Brewster.  His  paternal  grandmother  was 
Lucy  Taylor,  daughter  of  Lucy  Standish,  a 
descendant  from  Miles  Standish,  of  the  May- 
flower. For  many  generations  the  family 
were  Whigs  and  Unitarians,  and  his  father 
became  an  ardent  Abolitionist,  and  a  conduct- 
or on  the  "Underground  Railroad. "  Subject 
was  the  first  Democrat  in  the  family,  and 
lived  in  the  East  until  fifteen  years  old.  He 
was  prepared  for  the  junior  year  in  Harvard 
College  in  the  private  academy  of  Charles 
Burton,  still  teaching  in  Plymouth,  Mass. 
He  entered  the  senior  class,  and  graduated 
in  1851.  Of  all  the  graduates  from  the 
founding  of  Harvard  to  1851,  Mr.  Cooper 
was  the  youngest,  except  one  other,  and  stood 
No.  13  in  a  class  of  over  one  thousand 
members.  After  leaving  school,  he  came 
West  to  Denmark,  Iowa,  then  a  small  country 


13 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


hamlet  of  about  three  hundred  people, 
and  site  of  a  Congregational  Church  and 
academy.  Subject  clerked  in  a  store  for 
a  short  time,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  the 
fall  of  1852,  and  taught  school  that  winter 
near  Rushville,  Schuyler  Co.,  111.,  and  stud- 
ied law  during  that  winter  by  personal  effort, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Canton,  Mo. , 
in  May,  1853,  and  immediately  afterward  at 
Rushville,  111.  During  the  summer,  he 
taught  the  academy  at  Clayton,  111.,  a  Pres- 
byterian institution,  and  one  of  his  pupils 
was  Rev.  Leonard  W.  King,  afterward  Pro- 
fessor of  Tuanguages  in  University  of  Vir- 
ginia. At  the  expiration  of  term  of  school,  he 
went  to  Salem,  Iowa,  where  he  located  for 
practice,  and  got  some  legal  work  to  do  in 
surrounding  country  towns.  He  came  from 
Salem  directly  to  Ewingtou,  this  county,  in 
May,  1854,  and  began  the  practice  of  law  as 
the  partner  of  W.  J.  Stephenson,  who  shortly 
after  removed  to  Clay  County,  111.,  the  part- 
nership still  existing.  Mr.  Coop)er  was  but 
nineteen  years  old  when  he  caiue,  and  at  once 
took  the  lead,  and  gave  to  the  Effingham  bar 
its  distinctive  character.  He  was  married, 
in  December,  1855,  to  Miss  Jane  Iddings,  of 
Salem,  Iowa.  There  are  two  children  (sons) 
living  of  that  marriage,  and  three  dead.  The 
first  wife  died  in  November,  1865,  and  Mi-. 
Cooper  married,  December  2,  18G9,  Miss  Har- 
riet' E.  Leith,  of  Mason,  this  county,  by 
which  union  there  are  two  daughters  and  a 
son.  Mr.  Cooper  brought  the  first  printing 
press  to  the  county,  and  started  the  Effing- 
ham Pioneer,  printed  at  Ewington.  He  is 
Strongly  Republican. 

SAMUEL  CLARK,  physician,  Effingham 
City,  was  born  in  Piketon,  Pike  Co. ,  Ohio, 
October  22,  1831,  son  of  John  and  Abigail 
(Sumner)  Clark,  he,  born  in  Cumberland 
County,  Ohio,  in  1802,  and  died  in  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  in  1851;  she,    born  in  Peacham, 


Caledonia  Co.,  Vt.,  and  died  in  Shelby  Coun- 
ty, this  State,  in  December,  1876.  They 
were  farmers,  and  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren— four  sons  and  live  daughters.  Our 
subject  received  his  early  schooling  in  Ports- 
mouth, Ohio,  and  attended  a  course  of  study 
at  the  Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago,  and 
also  at  the  St.  Louis  Medical  College,  where 
he  received  his  diploma.  He  was  married, 
in  Shelbyville,  this  State,  February  2,  1858, 
to  Miss  Margia  Harris,  born  in  Shelbyville  in 
May,  1837,  daughter  of  David  L.  and  Eliza- 
beth Harris.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark  have  had 
four  children,  two  of  whom  are  living — Dora, 
now  the  wife  of  James  T.  Potter;  and  John 
D.,  a  lawyer  by  profession,  being  a  graduate 
of  Eureka  College,  and  the  Bloomington  (111.) 
Law  School.  Our  subject  has  always  fol- 
lowed his  profession.  He  practiced  about 
twenty  years  in  Ramsey,  this  State,  about 
five  years  in  Altamont,  this  county,  and,  Oc- 
tober 5,  1882,  he  came  to  Effingham,  where 
he  intends  to  reside  in  the  future.  He  is  at 
present  editor  of  the  Democrat,  a  weekly 
journal  published  at  Ramsey,  this  State.  He 
is  also  a  partner  in  a  general  merchandise 
store  on  the  corner  of  Jefferson  and  Front 
streets,  in  which  a  full  stock  of  goods  is  con- 
stantly kept.  In  politics,  the  Doctor  is  a 
conservative  Democrat,  voting  always  for 
whom  he  considers  the  best  man. 

AL ANSON  CROOKER,  landlord,  Effing- 
ham, was  born  in  Delaware  County,  N.  Y., 
in  September,  1812.  He  came  to  Lawrenee- 
bui'g,  Ind.,  when  a  young  man,  and  there 
married  Agnes  Henrietta  Craig,  and,  several 
years  before  the  war,  went  to  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  where  he  lived  twenty  years,  and 
while  there  his  wife  died,  leaving  four  chil 
dren — Jacob,  Phillip,  Mary  and  Alanson — 
the  youngest  being  eight  years  old  when  the 
mother  died.  The  youngest  son  and  daugh- 
ter came  North,  and  were  raised  by  Mrs.  W. 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


13 


H.  Blakely,  of  this  county,  who  was  their 
auut.  Jacob  and  Phillip  joined  the  Union 
army.  Oui"  subject  married  a  second  time, 
in  1862,  to  Miss  Sarah  Staats,  daughter  of 
Hiram  Staats,  of  Effingham  County.  Two 
children  were  born  of  this  marriage,  of  whom 
one  daughter  is  living.  Mr.  Crooker  par- 
chased  of  William  H.  Blakely  his  pioneer 
homestead  in  old  Ewington,  which  was  said 
to  be  the  first  frame  house  built  in  the  coun- 
ty. In  this  house,  after  financial  reverses 
in  Nashville,  Tenn.,  Mr.  Crooker  moved  in 
1868,  and  lived  there  until  April,  1881,  when 
he  moved  to  Effingham,  and  is  now  proprie- 
tor of  the  Tea  Garden  House  on  Banker 
street. 

PHILIP  CROOKER,  salesman,  Effing- 
ham, was  born  in  Lawi-enceburg,  Ind.,  in 
1844.  When  one  year  old,  he  was  taken  by 
his  parents  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  where  he 
lived  until  the  breaking-out  of  the  war,  when 
he  went  North  and  enlisted  at  Lawrenceburg, 
Ind.,  in  the  Seventh  Regiment  Indiana  Vol- 
unteers, for  three  months,  and  re-enlisted  for 
three  years  in  the  same  regiment,  and  served 
until  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service, 
with  Gen.  James  Shields,  whose  forces  were 
consolidated  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
in  the  First  Corps,  and,  after  the  death  of 
Gen.  Reynolds,  at  Gettysburg,  became  a  pai-t 
of  the  Fifth  Corps.  Subject  was  in  battles 
of  Philippi,  Winchester,  Greenbrier  and 
Spottsylvania  Coiirt  House,  and  tv?o  days' 
fight  in  Wilderness,  and  Cold  Harbor,  Fred- 
ericksburg, Chancellorsville  and  Gettysbm-g, 
where  subject  was  taken  prisoner  and  held 
four  days,  and  recaptured,  and  the  siege  of 
Petersburg,  Va.,  and  was  discharged  in  Sep- 
tember, 1864,  at  Indianapolis,  and  was  em- 
ployed as  messenger  for  the  Adams  Express 
Company  from  Nashville  to  Chattanooga  for 
one  year.  He  went  to  SL  Louis,  Mo.,  and 
entered  the  police  department,  and  became 


Clerk  in  the  Fourth  District,  and  promoted 
to  Clerk  at  police  headquarters,  and  finally 
became  Sergeant,  headquarters,  at  night. 
In  December,  1872,  he  went  to  work  for  Sam- 
uel C.  Davis  &  Co.,  and  was  salesman  in  their 
dry  goods  house;  also  traveled  in  Southern 
Illinois  until  1881,  wlien  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  A.  T.  Stewart  &  Co.,  of  Chicago,  re- 
maining six  months,  and,  July  1,  1881,  he 
went  to  work  for  William  H.  Kellogg  &  Co., 
of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and,  July  1,  1882,  he  left 
the  St.  Louis  house,  since  which  time  he  has 
traveled  for  the  main  house  of  Charles  P. 
Kellogg  &  Co.,  of  Chicago,  for  sale  of 
clothing,  in  Illinois  and  has  resided  in 
Effingham  since  May,  1881.  He  lived  in  St. 
Louis  from  1866  to  1881,  where  he  was  mar- 
ried, in  1870,  to  Miss  Emily  Rudolph,  of  St. 
Louis. 

WILLIAM  CURSON,  lumber- dealer, 
Effingham,  was  boi-n  in  Lincolnshire,  Eng- 
land, April  12,  1832.  At  the  age  of  eight- 
een, he  came  to  the  United  States,  and  his 
parents  settled  at  Batavia,  Clermont  Oo. , 
Ohio,  where  our  subject  served  a  three -years' 
apprenticeship  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  and 
then  moved  to  Shelbyville,  Ind.,  in  1854, 
and  worked  as  a  journeyman  there  for  five 
years,  then  moved  to  Delphi,  Carroll  Co., 
Ind ,  and  began  taking  contracts  there  in 
1859,  and  moved  to  Illinois  in  1866.  He 
bought  160, acres  of  prairie  land  in  Lucas 
Township,  which  he  improved  for  a  short 
time,  when  he  came  to  Effingham,  where  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  his  father  in  1866. 
and,  under  the  style  of  Curson  &  Son,  con- 
tractors and  builders,  continued  until  1876, 
a  period  of  ten  years;  put  up  the  Presbyterian 
Chm'ch,  two  hotels  at  the  railroad,  and  a 
large  number  of  business  houses  and  resi- 
dences. The  father  died  May  10,  1 876,  and 
our  subject  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
brother,  J.  A.  Curson,  under  the  firm   name 


14 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


of  W.  Curson  &  Bro. ,  in  May,  1876,  and  en- 
gaged in  contracting  and  building,  and  at 
the  same  time  established  lumber-yards  at  the 
corner  of  Washington  and  Banker  streets, 
where  they  keep  all  kinds  of  dressed  lumber 
and  building  materials.  In  April,  1882,  he 
discontinued  building,  to  devote  his  entire 
attention  to  the  lumber  trade,  a  ad,  in  May, 
1882,  established  another  lumber-yard  on 
Jefferson  and  Willow  streets.  Their  yards 
are  supplied  from  the  Chicago  markets  and 
the  pineries  of  Michigan  and  Alabama.  His 
father,  Thomas  Curson,  was  born  in  Lynn, 
England,  in  1810;  married  Miss  Maria  Den- 
nis, of  Lynn,  and  had  three  sons,  of  whom 
subject  is  the  eldest.  The  father  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1850,  and  settled  at  Bata- 
via,  Ohio.  He  followed  carpentering  all  his 
life.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 
served  as  Alderman  in  Delphi,  Ind.  Our 
subject  served  under  the  first  call  for  three- 
months'  troops,  in  the  Ninth  Indiana  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  and  was  also  in  the  Forty-sec- 
ond Indiana  in  the  pursuit  of  Morgan  when 
on  his  famous  raid.  Mr.  Curson  is  a  Repub- 
lican, artd  served  two  terms— -1876-80 — as 
Alderman  of  Effingham  from  the  First  Ward. 
He  was  married,  in  1861,  to  Miss  Sarah  E. 
Wolfe,  of  Shelby  County,  Ind.  They  have 
seven  children  living. 

JOHN  DAUB,  produce  merchant,  Effing- 
ham, was  born  on  the  River  Rhine,  Prussia, 
Germany,  January  19, 1829,  son  of  Peter  and 
Margaret  (Fronetz)  Daub,  natives  of  Ger- 
many, he  a  farmer,  born  in  1789  and  died  in 
his  native  country;  she  born  in  1802,  and 
died  near  New  York  City  in  1870.  They 
were  the  parents  of  three  children.  Our 
subject  received  his  education  in  his  native 
country,  and  came  to  the  United  States  May 
7,  1852,  landing  in  New  York.  He  traveled 
and  worked  in  several  States,  and,  in  1856, 
came  to  Waterloo,  this  State,  and  from  there 


to  the  Southern  States,  where  he  stayed  till 
the  breaking-out  of  the  rebellion,  when  he 
returned  to  this  State  and  settled  in  Prairie 
du  Rocher,  where  he  resided  till  1868,  when 
he  came  to  Effingham,  where  he  was  married, 
April  12,  1869,  to  Miss  Agatha  Bussemeyer, 
born  in  Prussia,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary 
(Meekman)  Bussemeyer,  natives  of  Germany, 
he  born  in  1797  and  died  in  his  native  land 
in  1861;  she  born  in  1800,  and  is  still  living 
with  her  son.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daub  have  two 
children — Herman,  born  August  16,  1876; 
and  Maggie,  born  November  24,  1878.  Our 
subject  has  been  engaged  in  the  produce  bus- 
iness nearly  twentj^  years,  and  now  has  a 
large  store.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican. 

CAPT.  HENRY  A.  DENTON,  saddler  and 
harness  manufacturer,  Effingham,  was  born 
in  Meade  County,  Ky. ,  December  9,  1837. 
He  learned  the  saddler's  trade  at  Branden- 
burg, Ky. ,  and  worked  with  his  brother  there 
and  at  Owensboro,  Ky.  He  enlisted,  August 
12,  1862,  in  the  Twelfth  Kentucky  Cavalry. 
He  was  elected  First  Lieutenant  of  Company 
C  of  that  regiment,  and  promoted  to  the  Cap- 
taincy February  4,  1863,  and  served  till  the 
close  of  the  war,  and  was  mustered  out  Au- 
gust 20,  1865.  The  Twelfth  Kentucky  was 
a  part  of  Gen.  Wolford's  Independent  Bri- 
gade, and  was  in  the  pursuit  of  Morgan  in 
Ohio  and  Indiana,  and  was  in  the  East  Ten- 
nessee campaign  under  Gen.  Burnside,  and 
was  attached  to  Stoneman"s  cavalry  during 
the  Georgia  campaign,  and  were  in  a  large 
number  of  battles,  and  in  the  Saltville  raid. 
After  the  war,  he  came  to  Paris,  111.,  in  1865, 
where  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
brother  in  the  harness  business,  and  contin- 
ued thereuntil  1881.  He  came  to  Effingham 
in  October,  1881,  and  took  charge  of  the 
present  shop  for  Mr.  Joe  Partridge.  The 
shop  employs  three  hands.     He  was  married. 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


15 


September  19,  1871,  to  Miss  S.  C.  Partridge,  l 
of  Paris,  111.      They  have  one  son   living — 
Guy  P. — and  two   deceased — Kichard  C.  and 
Joseph  R. 

THOMAS   DOBBS,   farmer,  P.   O.  Effing- 
ham, was  born  in  Georgia,  seven  miles  from 
Milledgeville,  October  15,  1829.    When  three 
years  of  age,  his  jsarents  removed  to  Tennes- 
see, remaining  a  year,  and  then,  about  1833, 
moved  to   Shelbyville,  111.,  where  his   father 
was  engaged  in  blacksmithing   until   about 
the  breaking-out  of   the  Mexican  war.     Our 
subject  aided  his  father  in' the  shop,  at  blow- 
ing and  striking,  until  he  enlisted,  in  1840,  in 
Col.  Nabe's  First  Illinois  Infantry,  Company 
D,  Capt.  Reed,  and  went  across  the  plains  to 
Santa  ¥6,  N.  M.      They  were  sixty  days  from 
Fort  Leavenworth  to  Santa  F6,  marched  in  file 
by  the  wagon  trains,  and  suffered  greatly  from 
fatigue.     They  were   ordered   to  join  Gen. 
Scott,  and  I'eached  Puebla,  when  peace  was 
made.     He  was  in  the  battle  of  Tous,  where 
he  was  wounded  in  the  breast.      He  then  re- 
turned by  the  old  Santa  F6  trail  across  the 
plains.     After  his  return  from  the  Mexican 
war,  he  drove  a  stage  from  Collinsville  to  an 
Illinois  town  (now  East  St.  Louis)  for  about 
six   years,     on    different    routes.      He    next 
worked  on  a  farm  near  Jacksonville,  for  Ju- 
lius Pratt,  about  four  years.     He  was  mar- 
ried at  the   age  of  twenty-five,  and   settled 
near    where   Beecher   City  now  is,    in    this 
county,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,   and 
kept  a  grocery  in  Greenland  till   1861.     He 
raised  a  company,  which  was  mustered   into 
the  Thirty-fifth  Illinois   Volunteer  Infantry, 
July  3,  1861,  and  subject  was  elected  Cap- 
tain of  this  company,  which  was  Company 
K.     In  November,  1S62,  he  was  wounded  at 
the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge,  Ark.,  by  a  cannon 
shot,  in  the    leg,  notwithstanding  which  he 
still   remained  with  his  company  during  the 
siege  of  Corinth,  and  going  into  the  battle 


with   a   crutch   and   cane.     He    was    also   at 
Stone  River  and  Perry vi  He,  Ky.,  after  which 
his  limb  became  so  inflamed  that  he  was  com- 
pelled  to  resign.      Of  the  101  men  that  en- 
listed in  Company  K,  there  were  but  sixteen 
mustered  out  at  the  close  of  the  war.      Nine- 
teen were  killed  and  wounded  at  Pea  Ridge, 
and  all  of   the  company  received  wounds  but 
three.      Capt.   Dobbs  returned  home   in  No- 
vember, 1862,  and,  in  the  latter  part  of  1863, 
he  raised  a  company  for  the  100-days  service, 
and  went  out  as   its  Captain.      It  was  Com- 
pany D,  of  the  One  Himdred  and  Thirty-fifth 
Regiment,  and  he   served  with   it  until   the 
expiration   of  its  term,  when  the  men  were 
mustered  out  at  Springfield.     At  the  request 
of  many  citizens,  he  agreed  to  take  charge  of 
raising  another  company,  to  avoid  the  draft. 
He  began  on  Saturday,  and  in  ten  days  went 
out  as  Captain  of  this  company,  to  Murfrees- 
boro,   Tenn.,  where  his  company  became   a 
part  of  the  One  Hundred   and  Fifty-fourth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  he  was  pro- 
moted in  a  short  time  to  the  rank  of  Major, 
and,   soon    after,    commissioned    Lieutenant 
Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  andFifty-fom-th 
Illinois,  and  remained  in  camp  at  Tullahoma, 
Tenn.,   until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  was 
mustered  out   at  Springfield,  111.,  in  the  fall 
of  1865.      After  the  war,  he    settled   perma- 
nently in  Effingham,  and  was  elected  its  City 
Marshal  in  1866,  and  served  in  that  capacity 
for  eleven  years  until  ho  was  elected  Sheriff, 
in  1876,  and  re-elected  in  1878,  serving  four 
years   as  Sheriff  of   Effingham  County.     He 
retired  from  office  in  1880,  and  has  since  been 
engaged   in  farming.     He  was  maiTied,  first, 
to  Elizabeth   Miller,  who  died   leaving  one 
son.  Peter,  now  a  resident  of  Effingham.  Our 
subject's  second  marriage  was  with  Maggie 
Maxfield,  who  died  leaving  two  daughters— 
Tuscombia    and    Savannah,    both   of    whom 
are    living.      His    third     wife    was    a    Miss 


16 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Green.  They  have  bnt  one  daughter — Man- 
ilah. 

JOHN  H.  DUFFY,  deceased,  was  born  in 
County  Dublin,  Ireland,  in  1829,  son  of  Dan 
and  Alice  Mary  (Rigney)  Duffy,  both  born 
and  died  in  Ireland.  The  father  was  a  ba- 
ker Our  subject  received  his  schooling  in 
his  native  country,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  in  184:5,  landing  in  New  York,  where 
he  worked  in  a  wholesale  house.  He  was 
married,  ia  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  February  3,  1858, 
to  Miss  Mary  Marten,  born  January  7,  1835, 
in  Blount  County,  Tenn.,  daughter  of  O.  D. 
and  Jane  Marten,  both  born  in  the  United 
States.  Our  subject  worked  most  of  his  life 
on  railroads.  He  was  foreman  on  the  Illinois 
Central,  and  also  worked  for  the  narrow 
gauge  railroad,  in  whose  employ  he  was  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  Octo- 
ber 11,  18S1,  in  Mason,  this  county.  He 
left  a  wife  and  seven  children — Patrick  Hen- 
ry, Sarah  E.,  John  R.,  Mary  C.  Martha  M., 
Margueretta  M.  and  Nancy  Ellen.  In  poli- 
tics, our  subject  was  a  strong  Democrat;  was 
a  member  of  the  Catholic  Chn''^h^  and  also 
of  the  Masonic_|raternity.  Mrs.  Duffy  now 
keeps  the  St.  Louis  Hotel,  situated  on  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  square,  which  offei's 
first-class  accommodations  to  all. 

GEORGE  H,.  ENGBRING,  merchant  and 
banker,  Effingham,  was  born  in  village  of 
Epe,  Prussia,  April  27,  1825,  where  he  was 
raised  on  a  small  farm,  and  followed  farming 
there  until  1847,  when  he  came,  via  New  Or- 
leans, to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  engaged 
in  merchandising,  and  kept  a  grocery  and  no- 
tion store  for  twelve  years.  In  the  fall  of 
1864,  he  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in 
Effingham,  where  he  bought  property,  and,  in 
1867,  established  a  general  store,  and,  for 
the  last  ten  years,  has  been  located  at  the 
comer  of  Third  and  Washington  streets,  the 
old  stand  of  John  Mette,  where  one  of  the 


first  stores  in  Effingham  was  opened.  Mr. 
Engbring  keeps  a  general  stock  of  goods,  and 
conducts  a  good  trade.  September  1,  1881, 
he  became  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  Eversman, 
Wood  &  Engbring,  which  ojiened  a  private 
bank  in  Effijigham,  and  his  interest  in  the 
institution  is  represented  by  his  son  William. 
Mr.  Engbring  has  been  a  member  of  the  City 
Council,  and  has  served  as  Supervisor  sever- 
al years.  He  is  one  of  the  Trustees  of  St. 
Anthony's  Church  and  School.  He  was  mar- 
ried, in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  September  2,  1856, 
to  Catharine  Bodker,  of  Cincinnati,  born  in 
Prussia,  and  who  was  the  school-mate  of  oui- 
subject  in  Prussia.  They  have  five  children 
— three  sons  and  two  daughters — Henry,  a 
Professor  of  Philosophy  in  the  Catholic  Col- 
lege at  Quincy,  111.;  William,  clerk  in  the 
bank;  John,  Mary  and  Anna. 

DR.  HENRY  EVERSMAN.  of  Eversman, 
Wood  &  Engbring,  bankers,  Effingham,  was 
born  in  Iburg,  Hanover,  Germany,  February 
23,  1837,  son  of  Francis  F.  and  Charlotte 
(Tieren)  Eversman,  he  a  physician,  born  in 
Alf  hausen,  Hanover,  Germany,  in  September, 
1807;  she,  in  Osnabruck,  Hanover,  Germany, 
and  is  sixty-five  years  old — the  father  also 
living.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren. Our  subject  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  parochial  schools  of  his  native 
country  and  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  afterward 
attended  St.  Xavier's  College,  of  Cincinnati, 
for  four  years,  and  was  also  for  three  years  a 
student  in  the  Ohio  Medical  College  of  the 
same  city.  He  also  read  medicine  with  his 
father,  and,  on  March  1,  1861,  he  was  ap- 
pointed House  Physician  to  Commercial  Hos- 
pital, Cincinnati.  In  January,  1802,  he  was 
appointed,  by  President  Lincoln,  as  Assistant 
Surgeon  of  Volunteers,  becoming  Surgeon 
after  a  service  of  six  months.  He  was  as- 
signed to  staff  and  hospital  duty  at  Lexington 
and   Louisville,  Ky. ,   Cincinnati,   Ohio,  and 


,*^>. 


i^- 


^^^-T^-i^^^:!^  c:Z^ 


'«^ 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


17 


for  the  last  nineteen  months  of  his  service  he 
was  Chief  Medical  Officer  at  Johnson's  Isl- 
and. This  was  from  February  1,  1864,  to 
September  I,  1865,  at  which  latter  date  he 
returned  home,  and  came  to  Effingham,  en- 
gaging in  mercantile  business,  in  which  he 
continued  until  September  1,  1881,  at  which 
date  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Eversman,  Wood  &  Engbring.  They  opened 
a  private  bank  on  the  latter  date,  which  has 
since  been  in  successful  operation,  our  sub- 
ject remaining  one  of  the  managing  partners. 
Mr.  Eversman  was  married,  October  28, 
1865,  in  Teutopolis,  this  county,  to  Miss 
Caroline  Waschefort,  born  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  and  is  thirty-sis  years  of  age.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  John  P.  and  Mary  (Drees) 
AVaschefort,  natives  of  Germany.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Eversman  have  fom-  childi-en — Louisa, 
Mary,  Elizabeth  and  Henry.  Our  subject 
was  Mayor  of  Effingham  for  two  terms — 1870 
-1871.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Knights  of  America,  and  also  of  the  Catholic 
Church.     In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat. 

JOHN  C.  EVERSMAN,  merchant,  Effing- 
ham, was  born  in  the  city  of  Osnabruck,  Han 
over,  Germany,  September  11,  1840.  He 
was  five  years  old  when  his  parents  came  to 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  whore  he  lived  until  1852. 
He  left  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  May  5,  1852,  and 
arrived  at  Teutopolis,  111.,  May  15,  coming  in 
wagons.  The  village  of  Teutopolis  had  then 
about  ten  houses,  and  Effingham  was  not  laid 
out,  having  only  two  log  cabins  on  the  Na- 
tional road.  Our  subject  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  at  Teutopolis  and  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  and  at  St.  Louis  University,  in 
charge  of  the  Jesuits,  and  left  school  in  1859 
to  teach  in  the  village,  and  continued  for  two 
six-month  terms.  He  then  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  Mr.  Waschefort  as  a  clerk  in  his 
store.  He  enlisted  at  the  second  call  for 
troops,    in  July  1,  1861,  for  three  years,  in 


Company  B,  Eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. He  served  with  the  regiment  for 
eighteen  months;  was  at  Fort  Heniy,  Fort 
Donelson,  Shiloh  and  Corinth,  and  other 
battles.  He  went  with  his  company  to  Holly 
Springs,  Miss.,  when  he  was  transferred,  by 
order  of  Gen.  Grant,  to  the  Department  of 
Ohio,  and  reported  to  his  brother,  Dr.  Henry 
Eversman,  and  served  in  the  medical  depart- 
ment as  Steward,  stationed  at  Lexington,  Ky. , 
until  his  time  expired.  He  was  mustered  out  at 
Springfield  in  1865,  and  returned  to  Teutop- 
olis, where  he  taught  a  term  of  school,  then 
entered  the  employ  of  Mr.  John  F.  Wasche- 
fort, as  salesman  in  his  store  at  Effingham, 
where  he  has  remained  ever  since.  He  was 
elected  City  Clerk  of  Effingham  in  1881,  for 
two  years.  He  was  also  Chief  of  the  Fire 
Department  here  for  five  years.  He  was 
married,  in  1868,  to  Miss  Frances  Gibbons, 
of  Paris,  111.  She  was  born  in  St.  John,  N. 
B.,  the  daughter  of  an  English  sea  Captain. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eversman  have  one  sou  and 
one  daughter  living,  and  one  son  and  a 
daughter  died  when  young. 

GEORGE  H.  EWERS,  merchant  tailor, 
Effinsham,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Herz- 
lake,  Hanover,  Germany,  December  5,  1834. 
At  the  age  of  fifteen,  he  came,  in  company 
with  his  brother,  to  the  United  States,  locat- 
ing at  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  His  father  was  a 
tailor  in  Germany,  and  our  subject  served  a 
two-years  apprenticeship  with  him  before 
coming.  He  worked  at  tailoring  in  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  from  June,  1850,  to  1863,  as  a 
journeyman.  In  the  latter  year,  he  removed 
to  Oldenburg,  Ind.,  where  he  established  a 
tailor  shop,  vyhich  he  i-an  two  and  a  half 
years,  with  good  success,  and  he  returned  to 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  remaining  there  until  1867, 
and  then  came  to  Effingham  in  June  of  that 
year,  and  opened  a  mei'chant  tailoring  estab- 
lishment on    the    north  side  of   the    public 


18 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


square,  which  he  has  conducted  ever  since, 
with  good  success.  He  employs  three  assist- 
ant journeymen,  and  carries  a  full  line  of 
foreign  and  domestic  cloths  and  cassimeres, 
etc.  He  was  married,  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
in  1857,  to  Miss  Agnes  Moemke,  of  that  city, 
and  has  four  sons  and  two  daughters  living — 
Frank,    Anna,  Mary,  Charles,  John,  Joseph- 

FRANK  H.  EWERS,  Cashier  Effingham 
Bank.  Effingham,  was  born  February  13, 
1860,  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  (See  sketch  of 
George  H.  Ewers.)  He  was  educated  in  St. 
Joseph's  College,  Teutopolis,  111.,  which  he 
left  at  the  age  of  eighteen  to  assist  his  father 
in  tailoring,  and.  in  October,  1880,  was  ap- 
pointed Cashier  of  the  Effingham  Bank, 
where  he  still  remains. 

JOHN  J.  FELDHAKE,  merchant,  Effing- 
ham, was  born  in  Douglas  Township,  Effing- 
ham County,  August  15,  1850.  He  was 
raised  on  a  farm  until  twelve  years  of  age. 
He  began  at  the  age  of  fifteen  to  learn  the 
tinner's  trade,  after  which  he  entered  a 
hardware  store  in  Effingham,  and  clerked  for 
one  man  seven  years.  He  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  his  brother,  the  late  Joseph  Feld- 
hake,  in  May,  1873,  and  continued  about  two 
years  in  the  hardware  trade,  when  he  went  to 
Waco,  McLennan  Co.,  Texas,  and  opened  a 
hardware  store,  which  ho  conducted  five  years, 
and  then  sold  out  to  his  brother  Barney,  and 
returned  in  January,  1880,  and  established 
himself  in  the  present  store,  under  the  old 
firm  name,  but  our  subject  is  the  sole  pro- 
prietor. His  business  room  is  lUO  feet  deep 
and  twenty-five  feet  in  width,  and  includes  a 
large  stock  of  hardware,  stoves  and  tinware, 
employing  two  men  in  tin  shop,  located  in 
second  story,  and  one  as  assistant  in  store. 
His  father,  Josnph  Feldhake.  was  a  native  of 
Prussia,  Germany. 

COL.  JOSEPH  W.  FILLER,  County 
Clerk,    Effingham  City,    was  born  in   Perry 


County,  Ohio,  May  4,  1828.  He  entered  the 
office  of  the  Western  Post  at  Somerset,  Ohio, 
at  the  age  of  eleven,  and  at  sixteen  was  a 
journeyman,  and  traveled  over  eighteen  States 
as  a  "  jour"  printer,  and  has  published  thir- 
teen papers.  He  came  to  Ewington,  a 
"  tramping  jour  "  printer,  in  1857,  and  found 
it  the  printer's  El  Dorado,  finding  employ- 
ment on  the  Effingham  Pioneer,  then  pub- 
lished by  W.  B.  Cooper  and  Mr.  Burton. 
Three  months  after  his  arrival,  he  gained 
control  of  the  Pioneer,  Mr.  Cooper  selling  it 
out  in  shares,  Mr.  Filler  buying  the  shares 
in  a  little  time.  He  moved  the  paper  to 
Effingham  in  the  fall  of  1860,  and  continued 
it  here  until  the  breaking-out  of  the  war. 
Our  subject  had  served  in  the  Mexican  war, 
having  enlisted  June  9,  1846,  in  the  Third 
Ohio,  and  was  made  a  Sergeant  on  the  or- 
ganization of  the  company  served  one  year, 
and  became  Second  Lieutenant  in  September, 
at  Matamoras,  Mexico.  He  returned  in  1847 
and  raised  a  company  in  Perry  County,  Ohio, 
and  was  its  Captain.  It  became  the  Fifth 
Ohio  Regiment,  under  Col.  Early,  and  saw 
active  service  from  Vera  Cruz  to  City  of 
Mexico,  retiu'ning  to  Cincinnati  in  1848. 
The  news  of  the  tiring  on  Star  of  the  West 
in  Charleston  Harbor  was  received  here  on 
Thursday,  and  Capt.  Filler  telegrajihed  on 
Friday  to  Adjt.  Gen.  Mather  that  a  company 
was  ready  for  service,  having  only  one  se- 
cured, and.  Tuesday  morning,  he  left  for 
Springfield  with  102  of  the  largest  and  finest 
men  in  the  company.  This  was  in  a  strong 
Democratic  county,  and  opposed  to  the  war. 
His  company  went  into  camp  at  Springfield, 
and  were  assigned  to  the  Eleventh  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  were  on  duty  at  Camp 
Hardin  and  Bird's  Point,  Mo.  Our  subject 
went  in  as  a  Captain  and  became  Lieutenant 
Colonel  of  the  regiment  Col.  Filler  returned 
home  a  short   time,  and  re-enlisted    in   the 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AXl)  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


19 


Sixty-second  Regiment,  and  was  First  Lieu- 
tenant, serving  until  August,  1863,  when  he 
resigned  his  command  on  account  of  contin- 
ued illness,  and  located  in  St.  Louis,  where 
he  was  connected  with  the  Globe- Democrat 
and  other  papers  between  two  and  three 
years.  He  had  the  cholera  in  St.  Louis  in 
1800,  when  he  returned  to  Effingham  and 
engaged  as  a  compositor  for  Haddock,  of 
the  Republican,  for  a  few  months.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1867,  ho  went  to  Kinmundy,  III.,  and 
started  the  Telegram,  and  continued  it  five 
months,  and,  in  October,  went  to  New  Or- 
leans, where  he  remained  until  spring,  when 
he  retm-ned  and  edited  the  Effingham  Demo- 
crat, which  was  sold  to  Mr.  Bradsby  in  1868. 
He  continued  to  aid  for  awhiJe  in  its  publi- 
cation, and,  in  the  fall  of  1869,  he  was  nomi- 
nated for  County  Clerk  of  Effingham  County, 
where  he  has  since  served,  being  elected  three 
times,  without  any  opposition  from  the  other 
party.  He  was  married,  in  Ohio,  in  1849,  to 
Lavina  A.  Dille,  of  Fairfield  County,  Ohio. 
They  have  one  daughter  living. 

W.  I.  N.  FISHER,  deceased,  was  a  phy- 
sician, born  in  Mifflin  County,  Penn. ,  August 
31,  1814,  son  of  George  and  Barbara  (Shep- 
ard)  Fisher,  parents  of  five  children — two 
sons  and  three  daughters.  Our  subject  re- 
ceived his  education  in  his  native  county, 
and,  at  an  early  age,  began  teaching  school, 
at  the  same  time  pursuing  his  own  studies 
at  every  opportunity.  He  afterward  traveled 
quite  extensively  in  New  York,  made  excur- 
sions on  the  lakes,  and  finally  wont  to  Ohio 
and  attended  college  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  that 
State.  November  9,  1839,  he  removed  to 
Terre  Haute,  InJ.,  where  he  continued  his 
studies.  He  came  to  this  State  in  1841,  and 
was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Turney,  born 
in  Coles  County,  this  State,  November  17, 
1842.  Our  subject  pursued  his  studies  under 
Dr.  Miller,  and  shortly  commenced  to  prac- 


tice himself.  In  March,  1844,  he  moved  to 
Shelbyville,  this  State,  where  he  followed 
his  profession  till  1848,  when  he  came  to 
this  county,  and,  January  1, 1860,  moved  into 
Effingham  City,  where,  tho  war  breaking  out 
shortly  afterward,  he  was  active  in  foi'miug 
companies,  and  was  himself  a  member  of  the 
Fifth  Cavalry,  Company  L,  and  served  nine 
months,  when  his  health  failed,  compelling 
him  to  return  home.  He  was  County  Super- 
intendent of  Schools,  devoting  his  leisure 
moments  to  the  study  of  the  sciences  of  all 
branches,  of  which  he  was  intelligibly  con- 
versant. He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  m  politics  a  Demo- 
crat; was  also  an  honored  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity,  and  died  January  '28,  1873. 
Mrs.  Fisher  is  still  living  in  Effingham. 
They  had  one  son,  John  G.,  born  August  30, 

1843.  and  died  August  10,  1845. 

LEWIS   FITCH,  jeweler,  Effingham,  was 
born  in  Leroy,  Genesee  Co.,  N.  Y.,  June  22, 

1844.  He  came  to  Michigan  with  his  parents 
when  four  years  old,  and  residel  in  Almont, 
that  State,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  jew- 
eler with  his  father,  and  started  in  business 
for  himself  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  at  Al- 
mont, and  continued  there  until  1869,  and 
then  went  to  South  Haven,  Mich.,  where  he 
remained  until  1871,  when  he  removed  to 
Casey,  111.  He  was  at  the  latter  place  until 
1879,  when  he  removed  to  Effingham,  where 
he  has  since  conducted  a  good  business,  lo- 
cated at  {)resent  in  the  post  office  lobby, 
where  he  carries  a  full  stock  of  clocks,  watch- 
es and  jewelry.  He  has  had  twenty  years 
of  active  experience  in  the  business,  and  em- 
ploys an  able  assistant.  Our  subject  enlist- 
ed, in  August,  1862,  in  the  Fifth  Michigan 
Cavalry,  and  served  until  tho  close  of  the 
war,  in  the  Cavalry  Corps  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  under  Kilpatrick  and  Sheridan. 
He  was  mustered  out  at  Detroit,  July  3, 1865. 


20 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


MRS.  MARY  A.  FLEMING,  Effingham, 
is  the  daughter  of  Jonathan  Wright,  who 
was  born  in  Trenton,  N.  J.,  November  20, 
1790.  He  was  the  son  of  an  English  Quaker, 
who  was  the  son  of  a  distinguished  noble- 
man, who  came  from  England  and  was  an  in- 
timate friend  of  William  Penn,  coming  with 
one  of  the  early  colonies  brought  to  New  Jer- 
sey by  Penn.  The  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Flem- 
ing was  David  Wright,  who  married  a  Miss 
Elizabeth  Cleaver,  a  lady  of  German  parent- 
age, of  great  wealth.  He  (David)  owned  an 
iron  foundry  in  New  Jersey,  which  burned 
and  left  him  in  moderate  circumstances.  He 
had  six  sons  and  three  daughters.  The  old- 
est son  became  a  merchant,  and  the  next  four 
learned  trades,  and  the  youngest  son  inherit- 
ed the  farm.  Jonathan,  the  fourth  son,  fa- 
ther of  our  subject,  under  the  stress  of  these 
reverses,  and  at  the  advice  of  his  father, 
learned  the  trade  of  brick-layer  in  Philadel- 
phia, Penn.  An  aunt,  Jlrs.  Theodosia  Craig, 
was  a  sister  of  David  Wright,  and  was  very 
wealthy,  and  bequeathed  to  each  of  her  neph- 
ews and  nieces  §1,000  each  to  those  who 
came  West,  to  be  invested  in  Western  lands; 
and  Andrew  Ridgeway,  afterward  a  Quaker 
minister,  and  a  cousin  of  the  Wright  broth- 
ers, was  appointed  agent  to  make  these  pur- 
chases. He  selected  the  first  prairie  land  he 
came  to  in  this  State,  now  known  as  Ship- 
ley's Prairie,  in  Wayne  County,  three  miles 
south  of  Fairfield,  111.  He  bought  these 
lands  while  this  State  was  yet  a  Territory, 
and  paid  a  miich  higher  price  than  it  sold  for 
soon  after.  The  lands  were  bought  in  Mrs. 
Craig's  name,  and  she  deeded  each  one  about 
half  a  section.  Jonathan  Wright  and  An- 
drew came  in  1820,  with  their  families,  and 
settled  on  their  lands,  David  Wright  and  the 
three  Ridgeways  having  come  in  1819.  Jon- 
athan brought  subject,  seven  years  old,  and 
her  sister  Susan,  three  years  old,  who  after- 


ward married  Mr.  Thomas  Loy.  The  father 
of  Mrs.  Fleming  settled  on  his  farm  in  Wayne 
County  in  1820,  and  lived  on  his  farm  and 
worked  at  his  trade  about  seven- years,  when 
he  moved  to  St.  Louis  and  lived  a  year. 
There  our  subject  and  her  sister  Susan  went 
to  a  private  school,  taught  by  Prof.  Lovejoy, 
who  was  afterward  mobbed  for  printing  an 
Abolition  paper.  They  returned  to  the  farm 
in  Wayne  County  after  six  months,  and,  in 
December,  1834,  came  to  this  county  with 
their  father,  who  settled  in  Ewington,  where 
he  bought  forty  acres  adjoining  the  towQ, 
and  which  had  a  mill  on  it.  He  kept  a  hotel 
in  Ewington,  and  was  employed  on  the  brick 
work  of  the  State  House  at  Vandalia,  being 
a  splendid  workman.  He  was  on  a  scaffold, 
when  it  fell  from  the  second  story,  and  he 
broke  both  ankles  and  received  intei'nal  in- 
juries which  caused  his  death  two  days  after- 
ward, before  any  of  his  family  could  reach 
him,  and  he  was  buried  near  Ewington.  His 
death  occurred  in  1835.  He  married  Hattie 
Hutchinson,  of  Trenton,  N.  J.,  November  7, 
1812.  She  was  born  November  20,  1792, 
and  died  September  27,  1855.  They  had 
nine  children — Mary  A.,  subject;  Hutch- 
inson, died  in  New  Jersey  two  years 
old;  Susan,  was  the  wife  of  Thomas  Loy; 
George  was  for  many  years  surveyor  and 
farmer  in  this  county;  Henry  H.,  farmer  in 
this  county  (see  sketch);  Sarah  E.,  wife  of 
Mr.  Burke,  at  Georgetown,  111.;  Emma  A., 
died  aged  seven  years;  William  (see  sketch); 
Helen  A.,  now  Mrs.  Col.  Funkhouser.  The 
father  was  raised  a  Quaker,  and  was  an  hon- 
est, plain  and  unassuming  man.  Our  sub- 
ject, the  eldest  child  of  Jonathan  Wright, 
was  born  in  Trenton,  N.  J.,  August  23,  1813. 
She  came  to  Wayne  County,  111.,  when  seven 
years  old.  Her  first  teacher  was  A.  C.  Mackay 
who  afterward  lived  in  Bond  County.  Sep- 
tember 20,  1832,  she  married  Isaiah  Lacy,  in 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


21 


Wayne  County,  Hi.  He  was  born  in  Louis- 
ville, Ky.,  March  1,  1809,  and,  after  mar- 
riage, they  settled  in  Maysville,  Clay  Co., 
111.,  where  they  kept  a  hotel  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  one  year  and  ten  months  after 
their  marriage  He  died  July  8,  1834. 
They  had  one  son,  John  H.  I.,  born  Septem- 
ber 16,  1833,  now  of  Effingham;  and  a 
daughter,  Hattie  B. ,  who  died  when  three 
years  old — December,  28,  1837.  Our  subject 
removed  with  her  father  to  this  county,  and 
aided  her  mother  in  keeping  a  hotel  at  Ew- 
ington  until  her  mam  age  with  Samuel  Flem- 
ing. He  was  born  in  Murfreesboro,  Tenn. 
He  came  with  his  parents  to  Shelbyville,  111., 
when  he  was  a  boy,  and  he  carried  the  mail 
for  some  years  in  this  State,  and  went  to 
Nashville,  Tenn.,  for  some  years,  but  returned 
to  this  county,  and  was  married  December 
4,  1842.  After  marriage,  he  kept  a  grocery 
store  for  a  few  year.s  at  Ewington,  and  also 
kept  a  hotel  called  the  Fleming  House,  and 
he  conducted  a  livery  stable  at  Ewington  un- 
til 1857,  when  he  moved  to  Effingham,  where 
tbey  rented  a  hotel  of  Presley  Funkhouser 
for  a  few  years.  He  entered  the  army  in 
1861,  as  a  Veterinary  Surgeon.  He  built 
the  present  Fleming  House  in  1861,  which 
has  been  enlarged  by  additions  from  year  to 
year,  until  it  contains  thirty  rooms  and  all 
the  conveniences  of  a  modern  hotel.  Of  their 
children,  Mary  E.  was  born  December  4, 
1843,  wife  of  D.  C.  Hasseltine;  Sarah  E., 
born  July  31,  1845,  wife  of  Sidney  Wade,  of 
Effingham;  Samuel  J.,  born  February  13, 
1848;  Z.  A.,  born  June  16,  1851,  was  mar- 
ried in  St.  Loiiis,  September  18,  1871, 
to  Mr.  George  Farnsworth.  Their  first 
and  only  daughter's  name  was  Zohatta, 
born  June  7,  1872;  HellenaH.,  born  Sep- 
tember 19.  1855,  and  died  March  26,  1856; 
St.  Clair  W.  and  Eugene  U.,  born  March  18, 
1857. 


SAMUEL  J.  FLEMING,  livery  man,  Ef- 
fingham, was  born  in  Ewington,  this  county, 
February  13,  1848.  He  came  to  Effingham 
when  about  tea  years  of  age,  at  which  time 
there  was  but  one  house  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Central  Railroad,  and  he  assisted  his  father 
in  the  stable.  He  was  fireman  on  the  Nashville 
&  Chattanooga  Railroad  during  1863-64.  In 
1865,  he  went  into  the  livery  business  in 
Effingham,  and  has  continued  in  that  busi- 
ness ever  since.  In  1870.  he  began  buying 
horses  for  the  Southern  markets,  shipping 
from  eight  to  ten  carloads  during  the  winter 
season,  to  Natchez,  Miss. ,  consisting  of  from 
200  to  300  head.  For  the  last  ten  or  twelve 
years,  he  has  been  interested  in  the  develop- 
ment of  trotters.  Has  owned  and  trained 
Bay  Frank,  2:33;  Dixie,  2:29,  Rowdy  Boy, 
and  at  present  owns  Maud  W.,  a  promising 
trotter,  and  Allie  F.,  a  pacer  of  jwomise  also, 
and  a  number  of  others  which  have  made  good 
records.  Oiu-  subject  is  Superintendent  of 
the  Effingham  County  Fair  Association.  He 
was  married,  Februai-y  15,  1871,  to  Miss 
Belle  "Wagner,  daughter  of  Isaac  Wagner,  of 
Green  Castle,  lud.  They  have  two  children 
— a  son  and  a  daughter. 

FREDERICK  FLOOD,  Superintendent  of 
water  supply  Vandalia  Railroad,  Effingham, 
was  born  on  the  high  seas  and  has  been  told 
that  his  birth  occui-red  on  board  an  English 
man-of-war  or  transport  on  Briti.sh  waters 
about  1829  or  1830.  His  father,  Daniel,  was 
a  Captain  of  the  Forty-second  British  Regi- 
ment on  foot  of  Highlanders,  all  over  six 
feet  tall.  His  father  was  six  feet  four  inches. 
His  mother,  who  was  a  lady  named  Kate 
Cole,  died  when  subject  was  very  small,  on 
the  Plains  of  Abraham,  whore  she  is  buried. 
Subject  was  left  in  the  care  of  a  French  no- 
bleman called  Sir  Biongeon,  and  was  taken 
to  L'Islet,  Quebec,  Canada,  where  he  was 
kept  until  about  the  age  of  twelve  years,  when 


23 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


he  ran  off  and  went  to  the  city  of  Quebec, 
and  there  got  aboard  a  vessel — steamer  Alli- 
ance— and,  being  too  little  for  the  work,  was 
put  off  near  Three  Rivers.  He  next  stowed 
himself  on  board  the  ship  George  H.  Thomas, 
and  was  not  found  until  in  mid  ocean,  and 
was  taken  to  Liverpool  and  got  the  position 
of  L'abin  boy  on  another  vessel  and  came 
back  to  the  coast  of  Maine,  United  States, 
and  stopped  in  the  village  of  China,  where  he 
went  to  school,  working  two  days  in  the  week, 
and  going  to  school  four  days  in  the  week  for 
two  years.  He  then  yielded  to  his  desire  for 
the  ocean  and  went  on  a  brig  on  an  Arctic 
expedition  commanded  by  Capt.  Allen;  went 
up  Davis  Strait  to  a  point  where,  during  part 
of  the  year,  the  sun  never  sets  for  several 
months.  He  returned  to  Liverpool  and  went 
to  Africa,  touching  at  Capo  of  Good  Hope, 
Calcutta  and  Australia,  and  then  he  took  a 
French  transport  to  Algeria  and  again  visited 
Sidney,  Australia,  and  from  there  shipped  to 
Boston,  Mass.,  on  the  bark  Iowa.  He  then 
left  the  sea  and  went  to  work  on  the  repairs 
and  construction  of  the  Boston  &  Maine 
Railroad,  and  came  West  in  1853,  where  he 
worked  on  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  Railroad 
for  nineteen  years,  and  was  first  located  at 
Lebanon,  111.,  for  about  two  years,  Olney  five 
years  and  Sandoval  for  twelve  years,  all  this 
time  on  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  Railroad  as 
foreman  of  water  supply.  In  1872,  he  came 
to  Effingham,  and  has  since  been  foreman  of 
water  supply  of  the  Vandalia  Railroad,  and 
has  chai-ge  of  this  department  for  167.5 
miles,  which  have  sixteen  tanks.  He  aver- 
ages 100  miles  travel  per  day.  He  was 
married  in  Maine — the  first  time  to  Har- 
riet Ware,  in  about  1856.  She  died  in  about 
two  years  after  their  marriage,  and  he  mar- 
ried a  second  time  to  Miss  Zella  H.  Roy,  of 
Caseyville,  111.,  Januaiy  31,  1860;  had  ten 
children  by  this  marriage;    six  are   living — 


HaiTiet,  wife  of  Frank  Conway,  of  Topeka, 
Kan. ;  Katie,  Julia,  John,  Letty,  Bonnie;  four 
died  in  infancy;  the  three  youngest  were 
born  in  this  county. 

BENTON  FORTNEY,  druggist,  Effing- 
ham, was  born  in  Watson  Township,  Effing- 
ham County,  on  a  farm,  June  16,  1854;  his 
parents  moved  to  Effingham  in  the  spring  of 
1855,  where  he  has  since  resided.  At  the 
age  of  ten,  he  entered  the  old  Effingham  Ga- 
zette office,  then  published  by  Hays  &  Bo  wen, 
and  worked  about  two  years  as  "  devil."  He 
then  entered  the  employ  of  S.  W.  Little,  and 
worked  one  year  in  his  orchard.  He  then 
worked  two  years  in  McClellan  &  Nodine's 
brick  yard,  and  in  the  spring  of  1869,  he  en- 
tered the  drug  store  of  John  Jones  to  learn 
the  business,  and  remained  there  one  year, 
and  was  afterward  with  Mr.  Pape  for  five 
years,  and.  in  the  fall  of  1876,  ho  made  a 
tour  west,  visiting  Texas,  Colorado,  Kansas, 
Arkansas  and  Missouri,  remaining  four 
months,  when  he  returned  and  bought  a  stock 
of  drugs  at  Windsor,  Shelby  Co.,  111.,  and 
at  once  removed  it  to  Shumway  and  conducted 
the  drug  business  there  seven  months,  when 
he  sold  out  and  came  back  to  Effingham  and 
took  charge  of  the  present  store,  then  owned 
by  W.  W,  Simpson,  and  run  the  store  about 
six  months,  when  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  J.  W.  Fuukhouser  and  opened  a  drug 
store  at  Prairie  City,  111.,  which  he  run  for 
seven  months  and  sold  out  and  returned  to 
Effingham,  entering  the  employ  of  S.  W.  Os- 
good as  book-keeper  for  a  short  time.  In 
December,  1879,  he  took  charge  of  the  pres- 
ent store  for  Hon.  E.  N.  Rinehart,  and  has 
since  conducted  it  for  him,  having  entire 
charge  of  the  business.  Our  subject  was  mar- 
ried, in  May,  1880,  to  Miss  Ella  Van  Dyke,  of 
Majority  Point,  111. ;  they  have  one  daughter. 

COL.  JOHN  J.  FUNKHOUSER,  mer- 
chant, Effingham  Citv,  was  born  in  Summit 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


23 


Township,  this  county,  March  18,  1835;  he 
spent  his  youth  on  a  farm,  and  lived  on  it  until 
1851,  when  he  entered  a  store  which  his  father 
started  in  Ewington,  and  remained  there  un- 
til 1857  as  clerk.  In  1857,  he  came  to 
Eflingham  and  opened  a  store  of  his  own. 
At  that  time  the  town  had  not  over  seventy- 
five  people,  and  his  was  the  third  store 
started.  He  kept  a  general  store  until  the 
war  broke  out.  He  enlisted  August  2,  1861, 
in  the  Twenty-sixth  Illinois  Infantiy  for 
three  years,  and  he  went  out  as  Captain  of 
Company  A.  His  regiment  was  under  Gen. 
Pope  in  Northern  Missouri  and  his  company 
and  one  other  was  in  an  engagement  at  Salt 
River  Bridge.  Capt.  Funkhouser  was  de- 
tached from  his  regiment  in  January,  1862, 
and  came  home  and  raised  and  organized  the 
Ninety-eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  at 
Camp  Centralia,  and  went  out  as  Colonel  of 
the  regiment  and  joined  the  Department  of 
the  Ohio  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  was  assigned 
to  Gen.  Dumont's  forces.  His  regiment 
marched  1,050  miles  in  Kentucky  and  was  in 
three  engagements  in  that  State — Perry ville, 
Elizabethtown,  MuldroseHill  and  Hartsville, 
Tenn.,  and  many  other  skirmishes.  Subject 
was  at  Stone  River  and  in  a  heavy  skirmish 
at  Hall's  Hill,  and  McMinville,  Deckard, 
Hoover's  Gap,  Winchester,  Tenn.,  Harri- 
son's Lauding  and  at  Chickamauga,  where 
he  was  wounded,  September  20,  1863,  by  a 
minie  ball,  which  passed  through  both 
thishs,  fractui'ino'  one  femui*.  He  was  taken 
from  the  field  in  his  own  ambulance,  and  ta- 
ken to  Chattanooga,  from  thence  to  Steven- 
son, Ala.,  and  by  rail  to  Nashville,  where  his 
wound  was  dressed  on  the  fourth  day.  He 
remained  in  Nashville  eight  days,  when  he 
came  home,  where  he  remained  until  Febru- 
ary, 1S64,  when  he  rejoined  his  regiment  at 
Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  and  was  ordered  from 
there  back  to  Nashville,  where  he  took  charge 


of  the  cavalry  depot,  and  in  May  following, 
he  was  ordered  to  Columbia,  Tenn.,  and  took 
command  of  the  post  and  the  line  of  defenses 
on  the  line  of  Chattanooga  &  Nashville  Rail- 
road, having  charge  of  0,000  men.  He  made 
application  to  take  command  of  his  old  regi- 
ment, in  June,  1864,  but  the  army  Surgeon 
declared  him  unfit  for  duty  in  the  field  or  in- 
valid corps,  and,  in  July,  1864,  he  resigned 
and  came  home  and  has  been  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  here  ever  since,  except  about 
four  years,  which  he  spent  as  contractor  on 
the  Springfield  Branch  of  the  Ohio  &  Mis- 
sissippi Railroad.  He  helped  to  raise  the 
subsidies  along  the  line  of  the  narrow  gauge 
railroad  in  the  county,  and  was  President  of 
it  for  three  years  during  its  building,  and  is 
still  a  Director.  In  1882,  he  built  and  opened 
his  present  store,  at  the  corner  of  Jeffer- 
son and  Third  streets,^  two-story  brick,  45x60 
feet  on  ground,  double  storeroom,  occupied 
with  general  stock.  Col.  Funkhouser  was 
married,  in  1854,  to  Miss  Helen  A.  Wright, 
daughter  of  Jonathan  Wright,  of  this  county; 
they  have  four  children  living.  The  Colonel 
and  his  wife  were  born  on  the  same  day,  on 
the  same  section  (34,  of  Summit  Township). 
The  father  of  our  subject  was  Presley  Funk- 
houser, born  in  Green  County,  Ky.,  Novem- 
ber 30,  1811.  moved  to  Saline  County,  ill., 
with  his  parents,  in  1814,  and  from  there  to 
White  County,  in  1820,  and  to  this  county 
in  1829,  where  he  farmed  during  his  life. 
He  was  for  many  years  Justice  of  the  Peace 
and  Associate  Judge,  and,  in  1844,  was  elect- 
ed to  the  Legislature  and  re-elected  two 
terms.  He  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate 
in  1860,  and  was  a  member  on  his  fiftieth 
birthday,  November  30,  1861.  He  was  mar- 
ried, in  Clay  County,  in  1829,  to  Nancy 
Bishop,  and  had  thirteen  children,  of  whom 
there  are  three  sons  and  two  daughters  still 
livint'.      The  mother  died  March    14,  1873; 


24 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


she  was  born  in  McMinnville,  Tenn.,  in 
1812. 

WILSON  L.  FUNKHOUSER,  farmer,  P. 
O.  Effingham,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Summit 
Township,  this  county,  February  14,  1841; 
he  worked  in  a  store  and  on  a  farm  from  boy- 
hood; at  fourteen,  his  father  removed  to 
Ewington,  handling  stock,  buying  and  ship- 
ping to  Chicago.  At  twenty-two  years  of 
age,  our  subject  began  farming  the  old  home- 
stead, which  he  still  owns),  and  operated  it 
himself  until  1878,  when  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  S.  W.  Osgood  as  general  foreman  of 
his  busifless,  having  charge  of  the  men  work- 
ing m  the  timber,  and  is  still  in  the  employ 
of  Osgood  &  Kingman.  He  was  married,  in 
1863,  to  Miss  Carrie  Sprinkle,  daughter  of 
Michael  Sprinkle,  of  Watson  Township;  she 
was  born  in  this  county  and  her  father  is 
one  of  the  earliest  settlers  here;  they  have 
six  children  living. 

JUDGE  T.  J.  GILLENWATERS,  re- 
tired, P.  O.  Effingham,  whose  portrait  ap- 
pears in  this  work,  was  the  seveath  son  of  a 
family  of  ten  children,  three  boys  and  three 
girls  older  and  three  younger.  Ho  was  born 
on  the  5th  day  of  March,  1805,  in  Hawkins 
County,  Tenn.  On  the  father's  side  of  Eng- 
lish descent,  and  on  the  mother's  of  Irish 
parentage.  His  father,  Thomas  Gillenwa- 
ters,  was  born  on  the  3d  of  February,  1771, 
and  he  married  P»lly  Wilkins,  of  the  Wil- 
kins  family  of  Sjiarta,  S.  C,  on  the  5th  day 
of  August,  1794.  The  grandfathers,  Gillen- 
waters  and  Wilkins,  were  here,  partakers  in 
the  American  Revolution,  aud  diu-ing  that 
war  a  fort  was  established  on  the  Wilkins 
farm  in  South  Carolina.  Judge  Gillenwaters 
grew  up  a  f ai-mer  boy  on  his  father's  farm,  and 
at  ten  years  of  age  went  to  his  iirst  school,  a 
log  schoolhouse  with  a  dirt  floor  three  miles 
from  hia  father's  residence.  Here  he  learned 
his  alphabet,  and  between  ten  and  nineteen 


years  of  age,  he  got  the  sum  total  of  his  edu- 
cation in  school.  The  entire  time  thus 
snatched  from  his  young  life  of  hard  farm 
work  was  aboixt  six  months.  The  only  things 
taught  in  the  school  was  to  read,  write  and 
cii^her;  no  grammar,  no  geography,  no  any- 
thing else.  The  diligence  he  here  used  is 
well  indicated  by  the  fact  that  he  progressed 
in  his  arithmetic  to  the  double  rule  of  three, 
and  in  this  school  that  was  the  graduating 
point.  His  mind  thirsted  for  knowledge, 
and  when  he  had  passed  the  limits  of  this 
country  cabin  his  eagerness  to  go  on  is  made 
manifest  by  his  proposition  to  his  father, 
namely,  that  if  he  would  thon  send  him  to 
school  for  three  years,  he  would  waive  any  and 
all  claims  iipon  him  for  all  future  time:  not 
only  this,  but  that  when  he  had  the  advantage 
the  three  years  of  school,  he  would  commence 
life  for  himself  and  soon  repay  the  outlay 
thus  incurred.  His  father's  reply  to  this 
told  the  story :  "  I  wish  I  coxild,  son,  but  you 
are  a  good  stout  boy  now,  and  I  am  not  able 
to.  either  spare  you  or  the  money  to  educate 
you."  This  ended  the  ambitious  boy's  hopes 
in  that  direction.  When  fifteen  years  old — 
sixty-two  years  ago — he  joined  the  Method- 
ist Church,  and  commenced  that  Christian, 
though  just  and  liberal  life,  that  has  character- 
ized him  ever  since.  His  father  and  mother 
were  members  of  that  church,  and  to  his 
mother — that  sweetest  name  that  ever  came 
from  human  lips — he  attributes  all  this,  the 
best  blessing  of  his  life.  Although  his  father 
was  a  man  of  broad  and  just  judgment  and  lib- 
real  views — a  man  that  loved  his  family  and 
was  kind  and  gentle  always — yet  it  was  not 
that  mother's  tender  love  and  care  that 
twines  in  such  eternal  affection  and  love 
around  the  child's  heart.  An  incident  of  his 
child  life  tells  this  better  than  we  can:  It 
was  the  occasion  of  his  first  oath.  He  had 
been  talking  to    a   schoolmate,   and   before 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


35 


aware  himself  what  he  was  saying,  the  mild 
oath  was  out;  it  shocked  his  cousin,  his  lis- 
tener, as  well  as  himself.  His  cousin  told 
the  boy's  mother  about  it.  His  mother 
looked  at  him  as  a  pained  expression  passed 
over  her  face.  The  boy  cried  and  begged 
his  mother's  pardon  and  beseeched  her  not  to 
tell  his  father.  She  took  him  tenderly  in 
her  arms,  forgave  him  and  promised  not  to 
"  tell  father,"  only  asking  that  if  she  did  all 
this  he  would  never  swear  again.  He  made 
the  promise,  and  to  this  day  has  kept  it  sa- 
cred. His  j'outhful  days  were  given  tu  that 
ceaseless  round  of  toil  that  attends  farm  life, 
having  but  few  playmates  or  associates  except 
his  brothers  and  sisters.  He  grew  up  to  the 
fullest  requirement  of  that  command  that 
man  shall  earn  his  bread  by  the  sweat  of  his 
brow.  It  was  in  this  respect,  perhaps,  that 
his  education  suffered  the  most — that  is,  the 
absence  of  that  variety  of  young  associates 
and  the  leisure  to  mix  with  and  receive  and 
give  that  best  part  of  youth's  education,  that 
comes  of  contact  of  young  mind  with  other 
minds  of  near  the  same  age.  But  he  was 
fortunate  in  the  home  influences  that  sur- 
rounded him.  The  patient  kindness  and  in- 
dulgence of  his  father  is  told  in  the  circum- 
stance that  the  Judge  can  now  recall  but  a 
single  time  when  his  father  punished  him. 
This  was  for  disobedience  in  going  to  swim 
in  a  pond  near  the  house,  after  strict  orders 
had  been  given  not  to  do  so.  The  great 
temptation  was  not  resisted,  and  the  old  gen- 
tleman happening  to  catch  him  in  the  act, 
broke  off  the  tii'st  twigs  within  reach  and  ac- 
celerated the  lad's  movements  toward  home. 
The  punishment  was  not  severe,  but,  at  the 
moment,  was  well  calculated  to  frighten  a 
child  not  accustomed  to  the  lash.  On  the 
27th  day  of  November,  1827,  he  was  married 
to  Dinah  Farnsworth,  in  Green  County,  Tenn. 
He  formed  her  acquaintance   in  the  summer 


of  that  year  as  he  was  returning  from  a  visit 
to  relatives  in  South  Carolina.  He  had 
stopped  at  the  Farnsworth  mansion  for  break- 
fast. When  he  beheld  the  girl,  he  made 
some  excuse  to  stay  until  after  dinner,  and 
by  dinner  time  he  concluded  to  stay  till  next 
day,  and  before  that  time  had  expired  he  was 
in  doubts  as  to  whether  he  would  ever  go 
home  again.  He  stayed  a  week  and  started 
a  "  markin  school,"  but  says  :  "  I  didn't 
charge  her  anything."  He  commenced  house- 
keeping at  once  after  marriage,  in  a  house  on 
his  father's  farm  that  he  had  built  the  year 
before.  There  were  two  rooms  in  the  house. 
Here  he  lived  one  year  and  farmed,  and  here 
the  oldest  child,  Jane  was  born.  On  the 
3d  of  March,  1829,  he  took  the  now  little 
family,  moved  to  near  Brennenberg,  Meade 
County,  Ky. ,  where  they  stopped  and  raised 
a  crop,  and  in  the  fall  sold  it  and  moved  to 
Vermillion  County,  Ind.  While  here,  the 
second  child,  Mellissa,  was  born,  March  29, 
1830.  In  1831,  moved  to  Coles  County,  111., 
and  improved  a  small  farm  eight  miles  south 
of  Charleston,  near  the  village  of  Farming- 
ton.  Here  the  third  child,  Malinda,  was 
born,  March  1,  1832.  He  raised  two  crops 
here  and  on  the  9th  of  March,  1833,  moved 
to  EiSngham  County  and  purchased  the  Fan- 
cher  farm,  just  this  side  of  Ewington  and 
here  he  lived  and  farmed  and  milled  and 
helped  build  churches  and  schoolhouses  and 
worked  and  prospered  and  gathered  around 
him  family  and  friends  for  the  next  twenty 
years.  His  restless  desire  for  changes  that  so 
marked  the  first  few  years  of  his  married  life 
was  over,  and  in  his  new  home  he  had  settled 
down  to  a  contented  and  an  industrious  life. 
In  this  farm  home,  where  he  resided  for 
twenty  years,  except  two  years  in  Ewington, 
his  other  children  were  born,  namely,  George 
Thomas  Gillenwaters,  October  31,  1833  ; 
Elizabeth,  January  18,  183G;    Dinah,  April 


26 


BIOGUAPHICAL: 


5,  1838;  Livonia,  March  25,  1841,  and 
Amanda,  August  7,  1843.  His  wife  died 
November  1,  1844,  leaving  him  a  household 
of  young  children,  the  youngest  being  only 
a  little  past  one  year  old.  On  the  80th  day 
of  September,  1846,  he  married  his  present 
wife,  a  Mrs.  Ann  Jackson,  n^e  Evans,  of 
Macoupin  County,  111.  He  was  elected  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace  in  1836,  and  afterward  was 
twice  re-elected  to  the  same  office.  Was 
elected  a  member  of  the  County  Commission- 
ers' Court  in  1842,  and  was  re-elected  to  the 
same  office  in  1850.  In  1858,  he  was  elected 
Associate  Judge  of  the  County  Court,  and 
continued  to  hold  this  office  until,  by  the 
adoption  of  township  organization,  the  office 
ceased  to  exist.  In  1862,  he  was  elected 
City  Treasurer  of  the  city  of  Effingham,  and, 
at  the  expiration  of  the  term,  was  re-elected. 
At  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office  as  City 
Treasurer,  there  was  $532  cash  of  the  city 
money  in  his  hands,  which  was  turned  over 
to  his  successor,  Sam  Moffitt  and  his  receipt 
in  full  given  for  the  same.  Was  twice  elect- 
ed Supervisor  for  the  city  of  Effingham,  from 
which  office  he  retired  in  the  spring  of  1882. 
He  had  been  elected  a  Lieutenant  of  a  militia 
compan}'  in  Tennessee  when  a  very  young 
man,  and  his  commission  bore  the  sign  man- 
ual of  Gov.  Carroll,  of.  Tennessee.  Here  was 
a  long  life  of  honor  and  trust,  and  we  need 
attempt  no  higher  eulogy  of  his  official  life 
than  to  state  the  simple  truth,  that  in  all  his 
life  there  was  never  the  shadow  of  a  shade  of 
stain  upon  his  official  integrity  and  unflinch- 
ing honesty.  He  held  these  trusts  most  sa- 
cred, and  turned  them  over  to  his  successors 
in  better  condition  than  when  he  took  them. 
He  never  was  an  office-seeker,  and  more  than 
once  when  his  friends  had  made  up  a  ticket 
with  his  name  for  some  leading  county  office, 
he  has  ordered  his  name  taken  off  and  some 
other  name  substituted.     He  would  convince 


his  friends  that  this  was  for  the  best,  and 
they  would  acquiesce  and  follow  his  instruc- 
tions. Judge  Gillenwaters  has  been  a  con 
sistent  Democrat  all  his  life.  He  was  born 
in  the  "  State  of  Andrew  Jackson,"  and  his 
nature  partook  largely  of  the  east  of  the  old 
hero.  Any  one  familiar  with  the  portrait  of 
"  Old  Hickory  "  will  be  reminded  of  them  the 
moment  he  looks  at  the  portrait  of  the  Judge 
in  this  work.  There  is  a  semblance  in  per- 
son as  marked  as  is  the  character  of  the  two 
men.  In  1845,  he  built  a  saw-mill,  water- 
power,  on  Salt  Creek.  After  operating  this  a 
little  more  than  a  year,  he  wont  soldiering  to 
Mexico,  and  during  his  absence  John  F. 
Waschefort  purchased  it.  In  1850,  he  built  a 
horse-power  mill,  and  brought  the  first  circu- 
lar saw  to  the  county.  This  also  was  near 
Ewingrton.  After  running;  this  about  three 
years,  it  was  sold  to  W.  J.  Hankins,  and 
then  he  erected  a  steam  mill  just  west  of 
Ewington.  In  April,  1859,  he  moved  to  the 
town  of  Effingham  and  opened  a  hotel  in  the 
house  now  occupied  by  himself  and  family  as 
a  residence.  In  this,  as  in  most  of  his  under- 
takings, he  prospered,  and,  in  1864,  he  built 
the  large  brick  hotel  on  the  public  square, 
and  the  brick  business  house  adjoining  the 
same.  Here  he  kept  a  public  house  until 
the  spring  of  the  year  1882,  when  he 
leased  the  establishment  to  its  present  jiro- 
prietors,  and  thus  at  one  and  the  same  time 
he  retired  from  business  and  public  and 
official  life,  and  has  rested  at  last  in  cheery 
old  asre  from  his  loncf,  laborious  and  active 
labors.  The  history  of  Effingham  County 
and  the  biography  of  Judge  Gillenwaters  are 
very  much  one  and  the  same  thing.  His 
coming  hero  and  the  existence  of  the  county 
were  coeval  events.  To  much  of  its  growth 
and  prosperity  it  is  indebted  to  him.  He 
has  been  one  of  its  humblest  laborers  and 
wisest  counselors.     He  has  been  a  Western 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


37 


man  ia  the  broad  pense  of  that  term;  he  has 
realized  the  wants  of  the  people  and  with 
strong  brain  and  hand  he  has  supplied  that 
demand  most  generously  and  unsparingly. 
And  now,  when  the  race  is  nearly  run,  and 
the  afternoon  of  life  wanes,  to  see  this  ven- 
erable, white-haired  couple,  as  hand  in  hand 
they  pass  along  toward  the  twilight  and  the 
journey's  end,  receiving  the  love,  reverence 
and  respect  of  all,  is  a  picture  indeed  that 
many  loving  hearts  will  wish  may  never  fade. 
SYLVESTER  F.  GILMOEE,  attorney 
and  County  Judge,  Effingham,  was  born  in 
Putman  County,  Ind.,  August  17,  1837;  he 
was  educated  at  Hanover  College,  Indiana, 
and  began  the  study  of  law  in  1858,  at  Green 
, Castle,  Ind.,  with  Col.  John  A.  Matson,  and, 
after  reading  with  him  about  two  years,  en- 
tered the  Law  Department  of  the  Indiana  As- 
bury  University,  from  which  he  graduated 
in  March,  1860,  and  began  the  practice  of 
law  in  Carmi,  111.,  continuing  there  until 
1862,  when  he  returned  to  his  old  home  in 
Indiana  and  enlisted,  in  1863,  in  the  Seventy- 
eighth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  joined 
a  portion  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  and 
was  stationed  at  Uniontown,  Ky. ,  and  took 
part  in  engagements  near  Morgantield,  Ky. , 
and  at  Uniontown,  at  which  latter  place  the 
whole  command  was  captured,  late  in  1863, 
and  was  paroled  and  sent  home,  subject  re- 
turning to  Green  Castle,  Ind.,  remaining  un- 
til 1867.  In  September  of  that  year  he  came 
to  Effingham  and  has  been  in  active  practice 
here  since.  In  1873,  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  White  Jind  the  firm  has  for 
nine  years  been  Gilmore  &  White.  He  was 
elected,  in  1869,  County  Superintendent  of 
Schools,  and  served  four  years.  He  was 
nominated  for  County  Judge  by  the  Dem- 
ocratic convention  in  April,  1882.  Mr.  Gil- 
more  was  married,  in  April,  1860,  at  Green 
Castle,  to  Miss  Julia  A.  Matkin;  they  have 


four  children — Clarence,  Mary,  Willie  and 
Thomas.  Mrs.  Gilmore  died  June  12,  1881. 
WILLIAM  L.  GOODELL,  M.  D.,  Effing- 
ham, is  the  eldest  sou  of  Dr.  William  S.  and 
Catharine  (Rerrick)  Goodell,  and  was  born  in 
Richland  County,  Ohio,  September  28,  1844; 
he  was  taught  by  his  parents  at  home  with 
the  exception  of  two  terms  in  the  public 
schools,  and  afterward  entered  college. 
When  about  nine  years  old,  he  came  with  his 
parents  to  Illinois  and  they  located  at  Kan- 
sas, Edgar  Co.,  111.,  where  his  father  was  a 
merchant  and  a  physician.  Our  subject  en- 
tered Marshall  College  in  1S5S,  his  pai'ents 
having  removed  to  Marshall,  Clark  Co.,  111., 
in  that  year,  to  educate  their  children.  Om- 
subject  remained  in  college  until  October, 
1800.  In  September,  1861,  he  began  the 
study  of  medicine  with  his  father,  and  stud- 
ied and  practiced  with  him  until  the  latter's 
death.  He  entered  the  Medical  Department 
of  Michigan  University,  at  Ann  Arbor,  in 
October,  1861,  and  attended  two  full  courses 
there,  and,  in  1865,  he  entered  Rush  Medical 
College,  Chicago,  from  which  he  graduated 
in  1866  and  located  and  practiced  over  a 
year  in  Coles  County,  111.  In  1868,  he  came 
to  Effingham  and  has  practiced  here  ever 
since.  He  was  associated  with  his  father  al- 
most to  the  time  of  his  father's  death.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Med- 
ical Society  since  1875,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Esculapian  Society  of  the  Wabash  Valley. 
He  was  a  delegate  to  the  International  Med- 
ical Congress,  held  in  Philadelphia,  Penn., 
in  1876.  He  was  also  a  delegate  to  the' 
American  Medical  Association,  held  in  At- 
lanta, Ga.,  in  1877.  He  joined  the  Centen- 
nial Medical  Society  of  Southern  Illinois  in 
1880.  His  father,  William  Sherman  Good- 
ell, M.  D.,  was  born  at  Weathersfield,  Wind- 
sor Co.,  Vt.,  A.  D.  1815.  He  studied  medi- 
cine with  Dr.    Stone,   of  Lyndon,    Vt. ,    at- 


28 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


tended  medical  leetures  at  Cleveland,  two 
full  courses  at  the  University  of  Michigan, 
and  one  course  at  Rush  Medical  College, 
Chicago.  Practiced  his  profession  more  than 
forty  years,  and  was  master  of  it  in  all  its 
various  departments.  The  Doctor  stood  very 
high  in  his  profession,  having  a  large  prac- 
tice and  was  very  successful.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Esculapian  Medical  Society  of  the 
Wabash  Valley.  The  Doctor's  scientific  at- 
tainments, literary  lore  and  classical  refine- 
ment, coupled  with  his  wondrous  conversa- 
tional power,  rendered  him  a  favorite  among 
original  thinkers  and  investigators.  The  Doc- 
tor was  a  perfect  grammarian,  and  in  the 
olden  time  has  had  teachers  come  thirty  miles 
to  have  him  analyze  and  parse  complex  sen- 
tences and  decide  disputes  amongst  gram- 
marians. Could  solve  any  mathematical 
problem  and  wrote  an  arithmetic,  but  it  was 
never  published.  He  was  known  to  his 
friends  and  his  enemies  as  an  unshaken,  hon- 
est Democrat  of  the  "  Jackson  "  type,  and, 
although  eminent  as  a  politician,  he  could 
never  be  induced  to  accept  an  office.  During 
the  hot  campaign  of  1860,  he  discussed  the 
political  issues  of  the  day  with  Mr.  Lincoln. 
Was  the  personal  friend  of  Hon.  J.  C.  Rob- 
inson, Judge  John  Scholfield,  Hon.  C.  L. 
Vallandigham,  Judge  Stephen  A.  Douglas 
and  was  a  correspondent  of  Gov.  H.  A.  Wise. 
The  Doctor  married  Catharine  Herrick 
(daughter  of  Judge  Herrick),  of  De  Kalb 
County,  Ind.,  in  A.  D.  1840;  they  had  three 
children,  viz.,  William  L.  Goodell,  M.  D., 
Catharine  J.  Goodell  and  F.  Wise  Goodell, 
M.  D.  In  April,  1867,  the  Doctor  saw  the 
certain  development  of  Elfingham  City  and 
County,  BO  moved  with  his  family  (who  are 
yet  residents  of  the  city).  He  built  two  large 
and  substantial  brick  dwellings  in  the  north- 
em  part  of  the  city.  He  was  a  Master  Ma- 
son.    After  a  long  and  useful  life  the  Doctor 


passed  quietly  to  that  undiscovered  country 
from  "  whose  bourn  no  traveler  returns,"  No- 
vember 20,  1877,  of  pneumonia,  caused  by  ex- 
posure while  engaged  in  his  profession. 

FRANK  WISE  GOODELL,  M.  D., 
EflSngham,  was  born  in  Marshall,  Clark  Co., 
111.,  March  1,  1858;  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  he 
began  the  study  of  medicine  with  his  father, 
and  studied  in  his  office  and  practiced  with 
him,  and  afterward,  with  his  older  brother. 
Dr.  William  L.  Goodell,  in  Effingham,  as 
student,  and  afterward  as  partner.  He  was 
a  student  in  the  Louisville  Medical  College 
and  the  Indiana  Medical  College,  at  Indian- 
apolis, and  was  considered  the  most  popular 
student  in  his  respective  classes,  being  per- 
sonally acquainted  with  every  student  and 
professor.  He  was  the  youngest  student  in 
the  Louisville  school  and  Vice  President  of 
thw  Sydenham  Medical  Society.  He  was 
nominated  for  the  office  of  Coroner  at  the 
Democratic  Primary  Convention,  held  April 
4,  1882,  by  over  1,200  majority. 

H.  GORRELL,  carpenter,  Effingham,  was 
born  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  January  7,  1829, 
son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Van  Cleaf)  Gorrell, 
he,  a  farmer,  born  in  Maryland,  and  died  in 
1873,  near  Columbus,  Ohio;  she,  born  in  New 
Jersey  and  died  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  in 
1852.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  are  living.  Our  subject 
received  his  education  in  his  native  State, 
and  was  engaged  in  farming  until  he  became 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  was  married, 
November  1,  1849,  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  to 
Miss  Sarah  Kirkpatrick,  born  in  Harrison 
County,  same  State,  February  22,  1829, 
daughter  of  John  M.  and  Nancy  (Guthrie) 
Kirkpatrick.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gorrell  have  had 
six  children,  two  of  whom  are  living — Elca- 
neh  and  Clementine.  Those  deceased  are 
Ransom,  Arvilla,  Clara  and  Alva.  Our  sub- 
ject has  worked  at  his  trade  of  carpentering 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


■29 


since  coming  to  this  county.  He  has  been  in 
the  employ  of  the  Vandalia  Railroad  Com- 
pany for  nine  years,  where  he  has  Superin- 
tended a  forc6  of  workmen.  Our  subject's 
son,  Elcaneh,  lives  in  Newton,  Jasper  Coun- 
ty, this  State,  and  is  editor  of  the  Jasper 
County  Times,  a  Republican  paper.  He  is 
also  Lieutenant  of  the  "  Newton  Guards," 
State  Militia,  Company  B.  He  married  El- 
la Brown,  the  daughter  of  Attorney  D.  B. 
Brown,  of  Newton.  Our  subject's  daughter, 
Clementine,  is  the  wife  of  Mr.  W.  H.  Bea- 
ver, a  salesman  in  J.  V.  Farwell  &  Co.'s 
wholesale  dry  goods  house,  Chicago;  they 
have  one  boy — Frank  Earl,  born  January  15, 
1882.  Our  subject  and  wife  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Church.  He  is  an  I.  O.  O.  F., 
Dallas  Lodge,  No.  85.  In  politics,  he  is  a 
Democrat. 

A.  A.  GRAVENHORST,  editor  of  the 
Effingham  Volkshlatt,  son  of  Theodore  and 
Sophia  (Oehker)  Gravenhorst,  was  born  in 
the  village  of  Neuhaus,  in  the  Kingdom  of 
Hanover,  now  Prussia,  March  8,  1839.  He 
was  educated  at  the  Gymnasium,  at  Lunen- 
burg, Hanover,  and  nearly  completed  a  course 
in  modern  languages,  preparatory  to  enter- 
ing the  university.  He  left  school  at  seven- 
teen and  spent  two  years  at  agricultural  pur- 
suits. In  1858,  being  nineteen  years  of  age, 
he  came  to  the  United  States  and  located 
near  Chicago,  111. ,  and  for  two  years  worked 
on  a  farm  in  Cook  County.  In  1860,  he 
came  to  Teutopolis,  this  county,  with  little 
in  the  way  of  surplus  capital.  He  entered  the 
employ  of  Mi".  \\  aschefort,  remaining  about 
six  months.  He  enlisted,  in  1864,  in  the 
Forty-second  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was 
at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  Nashville  and  other  minor 
engagements.  He  returned  in  July,  1865, 
and,  in  1867,  went  into  business  here  for 
himself  and  has  continued  prosperously  ever 


since.  In  June,  1878,  he  started  the  first 
German  paper  ever  published  in  the  county, 
and  enlarged  and  improved  it  to  a  six-column 
quarto,  in  October,  1882,  and  called  it  the 
Effingham  Volksblatt.  He  married  Miss 
Bai-bara  Blattner,  January  4,  1871;  they 
have  four  children  living. 

J.  N.  GROVES,  physician  and  surgeon, 
Effingham  City,  was  born  in  Perry  County, 
Ohio,  February  21,  1841.  He  came  to  Illi- 
nois at  the  age  of  fom-teen,  and  his  parents 
first  settled  in  Crawford  County.  At  the  age 
of  fifteen  years,  he  entered  the  Ohio  Wesley- 
an  University,  at  Delaware,  where  he  spent 
about  three  years.  He  returned  to  Illinois 
and  began  the  study  of  medicine,  in  1858, 
with  Dr.  S.  M.  Meeker,  of  Hardinsville,  111., 
and,  in  the  fall  of  1860,  he  entered  the  Chi- 
cago Medical  College,  in  which  he  spent  a 
winter  and  summer  term.  In  July,  1861,  he 
settled  in  Watson,  this  county,  where  he  be- 
gan to  practice,  which  he  continued  until 
1862.  when  ho  enlisted  in  the  Ninetj^-eighth 
Illinois  Mounted  Infantry,  as  private  in  Com- 
pany F,  Capt.  Le  Crone,  and  was  made  Hos- 
pital Steward  at  once,  and,  in  1863,  he  was 
made  First  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  Ninety- 
eighth  Regiment.  Dr.  Groves  was  detailed  to 
accompany,  as  Surgeon,  the  Fourth  Michigan 
Cavalry,  in  quest  of  Jefif  Davis,  and  was 
present  at  his  capture.  He  remained  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  in  July,  1865,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Effingham  and  foi-med  a  partner- 
ship with  Dr.  John  Le  Crone,  of  this  city, 
and  practiced  here  until  October,  1865,  when 
he  entered  the  Rush  Medical  College  at  Chi- 
cago, from  which  he  graduated  January  24, 
1866,  and  returned  to  Effingham  for  a  year, 
when  he  moved  to  Freemanton,  just  before 
the  Vandalia  road  was  built,  and  when  the 
station  was  located  at  Altamont,  he  located 
and  remained  there  until  1880,  when  he 
moved  to   Effingham.      In  September,  1880 


30 


BIOGRAPHIC  A].: 


he  established  the  Effingham  Surgical  Insti- 
tute and  Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary,  in  con- 
nection with  Dr.  L.  J.  Schifi'erstein,  an  oc- 
ulist and  aurist.  Dr.  Groves  and  his  asso- 
ciate are  in  charge  of  the  Mercy  Hospital 
at  Effingham.  He  is  Surgeon-in-chief  of 
the  Springfield,  Effingham  &  Southeast- 
ern Railway,  and  local  surgeon  of  the  Ohio 
&  Mississippi  Railroad.  He  has  built  up  a 
very  large  practice  and  eatablishod  an  envi- 
able reputation  as  a  surgeon. 

J.  N.  GWIN,  lawyer,  Effingham,  whose 
portrait  appears  in  this  work,  first  breathed  the 
vital  air  in  Crawfprd  County,  111.,  near  where 
Robinson,  the  county  capital,  was  shortly  af- 
terward located.  His  parents,  John  W.  and 
Lucindes  Gwin,  obeyed  the  admonition  "  to 
get  married  and  go  West."  They  moved  from 
Virginia  to  said  county  in  1830.  when  that  re- 
gion was  almost  a  wilderness,  the  wolves 
and  deer  being  almost  the  sole  occupants  of 
the  praii-ie.  Here  the  subject  of  this  biog- 
raphy was  reared,  being  the  fourth  child  of 
his  parents,  but  the  oldest  now  living.  He 
was  brought  up  on  a  farm  and  accustomed  to 
a  life  of  toil.  Having  received  a  liberal  edu- 
cation by  going  to  the  country  schools,  some 
three  miles  distant,  for  three  or  four 
months  of  each  winter,  diuring  the  time  he 
worked  on  the  farm.  At  the  solicitation  of 
some  friends,  his  father  sent  him  to  an  acad- 
emy at  Marshall,  111.,  in  1857,  then  in  suc- 
cessful operation  under  the  control  of  the  M. 
E.  Church,  where  he  remained  one  year. 
The  year  spent  at  the  academy  created  such 
a  desire  for  knowledge  in  the  young  man  that 
his  father  sent  him  to  McKendree  College,  in 
1858,  where  he  entered  the  classical  course 
and  remained  two  j^ears.  from  which  institu- 
tion, in  1860,  he  went  to  the  Indiana  Asbury 
University,  at  Green  Castle,  Ind.,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  studying  German  and  French,  where 
he  remained  one  year,  returning  to  McKen- 


dree College;  he  remained  one  year,  graduat- 
ing in  the  classical  course,  in  the  ever  mem- 
orable class  of  June  19,  1802,  with  the  de- 
gree of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  His  father  died  a 
few  days  after  the  completion  of  his  colle- 
giate course,  and  he  was  left  to  commence 
life  on  his  own  resources;  he  taught  school 
successfully  for  one  year,  then  read  law  for 
a  year  with  Judge  Kitchell,  at  Olney,  111.; 
served  one  year  in  the  army,  in  the  Fifth  In- 
diana Cavalry;  was  on  detached  duty  as 
Clerk  of  the  General  Court  Martial,  at  Pu- 
laski, Tenn. ,  during  the  summer  of  18B5- 
Was  mustered  out  of  the  service  with  his 
regiment  after  the  expiration  of  the  war,  and 
immediately  entered  the  Cincinnati  Law 
School,  in  October,  1805.  at  which  institu- 
tion he  graduated  in  1866,  with  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Laws.  In  June,  1805,  the  de- 
gree of  Master  of  Arts  was  conferred  on  him 
by  McKendree  College.  Was  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  Mt.  Vernon,  in  June,  1866.  and  com- 
menced the  practice  of  the  law  at  Effingham 
August  1  of  the  same  year,  where  he  has 
ever  since  resided  and  practiced  his  chosen 
profession.  Was  the  candidate  for  Presi 
dential  elector  on  the  Liberal  Republican 
ticket  for  the  Fifteenth  Congressional  Dis- 
trict in  1872.  Elected  Mayor  of  the  city  of 
Effingham  in  1877,  overcoming  a  Democratic 
majority  of  over  one  hundred,  being  the  only 
one  on  the  ticket  that  had  any  opposition 
that  was  elected,  which  position  he  held  for 
two  years,  acquitting  himself  with  the  almost 
universal  declaration  that  he  made  the  best 
Mayor  Effingham  ever  had.  He  is  a  gentle- 
man of  excellent  exemplary  habits  for  one  of 
his  profession;  he  neither  chews,  smokes  nor 
uses  intoxicating  drinks  of  any  kind  except 
for  medicinal  purposes.  Dxu'ing  his  colle- 
giate course  of  five  years,  so  staid  and  rigid 
were  his  conscientious  convictions  of  right 
that  he  never  received  a  demerit  mark,  un- 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


31 


excused   absence  from  recitation  or   private 
reproof,  being  the  only  one  in  his  class  that 
had  a  perfect  record.     Knowing  the   advan- 
tages of  a  religious  and  educational  training, 
he  has  ever  since  manifested  a  great  interest 
in  the  Sabbath  and  week  day  schools,  and,  as 
Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Education,  he  has 
been  untiring  in  'his  efforts  to  secure  none 
but  lirst-class  teachers  in  the  public  schools 
of  the  city  of  Effingham.     Sixteen  years  ago, 
he  arrived  at  Effingham  without  a  dollar  that 
he  could  call  his  own,  and  among  entire  stran- 
gers, liut  by  leading  a  life  of  sobriety,  econ- 
omy and   industry,  he  has  accumulated  some 
property,  and  now,  with  his  aged  mother,  oc- 
cupies the  most  beautiful  home  in  the  city  of 
Effingham.      In  politics,  he  was  a  Republican 
from  boyhood,  making  an  active  canvass  for 
Abraham  Lincoln  in  1860,  with  which  party 
he  continued  to  act  until  1876,  when  he  joined 
the  National  party,  and  was  sent  as  a  delegate 
from  Illinois  to  the  National  Convention  at 
Indianapolis,    that  nominated  Peter  Cooper 
for  President;  in  1880,  was  a  delegate  to  the 
National  Convention  at  Chicago  that  nomi- 
nated Gen.   Weaver  as  a  candidate  for  Presi- 
dent.     He  is  one  of  the  oldest  members,  in 
point  of  membership,  of  Dallas  Lodge,  No. 
85,  I.  O.  O.  F.     He  has   also   taken   all  the 
degrees   in  White  Hall  Lodge,  No.  134,  and 
Encampment    at     Effingham.     Is     a    mem 
ber  of    Gates  Post,   No.    88,   of    the  Grand 
Army  of  the   Republic,  and  was  one  of    its 
charter  members. 

HENRY  G.  H.\BING,  agent  Adams  Ex- 
press Company,  insurance  and  real  estate, 
Effingham,  was  born  near  the  town  of  Essen, 
Oldenburg,  Germany,  January  13,  1837. 
His  parents  died  in  Germany,  and,  in  184:4, 
subject,  then  seven  years  old,  came  to  the 
United  States  with  his  grandfather,  Casper 
Waschefort,  who  settled  in  Teutopolis,  this 
county,  and  subject  lived  in  the  village  imtil 


1854,   when   he  went   to    Evansville,    Ind. , 
where  he  was   clerk   in  a  general  store   for 
three  years,  and,  in   1857,  returned   to  Teu- 
topolis  and  clerked  for  his  uncle,  John   F. 
Waschefort.  three  years,  and,  in  1860,  came 
to  Effingham,  and  the  same  year  Mr.  Wasche- 
fort opened  a  store  here,  which  Mr.  Habing 
ran  for  three  years,  and  in    1863  opened  a 
general  store  of  his  own,  which  he  ran  until 
1866,   when  he  sold   it    and    engaged   with 
Thomas  D.  Craddook  in  the  banking  business, 
the  firm  of  Craddock  &  Habing  conducting  a 
private   bank  until   1873,  when  the  partner- 
ship was  dissolved  and  subject  continued  by 
himself  until   1876.     In   1876,  Mr.   Habing 
engaged  in  the  insurance  business,  which  he 
has  continued  with    good    success.     In   ad- 
dition, he  became  the  first  agent  of  the  Wa- 
bash Railroad,  in  1879,  and  is  still  its  agent. 
Also  became  agent  of  the  Adams  and  Pacific 
Express  Companies  in   1881.     He  was  agent 
of  the  American  Express  Company  at  Effing- 
ham from  1860  to  1866.     He  was  elected  on 
the  Independent  ticket,  in    1867,  and  served 
two  years  as  County  Treasurer,  and   again 
elected  in  1873,  on  the  Democratic  ticket  as 
County    Treasurer    for    one    term.     He    was 
Mayor  of  Effingham  in  1875,  and  the  same 
year  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors; 
served  several  terms  in  other  offices   of  trust, 
as  Alderman,  Trustee  and  School  Treasurer. 
RUFUS    C.   HARRAH,  State's  Attorney, 
Effingham  City,  was  born  in  Putnam  County. 
Ind.,  October   10,  1840.     He  came  with  his 
father  to  Jasper  County,  111.,  in   1858,  and 
lived  on  a  farm.      He  was  educated  at  West- 
field  College,  Illinois,  which  he  left  in  1870 
and    taught   school    two   years,    in    Putnam 
County,   Ind.      March   10,   1872,  he  came  to 
Effingham  and  studied  law  with  J.  N.  Gwin, 
and  was  admitted  to  the   bar  June  18,  1874, 
and  has  been  practicing  here  since.     He  was 
Police  Magistrate  of  Effingham  from  1873  to 


32 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


1881.  He  was  elected  State's  A.ttorney  for  this 
eouuty  in  18S0,  for  four  years,  by  the  Democrat- 
ic party.  His  parents  still  live  in  Jasper  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  where  his  father  has  followed  the 
life-long  occupation  of  farming.  His  father, 
Daniel  F.  Harrah,  was  born  in  Montgomery 
County,  Ky.,  and  came  to  Indiana  about  1835. 
He  was  the  son  of  Daniel  Harrah,  a  boldier  of 
the  war  of  1812.  Our  subject  was  married, 
in  1873,  to  Mrs.  Ellen  Warren,  of  Jasper 
County,  111.  They  have  two  children  living. 
GEORGE  HARVEY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Effing- 
ham, was  born  in  Schuylkill  County,  Penn., 
January  18,  1832,  son  of  Isaac  and  Sarah 
(Wunder)  Harvey,  he,  born  in  Berks  County, 
Penn.,  in  1800,  was  a  blacksmith  and  died 
in  Schuylkill  County,  same  State,  in  1874; 
she  was  also  a  native  of  Berks  County,  Penn., 
born  in  1802,  and  died  in  Schuylkill  County, 
same  State,  in  July,  1853.  They  were  the 
parents  of  fifteen  children,  ten  of  whom  are 
living.  Our  subject  received  his  education 
in  his  native  county,  and  was  engaged  in 
farming  till  1866,  when  he  went  to  work  in 
the  coal  mines  of  his  State,  in  which  occupa- 
tion he  was  engaged  imtil  1879,  at  which 
time  he  came  to  Illinois  and  purchased  a 
farm  of  500  acres  in  this  county,  paying  $18 
per  acre.  His  place  is  adjoining  to  the  city 
limits  of  Effingham,  and  includes  120  acres 
of  timber  land.  He  carries  on  general  farm- 
ing. Our  subject  was  married,  in  his  native 
county,  August  12,  1853,  to  Miss  Mary  N. 
JJentler,  born  in  the  same  county,  daughter 
of  Jacob  Dentler,  born  in  Lewisburg,  Union 
Co.,  Penn.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harvey  have  nine 
children  living — Theodore  H.,  Isaac  A., 
Charles,  Anna  Maria,  Esther,  George,  Sam- 
uel, Richard  and  Bessie.  Mrs.  Harvey  is  a 
member  of  the  Church  of  the  United  Breth- 
ren. He  is  an  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Pine  Grove  Lodge, 
No.  1-18,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  En- 
campment.    In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican. 


ALPHEUS  J.  HASBROUCK,  Effingham, 
watchman,  was  born  in  Kingston,  Ulster  Co., 
N.  Y.,  March  1,  1826,  son  of  Jacob  and  Ari- 
etta (Schoonmaker)  Hasbrouck,  he,  born  in 
Kingston,  N.  Y,,  April  2,  1800,  was  a  stu- 
dent under  Dr.  Mott,  and  afterward  a  phy- 
sician, died  in  Seneca  County,  N.  Y. ;  she 
was  of  Holland .  descent,  born  in  1802,  and 
died  in  New  York  State  in  August,  1882. 
The  history  of  the  Hasbrouck  family  is  in- 
teresting as  well  as  somewhat  peculiar.  Our 
subject's  ancestors  (as  far  back  as  the  history 
can  be  traced)  were  two  Frenchmen,  who,  in 
Coligny's  time,  during  the  early  persecution 
of  Protestants  in  France,  fled  to  Holland, 
where  they  took  refuge  among  the  Huguenots, 
and  afterward  emigrated  to  America,  sailing 
from  England  for  Boston,  in  April,  1675, 
thence  to  New  York  and  from  there  to  Eso- 
pu8  (now  Kingston,  N.  Y. ),  arriving  in  the 
latter  place  in  July  of  the  same  year.  One 
of  the  brothers,  Joseph,  remained  In  Esopus, 
while  the  other,  Jacob,  settled  in  Poughkeep- 
sie,  N.  Y.,  and  both  intermarried  with  the 
French  and  Hollanders.  Oiu-  subject's  great- 
grandfather and  Mrs.  Hasbrouck's  great  great- 
grandfather were  first  cousins,  so  the  two 
families,  though  at  intervals,  would  be  quite 
distant  from  each  other,  time  w'culd  bring 
them  together  again.  Our  subject's  grand- 
father was  a  Captain  in  the  Revolutionary 
war  and  a  Colonel  in  the  war  of  1812.  In 
the  great  civil  war,  there  were  eighteen  repre- 
sentatives of  the  family  in  the  army,  ranking 
from  a  private  to  a  General.  Our  subject  is 
the  descendant  of  the  oldest  child  in  each 
generation,  with  one  exception.  The  first 
child  in  each  generation  happened  to  be  a 
boy.  In  early  life  our  subject  was  a  farmer. 
He  was  married,  in  Seneca  County,  N.  Y., 
October  8,  1851,  to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Has- 
brouck, born  in  Kingston,  N.  Y. ,  May  5, 
1829,  daughter  of  Louis  and  Mai'garet  (Van 


ar'H*- 


(\\-. 


7, 


^U^i>cSfjAyiT_ 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


33 


Vleck)  Hasbroiick,  he,  born  in  New  Paltz, 
now  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y..  in  1797;  she, 
born  in  the  same  phice  and  year  as  her  hus- 
band. Our  subject  has  six  children  living 
and  two  deceased.  Those  living  are  Lou- 
ise, Mary,  Josephine,  Frank  Calvin,  Louis 
and  Viola.  Mary  is  a  teacher  on  the  west 
side  school  of  Effingham.  Mr.  Hasbrouck 
came  to  Effingham  in  1S70,  and  has  since 
resided  here.  He  had  previously  filled  a 
number  of  offices  in  Mattoon,  Coles  County, 
this  State,  being  at  one  time  Mayor  of  that 
city  and  President  of  four  societies,  and  also 
Superintendent  of  Sabbath  school.  He 
takes  great  interest  in  educational  matters. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity 
and  is  also  an  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  has  been  in 
the  employ  of  the  Yandalia  Railroad  Com- 
pany for  most  of  the  past  eleven  years.  In 
religion,  he  is  a  Presbyterian,  and  in  j)olitics 
a  Republican. 

CHARLES  G.  HARTMANN,  wool  dealer 
and  merchant,  Effingham,  was  born  in  the  city 
of  Neustadt,  near  Stolpen,  Saxon}',  Germany, 
March  10, 1824;.  His  father  was  a  weaver  in 
Neustadt,  and  subject  learned  the  trade  with 
him  when  a  boy  and  traveled  sis  years  as  a 
journeyman  in  Germany.  He  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1850,  and  lirst  settled  in 
South  Bend,  Ind.,  where  he  lived  two  years, 
when  he  removed  to  Shelby  County,  111.,  and 
established  himself  in  the  weaving  business 
in  Shelby vi He,  and,  in  May,  1804,  he  came 
to  Effingham,  where  he  engaged  in  buying 
wool,  weaving  and  dealing  in  woolen  goods. 
He  carries  a  full  line  of  woolen  fabrics  of  all 
kinds  and  deals  in  wool  generally,  handling 
the  bulk  of  the  wool  produced  in  the  county. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  School  Board  and  is 
serving  his  second  yt^ar.  His  father,  John 
G.  Hartmann,  married  Julia  Kretschmar,  by 
which  marriage  there  were  ten  chikh-en,  of 
whom  oui'  subject  is  the  seventh  child;  six  of 


the  family  are  yet  living.  Our  subject  was 
married,  in  1847,  to  Paulina  Grahmaun. 
They  have  five  children — Matilda,  married 
John  Simow,  of  Effingham;  Bertha,  married 
to  Henry  Rawe,  of  Christian  County,  111. ; 
Emma,  at  home;  Charles  A.  and  Henry,  both 
in  Chicago. 

ANTON  J.  HENNING,  butcher,  Effing- 
ham, was  born  on  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  October 
8,  1854,  son  of  Charlie  and  Theresa  (Vogt) 
Honning,  natives  of  Germany;  he,  a  miller, 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1854,  was  a 
farmer  in  this  country,  and  died  near  St. 
Louis;  she  died  in  Effingham  June  ^9,  1880. 
They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  five 
sons  and  two  daughters.  Our  subject's 
schooling  consisted  of  four  winters'  attend- 
ance at  school  in  Moni'oe  County,  this  State, 
and  six  months'  study  at  Teutopolis,  this 
county.  He  was  engaged  in  farming  till 
seventeen  years  of  age,  afterward  working 
some  in  the  employ  of  the  Vandalia  Railroad 
Company.  He  opened  a  butcher  shop  in 
1870,  which  was  destroyed  by  fire  on  March 
5,  1879,  after  which  ho  rebuilt  on  the  same 
place.  He  was  married,  in  Effingham,  July 
2,  1878,  to  Miss  Anna  Ungrum,  born  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  July  2,  1855,  daughter  of 
George  and  Marguerita  (Tiepen)  Ungrum, 
natives  of  Germany;  he  died  in  this  county, 
and  she  is  still  living  here.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Henning  have  two  children — Rosa  and  Liz- 
zie. Our  subject  has  lived  in  Effingbam  for 
the  past  twelve  years.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Catholic  Church  and  in  politics  a  Dem- 
ocrat. 

LOUIS  HILL,  retired,  P.  O.  Effingham, 
was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany, 
March  4,  1817;  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1829.  His  parents  first  stopped  in  New  York 
City  about  two  years,  when  they  moved  to 
Pittsburgh,  Penn,  and  our  subject  learned  the 
trade  of  tinner  in  Deuisonstown,  Westmore- 


34 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


land  Co.  ,Penn.,  where  he  served  three  years' 
apprenticeship.  He  then  started  a  tinshop 
for  himself  in  Allegheny  County,  Penn., 
which  he  ran  about  three  years,  and  after- 
ward ran  a  shop  in  Cambridge,  Guernsey 
Co.,  Ohio,  about  four  years,  when  he  sold 
out  and  came  to  Illinois,  in  1851,  and  bought 
prairie  farm  in  Jackson  Township,  this  county, 
entering  240  acres  of  it,  and  remained  on 
the  farm  till  the  spring  of  1881;  he  had  ac- 
quired ahalf-section  of  land,  which  he  placed 
in  a  good  state  of  cultivation  and  kept  up 
good  buildings.  Mr.  Hill  came  to  Ei3fing- 
ham  in  the  spring  of  1881,  to  enjoy  the  rest 
which  his  toils  have  richly  earned  him.  He 
was  married,  the  first  time,  in  March,  1840, 
to  Miss  Amanda  Whiteman;  five  children 
were  born  of  this  marriage,  all  of  whom  are 
dead,  except  one  daughter — Geomima,  wife 
of  Lorenzo  Ward,  of  Cumberland  County, 
111.;  she  was  born  May  18,  1855.  Our  sub- 
ject's first  wife  died  in  January,  1874.  His 
second  marriage  occurred  June  15,  1874. 
when  he  wedded  Miss  Catharine  Wade,  of 
Perry  County,  Ohio.  Three  of  Mi-.  Hill's 
children  died  young — one  daughter,  Sarah 
Jane,  died  in  1877;  she  was  born  in  1841.  and 
man-ied  John  Corral,  and  left  six  children, 
five  of  whom  are  still  living. 

JOHN  HOENY,  Sk..  editor  and  publisher 
Effingham  Times,  was  born  iu  the  town  of 
Euehnda,  District  Melsungen,  Hesse-Cassel, 
Aug.  27,  1824.  He  received  his  education  in 
the  parochial  school  of  his  native  place,  and  in 
the  village  of  Waldau.  His  father  was  a 
damask  weaver,  and  after  leaving  school  sub- 
ject worked  at  that  for  a  few  years.  He  also 
received  lessons  from  a  private  teacher,  and 
prosecuted  his  studies  until  the  age  of  eight- 
een. February  2,  1842,  he  landed  at  New 
Orleans,  La.,  and  from  there  came  to  Leitch- 
field.  Ky.  He  engaged  in  farming  and  in  the 
meantime  pursued  the  study  of  English  with 


the  closest  application.  He  took  private  les- 
sons of  Volentine  Yates,  and  in  three  years 
taught  English  himself.  He  was  man-ied, 
April  2,  1840,  to  Miss  Aldegundis  Bozarth. 
of  Grayson  County,  Ky.  After  being  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pui-suits  for  three  years, 
he  began  teaching  English  schools,  both  pub- 
lic and  private,  and  that  was  his  almost  ex- 
clusive work  until  the  spring  of  1861.  In 
the  winter  of  1851,  he  came  to  Illinois,  locat- 
ing at  Old  Ewington,  and  first  taught  a 
school  in  Sprinkle  neighborhood,  near  Wat- 
son, then  went  to  Teutojwlis,  where  he  taught 
in  a  Catholic  parish  school  for  three  years, 
when  he  came  to  Effingham  and  clerked  in 
the  first  general  store  in  Effingham,  and 
afterward  kept  a  boarding-house  here  and 
was  also  the  first  Postmaster.  In  the  fall  of 
1855  or  1856,  he  moved  to  Waterloo,  111., 
where  he  remained  one  year,  then  went  to  St. 
Clair  County,  where  he  taught  for  six  yeai-s; 
then  returned,  in  1861,  and  bought  the  Effing- 
ham Gazette,  of  Mr.  Rose,  and  ran  this  and 
its  successor,  the  Democrat,  continuously  un- 
til October,  1881,  with  the  txception  of  the 
year  1869.  February,  1882,  he  started  the 
Effingham  Times,  which  now  enjoys  a  large 
circulation.  Since  coming  to  this  country 
Mr.  Hoeny  has  acted  with  the  Democracy  in 
political  affairs.  He  served  on  the  old  Vil- 
lage Board  of  Trustees  of  Effingham,  and 
served  as  Mayor  of  Effingham  for  two 
years,  1879  and  1881.  Mr.  Hoeny  is  the 
father  of  twelve  children,  six  sons  and 
six  daughters;  six  are  living,  as  follows: 
Mary  Elizabeth  (Mrs.  H.  C.  Nolte;;  Anna 
T. ,  wife  of  J.  B.  Costigan;  John,  Jr.; 
Archibald  A.,  Eugene  F.  G.  and  Rose  F. 
Of  those  deceased,  all  died  young,  except  the 
oldest  son — Martin  W.,  who  served  in  the 
Sixty-second  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  in 
the  regimental  band,  during  the  war,  and 
died  April  8,  1872,  of  consumption,  which  he 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


35 


contracted  iu  the  army.  He  was  a  partner  in 
the  publication  of  the  Democrat  and  a  writer 
of  much  promise. 

NATHA.NIEL  B.  HODSDON.  Superin- 
tendent of  Schools,  Effingham,  was  born  in 
Bethel,  Oxford  Co.,  Me.,  August  26,  1833;  he 
received  his  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  Maine,  and  iu  Gould's  Academy,  at  Bethel, 
Me.,  and  began  teaching  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  in  his  native  State,  and  in  1856  entered 
the  Bridgewater  State  Normal  School,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  spent  two  years  there,  graduat- 
ing in  February,  1858.  In  August,  1858,  he 
came  to  Carmi,  "White  Co.,  111.,  where  he  had 
charge  of  the  schools  four  years.  In  August, 
1862,  he  resigned  his  position  to  enlist  in  the 
Eighty-seventh  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  served  thi-ee  years  in  Company  F.  He 
entered  as  Second  Lieutenant  and  during  the 
last  years  had  command  of  Company  F  as 
First  Lieutenant.  He  was  in  the  siege  and 
captiire  of  Vicksburg  and  the  Red  River  ex- 
pedition and  other  engagements  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi River;  was  mustered  out  at  Spring- 
field, 111.,  in  July,  1805.  His  health  was  so 
impaired  that  Mr.  Hodsdon  did  not  resume 
teaching  until  1874,  when  he  became  Princi- 
pal of  ihe  schools  at  Carmi,  111.,  and  re- 
mained as  Superintendent  there  four  years, 
and  next  became  Principal  of  the  public 
schools  at  Metropolis,  111.,  for  two  years,  and, 
September,  1881,  he  svas  made  Professor  of 
Enorlish  literatui'e  in  the  Christian  Collegiate 
Institute  at  Metropolis,  IU.  where  he  taught 
one  year,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the 
Superintendency  of  the  Effingham  schools  in 
Juno,  1882,  and  is  now  filling  that  position. 
He  was  married,  in  186],  to  Miss  Mary  F. 
Chaplin,  of  Maine,  who  died  in  1874,  when  he 
married,  December  30, 1875,  Miss  Flora  Pol- 
lard, of  Evansville,  Ind.,  daughter  of  the  late 
Dr.  William  Pollard,  of  Cynthiana,  Ind.  The 
father  of  our  subject  was  James  Hodsdon,  who 


served  as  private  iu  the  war  of  1812  and  who 
was  a  farmer.  He  i-esided  at  Bethel,  Me., 
until  his  death.  The  mother  of  our  subject 
was  Esther  Bartlett,  who  had  eight  cliildren, 
of  which  subject  is  the  youngest  and  the  only 
surviver. 

JOHN  F.  HOMANN,  lock  and  gun  smith, 
Effingham,  was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany, 
Oct.  7,  1805,  son  of  Johan  F.  and  Henriette 
(Neavohner)  Homann,  he,  a  wagon  and  pump 
maker,  born  in  1768,  in  Germany,  where  he 
died  in  1836;  she  was  born  and  died  in  Ger- 
many also.  They  were  the  parents  of  three 
children — one  son  and  two  daughters.  Our 
subject  received  his  schooling  in  his  native 
country,  where  he  also  learned  his  trade,  in 
which  he  was  engaged  in  various  places  in 
Germany  and  Switzerland.  He  was  married, 
in  N«ukirchen,  Hanover,  Germany,  December 
31,  1836,  to  Anna  Maria  Vallera,  born  in 
Bremen,  Germany,  December  28,  180U,  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  and  Marguerita  (Delves)  Vallers, 
natives  of  Bremen,  Germany.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Homann  have  three  children  —  Friederich 
Adolph,  Wilhelm  Henry  and  Dena.  The  two 
sons  are  married  and  have  farms  in  Moccasin 
Township,  this  county.  The  daughter  is  liv-  - 
ing  at  home.  Our  subject  came  to  the  Unit- 
ed States  in  1845,  and  lived  six  years  in  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  twelve  years  in  Washington 
County,  this  State,  and  in  1865  came  to 
Effingham,  where  he  hais  since  worked  at  his 
trade  of  lock  and  gun  smith.  He  is  an  excel- 
lent mechanic  and  a  fine  old  gentleman,  re- 
spected by  all  who  know  him.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  in  politics  a 
Repiiblican. 

IT.  M.  HUTCHINS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Effing- 
ham, was  born  in  Shelby  County,  111.,  June 
9,  1855,  son  of  M.  and  Susan  (Carter)  Hutch - 
ins,  natives  of  Tennessee;  he,  born  May  1, 
1816,  is  a  farmer  in  Douglas  Tovmshij);  she, 
born  August  13,  1816,  and  died  in  Douglas 


36 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Township  June  20,  1881.  They  had  twelve 
children,  four  of  whom  are  living.  Our  sub- 
ject received  his  education  in  his  native 
county,  and  made  a  start  in  life  as  a  farmer. 
He  came  to  this  county  in  1872,  at  which 
time  his  father  purchased  213  acres  of  land, 
at  $10  per  acre,  which  is  now  owned  by  our 
subject,  who  engages  in  general  farming. 
He  was  married,  in  Douglas  Township,  Au- 
gust 19,  1881,  to  Tomana  Rose  Clark,  born 
March  11,  1861,  in  this  State.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hutcbins  have  one  child— -Michael,  born 
September  5,  1882.  In  religion,  our  subject 
is  a  Baptist,  and  in  politics,  a  Democrat. 

CAPT.  WILLIAM  H.  HYDEN,  merchant. 
Effingham,  whs  born  in  Vigo  County,  Ind., 
near  the  State  line.  March  10,  1831.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen,  he  was  bound  out  to  learn 
the  tanner's  trade,  in  Vigo  County,  and 
served  three  years,  and  at  nineteen  he  went 
to  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  and  for  two  years  was 
in  the  employ  of  the  Madison  Railroad  Com- 
pany, as  brakeman  on  a  passenger  train.  He 
worked  in  a  saw-mill  in  Marion  County  for 
three  years,  and  farmed  one  year,  when  he 
began  the  manufactui'e  of  brick  near  Indian- 
apolis, in  which  he  continued  till  the  war 
broke  out.  He  enlisted  in  Company  F,  of 
the  First  Indiana  Cavalry,  in  June,  1861,  for 
three  years,  or  dui'iug  the  war.  Company 
F  was  transferred  in  the  spring  of  1SG2  to 
the  Third  Indiana  Cavalry.  He  was  in  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  for  two  and  one- 
half  years,  under  command  of  Gen.  Pleason- 
ton.  He  served  two  years  and  seven  months 
as  Second  Sergeant  of  Company  F,  Third  In- 
diana Cavalry,  and,  including  skirmishes, 
took  part  in  thirty-nine  engagements,  the  most 
important  of  which  were  Poolaville.  Frederick 
City,Middletown,  South  Mountain,  Antietam, 
mouth  of  the  Monocacy,  Charleston  and 
Barnsville  Ford.  He  fought  twelve  days  in 
Amosville,  Fredericksbm-g,  in  January,  1803, 


Beverly's  Ford,  Chancellorsville,  Dumfries, 
Warrenton,  Spottsylvania,  Aldie,  Middle- 
bury,  Snicker's  Gap  and  Upperville.  He 
was  wounded  three  times,  first  at  Beverly's 
Ford,  by  a  saber.  His  horse  was  shot  in  the 
fall  of  1864,  below  Pulaski.  Tenn.,  and  our 
subject  was  crippled  by  the  fall  of  the  animal. 
He  received  a  gunshot  wound  at  A.ldie,  through 
the  right  foot,  in  1863,  just  before  the  battle 
of  Gettysbu.rg.  He  came  home  on  a  leave  of 
absence  and  was  commissioned  Second  Lieu- 
tenant of  the  Ninth  Indiana  Cavalry,  by  Gov. 
Morton,  and  January  1,  1861,  he  was  com- 
missiohed  Captain  of  Company  H,  Ninth 
Cavalry,  One  Hundi-ed  and  Twenty-first  Regi- 
ment, having  raised  and  drilled  the  majority 
of  the  men  in  the  Ninth  Cavalry.  He  went 
out  and  served  till  the  close  of  the  war  as 
Captain  of  Company  H,  being  assigned  to  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland.  After  the  war, 
Capt.  Hyden  resvimed  the  manufacture  of  brick, 
at  Indianajjolis,  until  the  winter  of  1807, when 
he  removed  to  Effingham  County  and  farmed 
here  until  1871.  In  that  year,  he  engaged  in 
the  merchandising,  and  kept  a  general  stock 
for  seven  years  at  Elliottstown,  111.  August, 
1881,  he  came  to  Effingham,  and  was  em- 
ployed until  March,  1882,  as  a  salesman  by 
Col.  Funkhouser.  March  8,  1882,  he  opened 
a  general  store  on  the  north  side  of  the  pub- 
lic square,  which  he  has  since  conducted  with 
good  success.  He  was  first  married,  June  16, 
1854,  to  Miss  Margaret  A.  Leeper,  of  Acton, 
Marion  Co.,  Ind.  They  had  three  children. 
His  wife  died  in  August,  1872.  He  remar- 
ried. Miss  Sarah  Creech,  of  this  county,  Jan- 
uary 12,  1874.  They  have  three  children  by 
this  marriage. 

JOHN  GEORGE  HYNE]\L\N,  baker  and 
confectioner,  Effingham,  was  born  in  Baden- 
Baden,  Germany,  August  11,  1850.  He  left 
school  at  the  age  of  seventeen. having  complet- 
ed a  college  course  at  the  city  of  Constanz.    He 


.  EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


37 


learned  tlie  confectionery  trade  with  an  uncle 
in  the  city  of  Reichstadt.  serving  three  years, 
when  at  the  age  of  twenty,  he  enlisted  in  the 
German  Army  as  volunteer  in  the  Sanitary 
Corps,  remaining  until  February  1,  1871, 
when  he  was  exciised  from  service  for  disa- 
bility, and  he  came  to  the  United  States, 
leaving  May  16.  1871,  landing  at  New  York 
City,  where  he  was  pastry  cook  and  confec- 
tioner for  a  year  and  six  months;  then  he 
went  to  Cincinnati.  Ohio,  where  ho  followed 
the  same  ocoui)ation  for  three  years.  In  No- 
vember,  1876,  he  came  to  EfSngham,  and 
was  afterward,  for  a  few  months,  at  St. 
Louis,  Mo.  July  1,  1877,  he  opened  his 
present  establishment  on  Jefferson  street, 
conducting  a  restaurant,  confectionery  and 
bakery  with  good  success,  the  different 
branches  of  the  business  employing  from 
live  to  six  persons.  He  was  married,  in 
1877,  to  Miss  Louisa  Heer,  of  Cincinnati, 
Ohio.  Three  children  were  born  of  this 
marriage,  and  two  of  our  subject's  last 
marriage.  His  father,  Joseph  George 
Hyneman  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany, 
and  graduated  from  the  University  of 
Heidelberg,  Germany.  He  joined  the  Revo- 
lution of  1848,  and  espoused  the  cause  of  the 
people,  and  was captm-ed  and  cast  into  prison 
in  Reichstadt,  but  was  afterward  pardoped 
by  the  Duke  and  restored  to  the  oiiice  of  At- 
torney and  rose  to  the  rank  of  a  Judge. 

WILLIAM  H.  JACKSON,  grocer,  Effing- 
ham, was  born  in  Marion  County,  Ky. ,  April 
5,  1844.  He  was  raised  in  Lebanon,  where 
he  served  an  apprenticeship  at  blacksmi thing. 
He  enlisted  at  eighteen  in  Morgan's  Cavalry 
and  served  ijntil  1863,  when  he  was  captured 
at  Buffington,  Ohio,  and  was  held  as  prisoner 
of  war  at  Camp  Morton  and  Camp  Douglas, 
from  which  he  escaped  in  November,  1863. 
He  located  in  Wisconsin  at  the  close  of  the 
war  and  came  to  Effingham  in  1869.     He  was 


hotel  clerk  in  the  old  Moore  House  for  some 
years,  and  engaged  in  the  retail  grocery  busi- 
ness hero  about  1872,  and  has  been  in  that 
business  ever  since,  except  three  years,  which 
he  spent  in  different  parts  of  Texas  to  recuper- 
ate his  health.  His  location  is  on  Jefferson 
street,  where  he  does  a  prosperous  business  in 
groceries  and  queensware.  He  served  as  City 
Clerk  of  Effingham  for  three  terms.  In  poli- 
tics, he  is  a  Democrat.  He  was  married,  Oc- 
tober 8,  1873,  to  Miss  Amanda  Myers,  daugh- 
ter of  W.  T.  Myers,  of  this  county. 

ANTHONY  BERNARD  JANSEN,  farmer, 
P.  O.  Effingham,  was  born  in  Oldenburg, 
Germany,  February  20,  1822.  He  was 
twelve  years  old  when  he  came  to  America. 
He  lived  two  years  in  Schuylkill  C<junty, 
Penn. ;  at  the  age  of  fom'teen,  was  appren- 
ticed to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade,  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  where  he  served  five  years, 
and  afterward  working  as  a  journeyman  for  a 
short  time,  he  came  here  in  1840  on  a  visit 
to  his  parents,  then  went  back  to  complete 
his  term  of  service  with  a  contractor  named 
Baldwin.  Subject  came  in  1841  to  stay,  ana 
went  to  work  on  a  farm  for  John  B.  Brum- 
mer,  on  Green  Creek,  and  in  April,  1842,  he 
married  Elizabeth,  the  only  daughter  of  his 
employer,  and  farmed  with  his  father-in-law 
for  about  ten  years.  In  about  1850,  he 
bought  160  acres  in  two  tracts  of  well-im- 
proved land  here;  about  three  years  later 
moved  here,  and  has  lived  on  it  ever  since. 
At  the  time  he  came  here,  there  was  consider- 
able Congress  land,  which  afterward  became 
railroad  lands.  Of  this  land  Mr.  Jansen 
bought  several  tracts.  He  has  227  acres 
here,  besides  the  160  acres  formerly  belong- 
ing to  the  estate  of  Brummer.  He  has  been 
very  successful  in  raising  both  grain  and 
stock.  He  has  eight  children  living  and 
three  deceased — John  Bernard,  died  when 
young;  Anthony  Bernard,   died  when   four- 


38 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


teen  years  and  seven  months  old;  Henry  Jo- 
seph, farmer  in  Cumberland  County,  111. ; 
Mary  Margaret,  died  after  marriage  to  Fer- 
dinand Kaufmann;  John  William,  living  in 
Clinton  County,  111. ;  John  Hem-y,  farmer 
in  this  county;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Bernard 
Husmann,  of  Shelby  County,  111.;  Margaret 
Malama,  wife  of  Clemens  Kaufmann;  Anna 
Helena;  Catharine  Philomina;  Francis  An- 
thony, who  is  at  home.  The  father  of  Mrs. 
Jansen  was  born  in  the  Kingdom  of  Hanover, 
July  "28,  1796.  He  learned  the  trade  of 
weaving  and  worked  at  it.  He  maiTied  Mar- 
garet Suer,  and  had  but  one  child.  He  came 
to  America  in  1839,  and  settled  here  on 
Christmas  of  that  year.  Our  subject's  father 
was  Francis  Anthony  Jansen,  born  in  Olden- 
burg, Germany,  where  he  learned  the  carpen- 
ter's trade,  but  followed  farming  and  also 
herring  fishing  in  the  North  Sea  for  many 
years  and  was  ship  carpenter  on  sailing  ves- 
sels bound  for  distant  ports,  and  sometimes 
worked  at  his  trade  in  shipyards  in  Holland. 
In  1834,  he  came  to  the  United  States  on  the 
same  vessel  with  Clemens  Uptmore,  and 
brought  his  wife  and  family  of  three  chil- 
dren, one  having  come  to  this  country  two 
years  previous.  He  worked  in  the  coal  mines 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  at  his  trade  in  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  until  1839,  when  he  came  to  Illi- 
nios  and  settled  near  Teutopolis,  adjoining 
the  place  where  H.  H.  Huels  now  lives.  He 
lived  there  for  some  years  with  his  son-in- 
law,  where  his  wife  died  in  1841.  He  after- 
ward made  his  home  with  his  son-in-law,  H. 
H.  Wempe,  who  moved  to  St.  Clair  County, 
111.,  where  the  father  died  in  1862,  in  his 
eighty- eighth  year.  He  was  the  father  of 
fom-  children,  who  grew  to  maturity — Ber- 
nard Henry,  who  is  a  lawyer  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Joseph  Buckmann, 
dead;  Catharine  Alexandrina,  wife  of  Henry 
Wempe,  dead;  subject  and  one  who  was  the 


youngest  of  the  family.  Mr.  Jansen  is  a 
Democrat  and  has  served  as  Supervisor  of 
the  township. 

BERNARD  JANSON,  wagon  manufact- 
urer, Effingham,  was  born  in  Schleswig- 
Holstein,  Germany,  February  14,  1843,  and 
was  educated  in  his  native  country.  He 
learned  the  trade  of  wagon  and  carriage 
making  in  his  native  town,  at]  wbich  he 
worked  for  six  years.  March  8,  1863,  he 
reached  the  United  States,  landing  at  New 
York;  he  went  direct  to  Chicago,  111.,  where 
he  worked  in  the  large  wagon  factory  of 
Peter  Schuttler,  one  year,  when  he  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Government  as  blacksmith 
and  horseshoer,  at  Nashville  and  Chattanoo- 
ga, until  September,  1865,  when  he  came  to 
Effingham,  and  in  October,  1865,  located 
here  permanently.  He  bought  the  present 
lot.  then  covered  with  hazel-brush,  and  built 
a  small  shop  on  the  old  National  road,  and 
for  about  two  years  conducted  a  general- 
blacksmthing  business  in  a  small  shop,  and, 
in  1867,  built  his  present  wagon  shop,  which 
he  has  enlarged  by  several  additional  build- 
ings until  the  present  shop  and  factory  are 
100x34,  a  two-story  frame,  with  three  floors, 
with  large  sheds,  100x16  for  storing  and  sea- 
soning lumber.  Since  1867,  he  has  tui-ned 
his  entire  attention  to  the  manufacture  of 
wagons,  and  employs  six  hands  in  the  various 
departments  of  the  business,  with  an  average, 
during  the  last  five  years,  of  100  wagons  per 
year.  These  vehicles  find  a  market  princi- 
pally in  Effingham  and  adjoining  counties. 
He  has  also  manufactured  spring  wagons  and 
buggies.  His  vehicles  are  constructed  of  the 
best  material  and  workmanship,  and  com- 
pares favorably  with  the  best.  His  machinery 
is  propelled  by  a  twelve-horse  engine.  He 
was  maiTied,  in  1875,  to  Catharine  Bremer. 
of  Sigel,  111.,  and  has  two  daughters  living 
and  one  dead. 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


39 


JAMES  H.  JOHNSTON,  dealer  in  books 
and  stationery,  Effingham,  was  born  in  Effing- 
ham County,  111.,  in  the  town  of  Freeman- 
ton  December  8,  1843,  only  son  of  William 
and  Melcenia  E.  (Saslay)  Johnston.  The 
father  was  born  in  Scotland  and  came  to  the 
United  States  when  thirty  years  old  and  lo- 
cated at  Gallipolis,  Ohio,  about  1835,  and 
farmed  in  Gallia  County,  Ohio,  for  about  live 
years,  and  came  to  Freemanton  about  1841 
or  1842,  where  he  opened  a  store,  beginning 
on  about  $50.  He  was  one  of  the  first  Post- 
masters of  Freemanton  and  kept  a  hotel 
known  as  the  "  Travelers'  Rest,"  for  many 
years.  He  was  a  strong  temperance  man, 
and  never  drank  or  kept  bar.  and  was  one  of 
the  three  men  of  his  township  who  voted  for 
Gen.  Fremont  in  1856.  He  was  a  Mission- 
ary Baptist,  but  his  house  was  the  home  of 
ministers  of  all  denominations.  About  1858, 
he  sold  out  his  store  and  property,  and  re- 
moved to  Cumberland  County,  111.,  where  he 
resided  until  his  death,  in  1SG3.  He  married 
in  Ohio,  and  had  seven  childi-en,  all  living — 
Margaret  A,  wife  of  William  C.  Wright,  of 
Effingham;  James  H.,  subject;  Ellen  B., 
wife  of  George  Phipps,  of  Cumberland  Coun- 
ty; Melcenia  M. ,  wife  of  J.  A.  McCandlish, 
Sheriff  of  Cumberland  County,  111.;  Lucy  V., 
wife  of  Mr.  N.  B.  Hollsapple,  of  Cumberland 
County,  111. ;  Sophroua,  wife  of  William 
Wharf,  insurance  agent  at  Oluey,  111. ;  Rose, 
wife  of  James  Reed,  Jamesville,  111.  The 
mother  remarried  L.  D.  Gloyd.of  Summit 
Township,  still  living.  Subject  was  educated 
in  the  schools  of  this  and  Cumberland  Coun- 
ties. Subject  enlisted  in  December,  1861,  and 
was  discharged  in  October,  1862,  on  account  of 
disability.  He  belonged  to  Company  K, 
Sixty-third  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  taken 
ill  soon  after  enlistment.  He  was  married, 
in  1871,  to  Miss  Fannie  Hawley,  daughter  of 
Rev.  N.  Hawley,  of  the  M.  E.  Church.     Wife 


died  in  1873  at  Olney,  III.  At  the  close  of 
the  war,  he  went  into  business  at  Charleston, 
111.,  where  he  remained  for  eighteen  months. 
In  1873,  he  went  into  the  insurance  and  real 
estate  business  at  Olney,  111.,  for  a  few 
months.  In  1877,  he  became  Deputy  Post- 
master under  W.  C.  Wright  for  foiu-  years. 
In  June,  1881,  he  engaged  in  the  book  and 
fancy  goods  trade  in  Effingham,  and  has  since 
conducted  a  prosperous  business  on  Jefferson 
street. 

JUDGE  JOSEPH  B.  JONES,  County 
Judce,  Effinsrham,  was  born  in  Coshocton 
County,  Ohio,  April  22,  1835;  he  was  raised 
on  a  farm  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1856,  on 
foot  and  alone,  locating  in  Crawford  County, 
where  he  taught  school  in  the  winter  of 
1856-57,  and  in  the  spring  of  1857,  came  to 
Effingham  County,  where  he  farmed  during 
the  summer  and  taught  a  winter  school  in 
Crawford  County,  111.,  and  returned,  in  1858, 
to  Ohio,  for  eight  months,  and,  in  February, 
1850,  returned  to  this  county  and  located  at 
Freemanton,  where  he  engaged  in  farming 
and  trading  in  stock  until  1860,  when  he  was 
appointed  Deputy  Sheriff  of  this  county  and 
acted  nearly  four  years,  and  during  that  time 
helj)ed  to  move  the  county's  books  to  the 
new  county  seat,  dm'iug  the  holidays  of  1860 
-61.  He  next  engaged  his  services  to  C.  H. 
McCormick  &  Bro. ,  of  Chicago,  and  sold 
reapers  and  mowers  here  for  about  live  years. 
In  April,  1869,  he  was  elected  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  or  Police  Magistrate  of  the  city  of 
Effingham  and  served  four  years.  November  4, 
1873,  he  was  elected  County  Judge  of  Effing- 
ham, and  re-elected  in  November,  1877,  for  a 
term  of  four  years,  and,  under  an  amendment 
of  the  constitution,  his  term  of  office  was 
extended  to  December,  1882,  and  at  that 
time  he  will  have  served  nine  years. 

JOHN  JONES,  di-uggist,  Effingham,  was 
born    in    North    Germany,  near  the  city  of 


40 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


Sehloswig,  October  19,  1846.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  his  Dative 
country.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1864,  and  located  in  Tuscola,  Douglas  Co., 
HI.,  where  he  entered  a  drug  store  to  learn 
the  business,  with  Davis  &  Niles,  and  served 
three  and  one-half  years  as  clerk.  In  the 
summer  of  1868,  he  came  to  Effingham,  and 
clerked  in  a  drug  store  until  June,  1869, 
when  he  bought  a  stock  of  drugs  and  medi- 
cines of  Thomas  D.  Graddock,  and  has  con- 
tinued in  the  drug  business  ever  since  with 
good  success.  He  was  married,  in  1871,  to 
Miss  O.  M.  Loomis,  step-daughter  of  A.  S. 
Moore. 

REV.  HERMANN  JUNGMANN,  rector, 
Effingham,  was  born  in  Westphalia,  Germany, 
in  the  town  of  Ochtrup,  October  1,  1846.  He 
was  educated  in  the  Gymnasium  at  Miinster, 
which  he  left  in  his  twenty-second  year  and 
entered  the  School  of  Philosophy  at  Roulers, 
remaining  one  year;  then  entered  the  Ameri- 
can College  at  Louvain,  Belgium,  where  he 
studied  theology  for  three  years.  In  the 
same  year  he  left  school,  September,  1872, 
and  came  to  America.  He  had  received  the 
order  of  Prisethood  in  December,  1871,  at 
Malines,  Belgium.  He  was  first  appointed 
rector  of  St.  Andrew's  Church,  at  Murfrees- 
boro,  111.,  in  October,  1872,  where  he  con- 
tinued until  March,  1877,  when  he  was  ap- 
pointed rector  of  St.  Anthony's  Chm-eh,  at 
Effingham,  111. ,  of  which  church  he  has  since 
been  pastor. 

A.  B.  KAGAY,  deceased,  died  February 
15,  1877,  aged  seventy-four  years  and  five 
months.  He  was  of  German  parentage,  born 
in  the  State  of  Virginia  September  17,  1802, 
and  did  not  learn  to  speak  English  until  he 
was  ten  years  old.  His  parents  emigrated 
during  his  infancy  to  Fairfield  County,  Ohio, 
where  he  was  raised  on  a  farm.  His  educa- 
tion was  limited,  yet  was  sufficient  for   all 


practical  purposes.  He  was  married,  on  the 
17th  day  of  August,  1826.  In  1832,  he  emi- 
grated to  Findlay,  Hancock  Co.,  Ohio,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  tanning  business.  He 
subsequently  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness, but  with  indifferent  success,  and  also 
carried  on  a  harness  and  saddlery  shop.  In 
1841,  he  emigrated  to  Ewington,  111.,  and 
engaged  in  the  saddlery  and  harness  busi- 
ness. In  the  fall  of  1842,  he  was  elected 
County  Clerk,  which  office  he  filled  for  four 
years,  being  succeeded  by  Daniel  Rinehart. 
In  November,  1853,  he  was  elected  County 
Treasurer  and  Assessor,  which  offices  he  held 
until  succeeded  by  G.  "W.  Barcus,  in  1860. 
As  Assessor,  he  was  required  to  traverse  the 
entire  county  and  visit  every  resident  to  take 
his  assessment  of  taxable  property ;  hence,  no 
man  at  that  time  was  so  well  acquainted  with 
all  the  jDeople  in  ihe  county  as  he.  In  1S61, 
he  was  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace  or  Police 
Magistrate  of  the  city  of  Effingham,  and,  in 
18(55,  he  was  elected  Township  Justice  of  the 
Peace  which  office  he  held  until  1873.  He  also 
held  the  offices  of  School  Director  and  Town- 
ship Treasurer  for  a  number  of  years.  In 
1830,  he  joined  the  Old  School  Predestinarian 
Baptist  Church,  and  has  ever  since  been  an 
active  member  of  that  chui'ch.  There  was 
nothing  he  prized  so  much  as  attending  his 
chm-ch  meetings.  In  his  opinion,  when  once 
formed,  he  was  fixed  and  positive,  and  his  at- 
tachment to  his  friends  were  ever  constant 
and  confiding.  Being  scrupulous  and  honest 
himself,  he  believed  others  to  be  the  same, 
and  was  therefore  often  deceived  and  imposed 
upon.  Kind  to  all,  he  was  an  affectionate 
husband  and  indulgent  father,  doing  all  in 
his  power  to  rear  his  children  to  make  goo  1 
and  useful  members  of  society,  by  giving 
them  as  good  an  education  as  the  educational 
fjicilities  of  the  country  then  afforded.  His 
fij-st  wife   died   at  Ewington   in  the  fall   of 


EFFIKGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


41 


1857,  and  he  was  married  again,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1859,  to  Ursolla  Miller,  a  widow,  who 
survives  him.  By  his  first  wife  he  had  five 
children — two  sons  and  three  daughters,  of 
whom  one  son  and  two  daughters  survive. 

BENJAMIN  F.  KAGAY,  lawyer,  Effing- 
ham, WHS  born  in  Pleasant  Township,  Fair- 
field County,  Ohio,  February  27,  1831.  His 
father.  A.  B.  Kagay,  died  a  few  years  ago  at 
the  age  of  seventy-four.  His  mother,  Sarah 
(Hall)  Kagay,  was  of  Scotch-Irish  parentage, 
and  died  while  iu  her  tifty-foui-th  year.  Our 
subject  was  the  recipient  of  a  common-school 
education,  perfected  by  his  own  after  efforts. 
From  his  sixteenth  to  his  twenty-second  year, 
he  was  occupied  in  teaching,  and  in  the 
meantime  pi-osocuting  the  study  of  law,  en- 
tering subsequently  upon  the  active  practice 
of  his  profession.  He  soon  built  up  a  large 
and  remunerative  business  in  this  county, 
which  has  since  engrossed  his  whole  time 
and  attention.  He  was  President  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  Effingham,  and  for  three 
terms  was  the  Supervisor  of  Douglas  Town- 
ship, this  county.  For  two  terms  he  was 
Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of 
Effingham  County,  and  was  also  Chairman  of 
the  Building  Committee  of  the  Effingham 
County  Court  House.  He  was  the  first  Mayor 
of  the  city  of  Effingham,  serving  two  terms — 
1867-68.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Legisla- 
ture of  1871  and  1872  filling  the  vacancy  in 
the  office  occasioned  by  the  death  of  David 
Leith.  He  was  a  member  of  the  -firm  of 
Cooper  &  Kaguy,  and  commenced  practicing 
law  in  1855.  He  was  married,  February  6, 
1853,  in  Fayette  County,  111.,  to  Martha  J. 
Starnes,  and  has  had  five  children,  three  of 
whom  are  living— the  oldest  child,  a  daugh- 
ter, is  the  wife  of  A.  B.  Judkins,  of  Spring- 
field, 111.,  an  accomplished  mi;sician;  Ben- 
jamin F.  and  Mattie.  Our  subject  is  now 
Police  Magistrate  of   the  city  of  Effihgham. 


In   politics,  he  is  a  Democrat,  an  independ- 
ent thinker  and  actor  in  political  affairs. 

JOSEPH  KAUFMANN  was  born  in  the 
vicinity  of  Green  Creek  May  29,  1850.  He 
was  educated  at  St.  Joseph's  College,  Teu- 
to^iolis,  where  he  spent  twelve  months,  and 
began  teaching  in  Cumberland  County,  111., 
in  1876,  and  taught  seven  months  in  jniblic 
schools  at  Lillyville,  and,  in  1878,  he  took 
charge  of  the  Green  Creek  School  which  num- 
bers from  thirty-sis  to  forty  pupils;  both 
English  and  German  languages  are  taught. 
Oiu-  subject's  mother  is  the  daughter  of  Her- 
mann H.  Niman,  who  was  born  in  Oldenburg, 
Germany,  where  he  married  Mary  Selhorst, 
and  had  three  sons  and  one  daughter.  Sub- 
ject's wife,  Anna  Elizabeth,  was  eighteen 
years  old  when  she  came  to  this  county,  in 
1838.  Her  father  settled  where  his  son, 
Clemens  Niman,  now  lives;  they  bought 
out  a  little  improvement,  came  and  settled 
there  some  time  in  the  spring  of  1839.  She 
only  remembers  a  Mr.  Stewart  and  Cohee  in 
all  this  township  at  that  time.  She  went  to 
Hutchins'  water  mill,  on  the  Wabash,  seven 
miles,  and  carried  a  bushel  of  meal  on  her 
shoulder  home.  She  mai-ried  Mr.  John  F. 
Osterhaus,  in  about  1842,  and  settled,  after 
marriage,  where  her  son  Henry  Osterhaus 
now  lives.  Two  children  were  born  of  this 
marriage,  only  one  son  survives,  above  men- 
tioned. After  about  four  years  of  married 
life,  Mr.  Osterhaus  died,  and  subsequently 
she  married  Ferdinand  Kaufmaan.  He  was 
born  in  Prussia,  and  came  to  this  county  be- 
tween 1840  and  1850,  and  bought  a  fai-m, 
where  Clemens  Kaufmann  now  lives,  where 
he  died  about  1860,  leaving  eight  children, 
five  of  whom  are  yet;  living,  as  follows:  Fer- 
dinand, in  Shelby  County,  farmer;  Sophia, 
wife  of  Henry  Jansen,  of  this  township; 
Catharine,  married;  Clemens,  farmer,  of  this 
township,  and  Joseph. 


42 


BIOGKAPHICAL: 


ALFRED  H.  KELLY,  County  Sheriff, 
Effingham  City,  was  born  in  Fairfield  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  May  17,  1837.  He  came  to  Illinois 
when  four  years  old,  his  parents  settling  in 
what  is  now  Summit  Township  in  1841.  His 
father  entered  eighty  acres  in  Blue  Point,  in 
the  edge  of  the  timber,  which  only  had  few 
settlements.  He  went  tweny  miles  in  those 
days  to  a  raising,  and  broke  prairie  after 
night  to  avoid  the  flies.  Om-  subject  re- 
ceived his  education  in  a  log  schoolhouse. 
His  first  teacher  was  Sarah  Spaulding.  The 
schoolhouse  was  situated  on  the  Johnny 
Brown  farm.  The  father  of  our  subject 
went  to  the  Mexican  war,  and  subject  went 
to  Cumberland  County  and  lived  four  years 
with  an  uncle.  His  father  died  when  he 
(subject)  was  twenty  years  of  age,  and  our 
subject  started  in  life  for  himself.  He 
worked  by  the  month  and  day  for  about  three 
years,  when  he  ran  a  threshing  machine  for 
about  one  or  two  years.  He  was  married,  in 
1859,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Burrell,  a  native  of 
Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  and  afterward  bought 
eighty  acres  of  land,  which  he  still  owns,  in 
Banner  Township,  where  he  is  still  farming, 
raising  grain  and  stock  He  has  always  been 
connected  with  the  Democratic  pai'ty,  and 
served  as  Supervisor  of  his  township  for  five 
terms.  He  was  elected  Sherilf  of  Effingham 
County  in  November,  1880,  and  was  renomi- 
nated by  the  Democratic  primary  in  April, 
1882v  for  a  term  of  four  years  to  same  office. 
He  has  two  children  living  and  two  dead. 
His  father,  Hugh  Dennis  Kelly,  was  born  in 
Ohio  about  1S04.  He  was  a  stone  mason  by 
trade,  but  farmed  in  later  years.  He  served 
with  Judge  Gillenwaters  in  the  Mexican 
war.  His  health  was  permanently  impaired 
by  his  service.  He  kept  a  hotel  at  Ewington 
for  two  years,  and  was  book-keeper  for  a  time 
for  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  He  died 
on  the   farm   about  1858.     Our  subject  has 


two  sisters  living  — Electa  and  Sarah  A. ,  the 
latter  the  wife  of  L.  J.  Hankins,  of  this 
county. 

HENRY  B.  KEPLEY,  attorney  at  law, 
Effingham,  was  born  on  Limestone  Creek,  in 
Effingham  County,  111.,  June  20,  1836.  He 
was  raised  on  a  farm,  and,  until  the  age  of 
eighteen  years,  was  principally  engaged  in 
fai'ming  pursuits.  From  childhood  he  was 
dependent  vipoii  his  own  efforts  for  support 
and  education.  He  had  great  desire  to  at- 
tend school,  but  his  circumstances  were  such 
that  he  could  not  do  so,  except  occasionally, 
twenty  or  thirty  days  at  a  time,  and  conse- 
quently his  early  education  was  quite  limit- 
ed, though  at  an  early  age  he  became  able  to 
read.  He  had  great  fondness  for  reading, 
and,  by  the  time  he  was  ten  years  old,  had 
read  probably  every  book  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, the  number  of  which,  however,  was  by 
no  means  great;  but  among  which  were  the 
Bible,  the  Columbian  Orator,  the  English 
Reader,  Peter  Parley's  Tales,  Horry's  Life  of 
Marion,  Weem's  Life  of  Washington,  the  lat- 
ter of  which  had  been  bought  for  him,  and 
which  he  had  read  and  re-read,  until  he  could 
repeat  from  memory  page  after  page  of  it. 
One  Friday  afternoon  at  the  close  of  school, 
the  teacher,  J.  W.  P.  Davis,  announced  that 
he  would  give  a  reward  to  the  pupil  who,  on 
the  next  Monday,  at  the  opening  of  school, 
could  recite  the  greatest  number  of  sentences 
from  some  history  or  similar  book.  On  Mon- 
day morning,  when  it  came  Henry's  turn  to 
recite,  he  handed  to  the  teacher  his  "Weem's, " 
and  continued  to  recite  page  after  page,  till 
finally  the  teacher  interrupted  him  by  saying: 
"  You  have  undoubtedly  recited  enough  to  en- 
title you  to  the  reward,  and  we  will  defer 
yoiu-  reciting  the  rest  of  the  book  till  some 
other  day."  When  about  thirteen  years  of 
age,  he  for  the  fii-st  time  attended  Sunday 
school,  at  New  Hope  Church.     Here,  in  con- 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


43 


testing  for  the  prize  oflfored  for  committing 
to  memory  and  reciting   the  greatest  number 
of  chapters  of  the  New  Testament  during  the 
term,   he  committed  to   memory  all   of    the 
Book  of  Matthew,  except  the  first  three  chap- 
ters, all  of  the  Book  of  Mark,  and  nearly  all 
of  the  Book  of  Luke,  gaining  the  prize — a 
small  Testament,  which,  though  of  small  val- 
ue  in   UaOney,  was  by  him  highly  prized  as 
the  token  of  his  success.     His  success  in  such 
matters  was  attributable  more  to  industry  or 
persevering  effort  than  to  any  special  faculty 
From  fifteen  to  eighteen  years,  of  age,  he  was 
constantly  employed  as  a  hired  hand,  mostly  at 
farm  labors,  but  part  of  the  time  ontho  Illinois 
Central  Railroad,  which  was  then  being  con- 
structed   through    Eflingham   County.     The 
proceeds  of  these  three  years  of  labor,  above 
necessary  expenses,  were   invested  in  a  hun- 
dred acres  of  land,  which,  in  the  fall  of  1854, 
he  sold  for  §500.     He  now  decided  to  direct 
his  attention  to  obtaining  education,  and  to 
use  the  money  he  had  got  for  his  land  in  de- 
fraying his  expenses  while  attending  school. 
During  the  winter  of  1 854-55,  he  attended 
the  district  school  taught  by  Dr.  Wborton  at 
New  Hope  Church.     During  the  spring  and 
summer  of  1855,  he  attended  a  private  school 
at  Mason,  kept  by  A.  W.  Avery.      In  the  win- 
ter following,    he   attended    a    school    kept 
by  Uriah  McCoy,  near  "Watson.      In  March 
4,  1856.  at  Georgetown,  111.,  he  began  teach- 
ing his  first  school,  which  lasted  six  months. 
In  September,    1850,   he    went  to  Franklin 
College,  at  Franklin,  Ind.,  which  he  attend- 
ed one  year.  •  His  money  being  now  exhaust- 
ed, he  could  no  longer  attend  college,  much 
to  his  regret,  as  he  had  a  great  desire  to  con- 
tinue his  collegiate  course  till  he  graduated. 
But,  as  he  was  not  able  to  do  this  because  of 
the   lack  of  means,  he  continued  his   studies 
privately  while  teaching  school,  which  voca- 
tion he  resumed  after  leaving  college.     In 


February,  1859,  he  began  the  study  of  law, 
with  the  view  of  becoming  a  lawyer.  Here 
again  he  encountered  the  difficulties  arising 
from  lack  of  money,  as  he  had  no  means  with 
which  to  defray  the  expenses  of  a  regular 
course  of  law  studies.  In  March,  1860,  he 
passed  a  successful  examination,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar,  and  in  May  following  he 
began  the  practice  of  law,  in  the  meantime 
continuing  to  teach  school  and  read  law  the 
same  as  before  his  admission  to  the  bar,  un- 
til November,  1862,  at  which  time  he  came 
to  Effingham  and  opened  a  law  office,  where 
he  has  since  been  in  the  active  practice  of 
his  chosen  profession.  Whatever  success 
Mr.  Kepley  has  achieved  has  been  the  result 
of  his  great  industry  and  untiring  persever- 
ance, and  it  gives  to  all  young  men  an  exam- 
ple well  worthy  of  their  strictest  emulation. 
Having  no  influential  friends  to  assist  him  in 
his  advancement,  he  has  at  all  times  had  to 
rely  on  his  own  efforts.  As  a  lawyer,  he 
stands  deservedly  high  among  his  fellow-mem- 
bers, and  is  known  as  a  faithful,  earnest  and 
hard-working  advocate.  Since  arriving  at 
the  age  of  manhood,  he  has  at  all  times  taken 
an  active  part  in  public  affairs  in  his  county. 
As  a  citizen,  he  is  public-spirited,  broad  in 
his  views  and  progressive,  and  is  an  active 
worker  in  the  temperance  reform.  On  No- 
vember 7,  1807,  he  was  married  to  Ada  H. 
Miser,  of  Effingham,  and  she  is  associated 
with  him  in  his  practice.  ' 

ADA  H.  KEPLEY,  attorney,  Effingham 
(with  H.  B.  Kepley),  is  the  daughter  of  Hen- 
ry Miser,  and  was  born  in  Somerset,  Perry 
Co.,  Ohio,  February  11,  1847.  In  her  thir- 
teenth year,  her  parents  removed  to  St.  Louis, 
where  she  attended  the  Clay  Grammar 
School,  then  taught  by  Dr.  William  T.  Har- 
ris, and  afterward  attended  the  St.  Louis 
■  High  School  for  two  years.  In  September, 
1800,  she  came  with   her  parents  to  Effing. 


u 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ham,  111.,  and  was  married,  November  7, 1867 
to  Mr.  Henry  B.  Kepley,  a  eketch  of  whom 
will  be  found  elsewhere.  In  18G8,  she  be- 
gan the  study  of  law  with  her  husband,  and, 
in  September,  1869,  she  entered  the  Law  De- 
partment of  the  University  of  Chicago,  and 
graduated  from  it  in  1870,  and  applied  for  a 
certificate  to  Mr.  Charles  Reed,  who  said  he 
was  willing  personally  to  give  certificates  to 
the  ladies  to  practice,  but  the  law  prevented 
them  from  entering  the  learned  profession. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kepley  prepared  a  bill  in  1871 
to  allow  women  tiie  right  of  admittance, 
which  was  presented  by  Capt.  Ed  Harlau,  of 
Marshall,  who  was  representing  this  Senato- 
rial District  in  1871-72.  The  bill  was  ably 
defended  by  such  men  in  the  Lower  House 
as  Judge  J.  B.  Bi-adwell,  of  Chicago,  and 
Mr.  Reddick,  of  Ottawa,  and  others,  and  it 
passed  and  became  a  law  during  that  session. 
Mi's.  Kepley  applied  for  admission  to  the  bar 
at  Springfield,  and  was  admitted  January  27, 
1881.  She  was  also  commissioned  Notary 
Public  Avigust  20,  1881,  and  is  now  in  regu- 
lar practice  of  the  profession.  She  is  serv- 
ing her  third  year  as  member  of  the  Efi&n  g- 
ham  School  Board,  being  the  first  lady  elect- 
ed to  that  body. 

ANTHONY  KREKE,  contractor  and  build- 
er, ElBngham,  was  born  in  Effingham,  this 
county,  February  16,  18-19,  son  of  Arnold 
and  Gertrude  (Dreismann)  Kreke,  natives  of 
Oldenbiu'g,  Germany;  he,  a  farmer,  died  in 
Effingham,  this  county,  in  1852.  where  the 
mother  died  also.  They  had  five  children. 
Our  subject  received  his  schooling  in  Effing- 
ham, and  began  life  as  a  farmer,  and  in  1861 
learned  the  carj^enter's  trade,  which  he  has 
since  followed,  mostly  in  this  county,  and  in 
which  occupation  he  is  a  skilled  workman. 
He  was  married,  in  Effingham,  November  26, 
1875,  to  Mary  Goldstein,  born  March  31, 
1855,  in  Missouri,  daughter  of   Heury  Gold- 


stein, a  native  of  Germany,  and  a  soldier. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kreke  have  three  children — 
Lizzie,  born  April  4,  1875;  Joseph,  July  26, 
1878;  and  Anna,  July  29,  1882:  In  relig- 
ion, our  subject  is  a  Catholic,  and  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat in  jioliticB. 

JOHN  H.  I.  LACY,  American  Express 
Agent,  Effingham,  is  the  son  of  Isaiah  and 
Mary  A.  (Wright)  Lacy,  and  was  born  in 
Clay  County,  111. ,  September  16,  1833.  His 
father  died  when  he  (subject)  was  ten  months 
old,  at  which  age  he  came  to  this  county  with 
his  mother  and  grandfather,  Jonathan 
Wright,  who  settled  at  Ewington,  where  sub- 
ject lived  with  his  mother  until  of  age. 
There  were  no  public  schools  when  he  was  a 
boy,  and  his  first  teacher  was  Joe  Wheeler, 
who  taught  about  the  fu-st  school  in  Ewing- 
ton.  Our  subject  became  a  clerk  for  Dr. 
Hamilton  L.  Smith  in  his  store  at  the  age  of 
nineteen,  and  was  afterward  a  clerk  in  the 
store  of  Presley  Funkhouser.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one,  he  began  the  study  of  dentistry 
with  Dr.  Floyd,  of  Greenville,  and  traveled 
with  him  to  different  places  for  two  years, 
remaining  a  few  weeks  in  a  place.  Mr.  Lacy 
begau  the  practice  of  dentistry  at  Ewiugton 
about  1856,  where  he  remained  until  he  re- 
moved to  Effingham,  in  about  1858,  and  trav- 
eled in  the  surrounding  country  until  the 
war  broke  out.  He  enlisted  in  the  spring  of 
1861,  at  the  first  call  for  three-months  men, 
and  was  First  Lieutenant  of  the  Effingham 
Guards,  which  was  Company  G  of  the  Elev- 
enth Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  ho 
served  until  the  term  expired,  when  he  re-en- 
listed, in  1862,  in  the  Ninety-eighth  Illinois 
Infantry,  and  was  Adjtttant  of  the  regiment, 
and  joined  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  re- 
maining with  the  regiment  until  after  the 
battle  of  Stone  River,  when  he  resigned  and 
came  home  in  1863  on  account  of  sickness  in 
his   family.     In  the  spring  of  1865,  he  re- 


L 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


45 


joined  the  service  as  Major  of  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fifty-fifth  Illinois,  and  was  mus- 
tered out  at  the  close  of  the  war  at  Spring- 
field, 111.  After  the  war,  Mr.  Lacy  practiced 
dentistry  for  about  two  years.  In  1867,  he 
became  agent  of  the  American  Express  Com- 
pany, and  has  conducted  their  agency  ever 
since. 

JOHN  W.  LACOCK,  Depaty  Postmaster, 
Effingham,  was  born  in  Gallatin  County,  Ky. , 
near  the  village   of  Patriot,   Ind.,  in   1843. 
This  town   is  situated  just  across  the  river. 
He  is  the  eighth  child  of  the  family.     His 
father's  name  was   Joseph,  and  his  mother's 
maiden  name  was   Maria  "Wetherbee,  of  In- 
diana.    His  father  was  of  French  origin,  and 
is  supposed  to  have  been  born  in  Pennsylva- 
nia or  Ohio,  at  a  date  not  known  to  subject. 
He  was  a  school-teacher,  which   he  followed 
from  early  life  to  the  time  of  his  death.      His 
children  were  Mary,  wife  of  Peter  Lankins; 
she  resides  near  the  old  homestead  at  Patriot, 
Ind.;  Phcebe  W.,  wife  of    James K.  Reed,  of 
Mason,  111.;    James  W..  a  resident  of   Ken- 
tucky;   Susan,  wife  of  William  Keneday,  a 
resident  of  the  old  homestead  in  Patriot, Ind. ; 
Anna,  wife  of  S.  E.  Herrick,  of  same  place; 
Jane,  wife  of   William  G.  DeHart,  of  same 
place.      His  mother  was  of  Englisli  descent, 
and  was  born  in  America.      Both  parents  died 
while  subject  was  young,  soon  after  whi^h  he 
went  to  Oldham  County.  Ky.,  where  he  en- 
gaged as  errand  boy  in  a  store  kept  by  Dr. 
E.  W.  Beckwith.      While  thus  employed,  he 
received  such  advantages  of  an  education  as 
the  situation   afforded.      He  remained  there 
until  1859,  when  he  returned  to  Patriot,  Ind. , 
and   entered  a  drug  store  as  clerk  for  the 
same  Dr.  Beckwith,  who  had  removed  to  that 
place  in  the  meanwhile.     He  remained  here 
until    the   breaking-out   of   the  war,   when, 
after  two   unsuccessful  attempts,  he  finally 
succeeded  in   joining   the    Ninety-third  In- 


diana Infantry,  in  which  he  served  three 
years,  during  which  time  he  participated  in 
all  the  battles  in  which  his  regiment  was  en- 
gaged— lirst  at  Jackson  approach  to  Vicks- 
burg.  At  this  tight,  the  regiment  had  been 
marching  through  a  drenching  rain,  in  con- 
sequence of  which  they  were  unable  to  dis- 
charge their  guns,  on  which  account  they 
charged  and  took  one  of  the  enemy's  batter- 
ies. He  was  appointed  Deputy  Postmaster 
in  1882.  After  his  army  service,  he  returned 
to  Patriot,  Ind. ,  where,  in  1 866,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mary  Wright,  of  Quercus 
Grove,  Ind.  They  have  had  five  children, 
two  of  whom  are  deceased.  Those  living  are 
EfHe  and  Pearl,  and  one  not  named.  He  is  an 
Elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church.  In  politics, 
a  Republican.  A  member  of  Grand  Army 
and  Red  Men,  and  was  the  first  to  establish 
the  latter  order  in  Illinois,  being  at  that  time 
Sachem  of  the  Seminole  Tribe.  He  also  rep- 
resented the  State  at  the  Grand  Council  held 
in  Philadelphia  in  1870.  During  his  army 
service,  he  was  a  constant  contributor  to  his 
home  papers. 

HENRY  J.  LAMPING,  deceased,  was 
born  in  Germany  February  20,  1846,  sun  of 
Joseph  and  Friedericka  (Vorwerk)  Lamping, 
natives  also  of  Germany,  ho  born  September 
27,  18 IS,  she  November  22,  1817.  They  are 
farmers  in  the  old  country,  and  are  parents 
of  four  children— thi-ee  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter. Oiu-  subject  received  his  schooling  in 
his  native  country,  where  he  also  learned  the 
shoe-maker's  trade,  which  he  followed  up  to 
the  time  of  his  marriage,  which  occurred  in 
Teutopolis,  this  coimty,  June  27,  1871,  when 
he  married  Catharina  Uptmore,  born  Febru- 
ary 11,  1850,  in  Teutopolis.  daughter  of 
Clemens  and  Elizabeth  (Niehaus)  Uptmore, 
natives  of  Germany.  Our  subject  came  to 
this  county  in  1866,  and  resided  in  Teutopo- 
lis until   187U,  when  he  came  to  Effingham 


46 


BIOGKAPHICAL: 


City  and  opened  a  general  store,  with  a  stock 
consisting  of  groceries,  queensware  and  dry 
goods,  which  business  his  widow  now  man- 
ages. Mi\  Lamping  was  a  member  of  the 
Town  Board  of  TeutopoUs.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  a  Democrat 
in  politics.     He  died  September  11,  1882. 

WILLIAM  A.  LAYTON,  dealer  in  agri- 
cultural implements,  Effingham,  was  born  in 
Knos  County,  111.,  February  29,  1848,  and 
moved  to  Bishop  Township,  this  county,  in 
1852,  where  he  lived  about  one  year.  His 
father,  "William  Layton,  became,  a  foreman 
on  the  Illinois  Central  Kailroad,  and  mo-Jed 
to  Mason  with  his  family  and  worked  on  the 
railroad  construction  during  four  years,  su- 
perintending the  grading,  etc.  Subject 
lived  at  Mason  but  a  year,  when  he  moved  to 
what  is  known  as  the  old  patch  on  north  side 
of  Wabash,  between  Mason  and  Watson,  for 
three  years,  and  kept  boarders  When  the 
road  was  completed,  his  father  moved  back 
to  a  farm  in  Bishop  Township,  and  bought 
the  160  acres  where  Wm.  Endebrook  now 
lives.  Our  subject  received  his  education  at 
Bishop  Point,  in  a  log  schoolhouse  with  pa- 
per window  lights,  with  lire-jilace  across  the 
end  of  the  house.  At  the  ago  of  sixteen,  he 
began  buying  stock  for  Zion  Frost  and  S.  D. 
Dole,  and  bought  in  this  and  Jasper  Coun- 
ties for  six  years.  He  was  married,  in  1869, 
to  Miss  Annie  Downs,  of  Paris,  Edgar  Coun- 
ty, and  settled  in  Nelson  Township,  Moultrie 
Co.,  111.,  where  he  remained  until  1872,  en- 
gaged in  farming,  and,  in  the  latter  part  of 
1872  and  1873,  he  carried  mail  from  Sulli- 
van to  Decatur,  before  the  railroad  was  built. 
His  wife  died  in  the  fall  of  1872.  He  took  a 
trip  West  in  1875,  -as  far  as  Fort  Benton,  D. 
T.,  in  search  of  health  and  adventm-e,  spend- 
ing the  summer  there.  He  farmed  in  1876, 
and  in  1877  he  began  selling  goods  for  Mr. 
Tedrick,  at  Teutopolis,  for  eighteen  months, 


when  he  moved  stock  to  Effingham,  and  con- 
tinued until  1880.  In  1881,  ho  formed  a 
partnership  with  Mr.  J.  E.  Tedrick,  under 
the  iirm  name  of  Tedrick  &  Layton,  and  they 
have  conducted  a  prosperous  business  in  ag- 
ricultui-al  implements,  with  warerooms  on 
Washington  street.  Our  subject  was  mar- 
ried a  second  time,  in  1879,  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Funk,  daughter  of  J.  R.  Funk,  of  this  coun- 
ty. They  have  one  daughter  living.  The 
father  is  stiil  living,  at  Wheeler,  Jas]3er  Co., 
III.,  engaged  as  section  foreman  on  the  nar- 
row-gauge railroad. 

DR.  JOHN  LE  CRONE.  Few  of  thepio- 
neers  of  Effingham  County  have  a  history  of 
more  general  merit  than  Dr.  John  Le  Crone; 
coming  here  in  an  early  day,  and  during  his 
long  residence  no  one  has  identified  himself 
more  with  the  county's  general  progress  and 
advancement  than  has  Dr.  Le  Crone.  To  the 
genial  and  healthful  influences  of  such  char- 
acters does  the  county  owe  its  present  ad- 
vanced condition.  Dr.  Le  Crone  was  born 
in  Fayette  County,  Penn.,  December  12,  1816, 
where  he  spent  his  boyhood  with  his  parents 
on  a  farm,  enjoying  only  the  common  school 
advantages  of  that  day.  He  had  a  natural 
inclination  for  study,  however,  and  what  lit- 
tle opportunities  he  had  were  employed  to 
good  advantage.  In  1832,  he.  with  his  par- 
ents, removed  to  Fairfield  County,  Ohio, 
where  he  resided  with  his  parents  for  twelve 
ye.irs.  The  bent  of  his  mind  was  for  a  more 
thorough  and  finished  education  than  was 
afforded  by  the  common  schools,  and,  at  the 
age  of  seventeen,  he  entered  Marietta  Col- 
lege, enduring  a  great  many  privations  to  en- 
joy the  collegiate  instructions.  He  remained 
in  college  for  two  years,  recuperating  his  de 
plenished  purse  by  teaching  school  at  all 
available  intervals.  At  the  end  of  two  years, 
financial  embarrassments  compelled  him  to 
entirely   relinquish  college    life,   and,    as    a 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


47 


means  of  replenishing  his  finances,  he  again 
resorted  to  the  schooh-oom.  The  close  of  an 
other  year  fouud  him  with  a  sufficient  sur- 
phis  and  a  maturity  of  years  to  begin  to  cast 
about  for  a  permanent  trade  or  profession, 
the  rush  of  years  and  press  of  business  con- 
siderations having  compelled  him  to  give  up 
the  cherished  ambition  of  his  life — that  of  a 
thorough  classical  education.  The  practice 
of  medicine  was  his  adopted  profession,  and, 
at  the  age  of  twenty,  he  entered  the  office  of 
Drs.  Hyde  &  Evans,  at  Kushville,  Ohio, 
where  he  prosecuted  his  study  at  intervals 
until  184'2,  relying  on  pedagoging  in  the 
winter  to  support  him  in  his  professional 
studies.  In  1842,  he  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice, and  began  his  professional  career  at 
Geneva,  Ohio,  remaining  there  two  years. 
During  the  fall  of  1844,  he  came  to  Effing- 
ham County,  locating  with  his  father  in  a 
small  cabin  on  the  James  Turner  farm,  near 
Watson.  In  the  spring  of  1845,  he  removed  to 
and  took  up  his  residence  at  Ewington,  then 
the  most  important  point  in  this  section  of 
the  State,  and  began  a  practice  inhiii  profes- 
sion which  made  Di'.  Le  Crone's  name  a  tow- 
er cf  strength  and  a  fountain  of  hope  to 
the  afflicted  of  this  and  adjoining  counties. 
At  the  time  of  his  location  at  Ewington,  there 
were  but  two  other  physicians  in  the  county 
— Dr.  J.  M.  Long,  now  of  California,  and 
Dr.  0.  F.  Falley,  now  of  Wisconsin;  and  as 
both  these  gentlemen  have  long  since  removed 
from  the  county,  they  leave  to  Dr.  Jlie  Crone 
the  proud  distinction  of  being  the  oldest  res- 
ident physiciaa  of  the  county.  In  those 
days,  good  physicians  were  few,  and  a  man 
of  Dr.  Le  Crone's  reputation  had  a  practice 
that  covered  a  great  many  miles  in  circum- 
ference. It  embraced  Shelby,  Fayette,  Clay 
and  Jasper  Counties,  and  frequently  included 
trips  over  swollen  streams  and  impassable 
roads  of  a  week's    duration.     It  required  a 


strong  and  vigorous  constitution  to  prosecute 
a  practice  of  that  kind  without  falling  a  vic- 
tim to  its  hardships,  and  the  present  excel- 
lent preservation  of  the  Doctor's  health  evi- 
dences the  fact  that  he  had  the  constitution 
to  combat  the  privations.  When,  in  1859, 
the  county  seat  was  moved  to  Effingham,  the 
Doctor  followed  in  the  course  of  the  empire, 
and,  in  the  spring  of  1801,  came -tb  Effing- 
ham to  reside,  where  he  has  been  since,  ex- 
cept three  months  in  the  summer  of  1864, 
when  he  served  as  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the 
One  Hundu«d  and  Thirty-iifth  Illinois  Regi- 
n*tot.  During  his  twenty-two  years'  resi- 
dence in  Effingham,  he  has  steadfastly  stood 
at  the  head  of  his  profession,  and  nothing 
but  advancing  years  is  now  compelling  him 
to  relinquish  the  professional  standing  he  has 
so  honorably  occupied  for  so  many  years. 
Dr.  Le  Crone  stands  high  in  general  public 
esteem,  but  it  is  with  his  professional  asso- 
ciates that  his  highest  esteem  lies,  especially 
with  the  young  practitioners,  who  have  need 
of  the  advice  of  riper  experience.  Possessing 
a  nature  that  was  a  stranger  to  jealousy,  he 
naturally  labored  for  the  elevation  of  his  pro- 
fession. To  the  young  reader  and  the  be- 
ginner his  counsel  was  always  free  and  open, 
and  many  young  physicians  in  this  county 
can  testify  to  the  assistance  he  has  given 
them.  In  their  professional  infancy,  they 
have  often  needed  wise  counsel,  and  they  al- 
ways found  Dr.  Le  Crone's  strong  arm 
stretched  forth  to  sustain  them.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  State  Medical  Society,  and  for 
many  years  of  the  Esculapian  Society,  the 
oldest  organization  in  the  State.  In  1836, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Allen,  of 
Virginia,  by  whom  he  had  eleven  children, 
nine  of  whom  are  now  living.  As  might  be 
supposed,  Dr.  Le  Crone's  long  and  honorable 
career  has  placed  him  high  in  public  estima- 
tion.    For  three  different  terms  he  was  called 


48 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


to  the  Mayor's  chair  of  the  prosperous  little 
city  of  Effingham,  when  public  emergencies 
demanded  the  services  of  clean  hands  and  a 
conscientious  mind,  and  the  large  majorities 
by  which  he  was  always  elected  are  sufficient 
attestations  of  his  ujwight  and  pure  public 
chai-acter.  Dr.  Le  Crone  shows  his  supe- 
riority of  character  by  the  fact  that  he  still 
occupies  a  first  place  in  the  society,  the  cult- 
ure and  the  civilization  of  to-day.  Most  pio- 
neers of  his  prominence  only  held  that  prom- 
inence for  a  short  period — while  brute  force 
can  keep  them  in  the  van.  They  are  always 
submerged  and  swept  out  of  sight  by  the  riper 
civilization  that  always  follows  in  the  path- 
way made  by  their  sturdy  blows  —by  their 
brawn  and  muscle.  Not  so  with  Dr.  Le 
Crone.  He  j^ossessed  a  constitution  to  be 
prominent  in  all  pioneer  hardships  and  pri- 
vations, and  he  also  possessed  the  culture  and 
learning  necessary  to  assimilate  himself  with 
the  civilization  that  followed,  and  occupy  a 
prominent  position  in  all  the  successive  steps 
of  development.  He  was  prominent  when 
prominence  consisted  of  a  good  shot  and  a 
brave  spirit;  and  he  is  prominent  now,  when, 
to  be  prominent,  it  is  necessary  to  cast  aside 
these  attributes  of  the  pioneer,  and  take  on 
the  habiliments  of  the  polished  and  learned 
gentleman.  To  the  steady,  constant  and 
healthful  inlluence  of  such  characters  does 
society  owe  its  condition ;  and  to  no  one  does 
Effingham  County  owe  more  for  its  present 
greatness  than  it  owes  to  Dr.  John  Tie  Crone. 
CAPT.  A.  W.  LE  CRONE,  attorney, 
Effingham,  is  the  son  of  Dr.  John  Le  Crone. 
He  was  born  October  5,  1839,  in  Fairfield 
County,  Ohio,  and  came  with  his  parents  to 
this  county  in  1844,  and  spent  his  youth  in 
Ewington,  where  he  received  his  education, 
except  one  year  spent  in  the  normal  school 
at  Bloomington,  111.,  at  its  opening,  in  the 
fall  of  1S57.     He  began  the  study  of  law  in 


the  winter  of  1858,  with  William  B.  Cooper, 
at  Ewington,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
May,  1860,  and  began  practice  at  Ewington 
as  partner  of  W.  B.  Cooper  and  William  J. 
Stevenson,  until  he  enlisted,  April  21,  1861, 
in  Company  G,  Eleventh  Illinois  Infantry, 
for  three  months,  and  served  as  Orderly  Ser- 
geant. At  the  re-organization  of  the'  com- 
pany for  three  years,  he  was  elected  Captain 
of  the  company,  but  the  Surgeon  refused  to 
pass  him  on  account  of  a  fractured  bone. 
His  partner,  Stevenson,  enlisting  at  this 
time,  he  went  home  to  look  after  the  inter- 
ests of  his  firm  in  August,  1861.     In  July, 

1862,  he,  with  Judge  Wyatt  Cook,  raised  a 
company,  which  became  Company  F, 
of  the  Ninety-eighth  Illinois  Mounted  In- 
fantry. Our  subject  was  elected  Captain  at 
the  organization  of  the  company,  and  led  the 
company  in  several  engagements  with  Ander- 
son's squadron  and  Morgan's  command. 
They  were  at  Hoover's  (lap,  and  a  number 
of    other  engagements,    until  December  24, 

1863,  when  he  was  sent  back  from  Hunts- 
ville,  Ala.,  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  on  account  of 
continued  sickness,  and  received  his  resigna- 
tion papers  February  7,  1864,  while  on  duty 
at  the  Court  Martial.  He  came  to  Bowling 
Green,  Ky. ,  where  he  married  Elizabeth  C. 
Collett  in  February,  1864,  and  came  home, 
where  he  remained  until  August,  1864,  then 
retm-ned^to  Bowling  Green,  Ky.,  and  imme- 
diately accepted  a  position  as  Quartermaster's 
Agent  at««Srashville,  Tenu.,  remaining  until 
August,  1865,  when  he  returned  to  Effing- 
ham. In  March,  1866,  he  returned  again  to 
Bowling  Green,  where  he  was  Chief  Clerk  in 
the  Revenue  Assessor's  office,  Third  District 
of  Kentucky,  for  four  years,  when  his  health 
failed,  necessitating  a  retirement  from  active 
business  for  over  a  year.  In  the  fall  of  1871, 
he  opened  a  law  office  at  Bowling  Green,  and 
practiced  there  until  1876,  with  good  sue- 


^..^^ 


■^»S'* 


EFFIXGHAM  CITY  AXD  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


49 


cess,  when  health  again  gave  vray.  He  has 
been  practicing  in  Effingham  since  1876. 
His  wife  died  at  Bowling  Green,  Ky.,  in  Au- 
gust, 1873.  She  bore  him  three  children, 
one  of  whom  died  in  1S7S,  of  yellow  fever. 
Our  subject  mari-ied,  in  1877,  to  Miss  Lizzie 
B.  Wood,  of  this  county.  In  addition  to  his 
law  practice,  Capt,  Le  Orone  is  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Le  Crone  &  Worman,  real  estate 
agents,  abstracters  and  loan  brokers. 

GEORGE  M.  LE  CRONE,  insurance 
atrent.  Effingham,  is  the  son  of  Dr.  John  Le 
Crone,  and  was  born  in  Ewington,this  coun- 
ty, December  23,  1853.  At  the  age  of  seven 
years,  his  father  moved  to  Effingham, 
and  our  subject  went  to  the  public  schools  of 
the  city  until  1S70,  spending  his  summer  va- 
cations at  different  kinds  of  labor  in  the  city 
and  on  the  farm.  In  the  fall  of  1870,  he  en- 
tered the  State  Normal  University  at  Nor- 
mal. 111.,  from  which  he  graduated  in  June. 
1873.  He  then  taught  a  district  school  in 
this  county  for  a  year,  and,  in  1875,  became 
the  Principal  of  the  Effingham  East  Side 
School,  serving  as  such  for  a  year.  He  then 
accepted  the  position  of  Deputy  Circuit 
Clerk,  and  was  for  two  years  thus  engaged. 
In  January,  1878.  he  purchased  a  half-inter- 
est in  the  Effingham  Democrat,  and  for  three 
years  was  a  joint  editor  with  John  Hoeny, 
Sr.,  of  that  paper,  and  continued  with  his 
successor,  Mr.  Scott,  until  October  1,  1881. 
He  sold  out  and  escaped  the  horrors  of  jom-- 
nalism  for  a  brief  but  happy  period,  and  for 
a  time  kept  books  for  Osgood  &  Kingman. 
In  December,  iSSl,  he,  with  C.  F.  Coleman, 
started  the  Altamont  Neivs,  and  has  since 
been  one  of  its  proprietors.  October,  1882, 
he  formed  a  copartnership  with  N.  D.  Clutter, 
and  under  the  firm  name  of  Clutter  &  LeCrone, 
has  conducted  real  estate,  insurance  and  loan 
agencies.  Our  subject  was  married,  in  1879, 
to  Miss  Frances  K.  Nitcher,  of  Effingham. 


WILLIAM  C.  LECRONE,  traveling  sales- 
man, Effingham,  was  born  in  Fairfield  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  August  1.  1837.  He  was  seven 
years  old  when  his  father.  Dr.  John  Lecrone, 
moved  with  his  family  to  this  county.  In 
1854,  he  went  to  Vaudalia  as  a  clerk  in  a 
store  for  one  year,  then  returned  to  Effing- 
ham in  1S56  and  took  charge  of  a  dry  goods 
store  here,  for  Thomas  Ewing,  of  Princeton, 
Ind.  This  was  the  fu-st  general  dry  goods 
store  in  Effingham.  He  closed  the  business 
in  the  winter  of  1855-50.  He  returned  for 
a  year  to  Vandalia,  111.,  afterward  coming 
back  to  Effingham,  and  sold  goods  for  Ham  - 
ilton  L.  Smith  VTutil  he  moved  his  stock  to 
Mattoon.  He  began  reading  medicine  in 
March,  1857,  but  discontinued  it  in  the  fall 
of  that  same  year.  In  the  scaring  of  1S58, 
he  sold  fruit  trees  in  this  and  adjoining 
counties  until  October,  1858.  In  May,  1858, 
he  married  Miss  E.  E.  Kagay.  They  have 
five  children  living — Emma  K.,  Anna,  Sarah 
E.,  John  W.  and  Nellie  J.  In  1859,  he  en- 
tered the  employ  of  Presley  Fuukhouser, 
where  he  continued  as  clerk  and  collector  un- 
til the  war  broke  out.  He  enlisted  in  the 
first  company  that  was  formed  in  this  coun- 
ty, iinder  Capt.  Filler.  They  were  a  part  of 
the  Eleventh  Illiuois,  and  served  until  ex- 
piration of  his  term.  On  his  rebiu-n,  he  en- 
tered the  employ  of  Murray  &  Moffitt  until 
186?,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Government  as  Chief  Clerk  of  a  Brigade  in 
the  Quartermaster's  Department  from  No- 
vember, 1862,  to  August,  1865.  He  was  in 
Chicago  from  the  fall  of  1865  to  1866.  He 
was  appointed,  in  May,  1866,  Assistant  As- 
sessor of  Internal  Revenue,  and  acted  in  that 
capacity  until  Augast.  1868.  He  was  em- 
ployed by  a  construction  company  on  the 
Vandalia  Railroad  until  January,  1869.  In 
February  of  that  year,  he  entered  the  Cir- 
cuit Clerk's   office   as   Deputy,   and  in   1872 

D 


50 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


was  electod  to  the  ofiSce  of  Circuit  Clerk,  and 
served  until  December,  1880,  being  re-elected 
in  1870.  Since  January,  1881,  be  has  been 
employed  as  traveling  salesman  in  this  State 
for  Culver,  Pago,  Hoyne  &  Co.,  Chicago. 

THOMAS  D.  LEITH,  baggageman,  Effing- 
ham, was  born  in  Mason  Township,  Effing- 
ham County,  October  11,  1855,  son  of  David 
and  Amanda  HVilson)  Leith.  He  became  a 
clerk  in  the  freight  office  of  the  Vandalia 
Eailroad  at  Effingham  in  1876,  remaining  in 
that  capacity  for  two  years.  In  1878,  he 
was  appointed  baggageman  of  the  Vandalia 
and  the  Illinois  Central  Railroads  at  this 
place,  and  has  served  in  that  capacity  ever 
since.  His  father,  David  Leith,  was  born  in 
Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  and  came  with  his 
family  about  1840  and  settled  in  Mason 
Township,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and 
cattle-raising. 

SAMUEL  W.  LITTLE,  retired,  Lincoln, 
Neb.,  was  born  in  Butler  County,  Penn., 
September  6,  1818.  He  passed  his  youth  in 
Pennsylvania.  At  the  age  of  sixteen,  he 
learned  the  trade  of  glass-blowing  in  Pitts- 
burgh, Penn.  He  left  Pittsburgh  at  the  age 
of  nineteen,  and  followed  the  Ohio,  Missis- 
sippi and  Missouri  Rivers  as  second  cook  on 
steamboats  for  a  year,  when  he  became  cook 
on  a  Government  snag-boat  to  go  up  the  Mis- 
souri River.  He  i-emainedon  the  river  until 
1839,  when  he  left  St.  Louis  for  Pittsburgh, 
and  there  engaged  to  go  to  Keene,  N.  H., 
where  he  worked  at  his  trade  for  about  nine 
months;  afterward  worked  in  New  Jersey  at 
his  trade,  and,  in  June,  1840,  went  to  Pitts- 
burgh, when  the  tariff  was  removed  from 
glass,  and  all  manufactories  were  stopped, 
and  he  shipped  to  New  Orleans,  on  a  coal 
boat,  and  from  there  he  went  to  Natchez  and 
formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother  in  the 
lumber  and  sand  business,  which  they  con- 
tinued until  1841,  when  he  returned  to  Pitts- 


burgh, and,  with  D.  B.  Alexander,  bought  a 
flat-boat,  and  began  the  manufacture  of  tin- 
ware, on  the  boat,  on  the  river,  and  sold  to 
the  river  cities  by  wholesale  and  retail.  This 
was  the  first  boat  of  the  kind  ever  on  the 
river,  and  made  two  trips  a  year  each  way. 
He  sold  the  boat  in  New  Orleans  in  1843, 
and  went  to  Rome,  Ga. ,  where  he  opened  a 
store  and  kept  it  six  months,  when  he  had  a 
boat  built  and  went  trading  by  river  from 
Rome,  Ga. ,  to  Mobile,  Ala.,  and  again  'sold 
his  boat  and  returned  to  Pittsburgh  in  1844, 
where  they  fitted  out  another  trading  boat, 
Mr.  Little  buying  out  Alexander  at  Shaw- 
neetown,  111.  At  Cairo,  111.,  he  employed  a 
man  to  make  and  give  exhibitions  of  lamp- 
work  and  fancy  glass  blowing.  They  gave 
daily  and  nightly  exhibitions,  on  the  boat. 
where  they  stopped,  and  at  Memphis  hired  a 
hall  and  gave  exhibitions  with  great  success, 
and  sold  out  at  Yazoo  City  in  1845,  and  re- 
turned to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and,  with  a  man 
named  Laird,  put  up  glass  works.  He  went 
to  Pittsburgh,  Penn.,  and  married,  in  Octo- 
ber, 1845.  His  glass  works  proved  a  fail- 
we,  and,  with  hie  family,  spent  the  winter 
at  Zanesville,  Ohio,  and  the  summer  at  Pitts- 
burgh, Penn,,  worliing  at  his  trade.  In  the 
fall  of  184(3,  in  company  with  others,  he 
started  a  glass  factory  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
with  same  result  as  at  fii'st.  He  sold  a  pet 
bear  to  get  rdoney  enougli  to  get  out  of  the 
city.  He  then  worked  at  his  trade  in  Wheel- 
ing, W,  Va. ,  for  three  years,  and,  with  his 
old  partner,  with  $1,900,  came  to  Green  Cas- 
tle, Ind. ,  where  they  engaged  in  the  hard- 
ware, glassware,  and  stove  and  tinware  busi- 
ness, and  in  four  years  made  over  $13,500. 
In  1853,  when  it  was  known  that  the  Illinois 
Central  and  the  Atlantic  &  Mississippi  Rail- 
roads would  cross  in  this  vicinitj^  our  subject 
and  Mr.  Alexander  came  here  and  bought 
305  acres  of  land  here,  on  which  the  town  is 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


51 


built.  Our  subject  moved  here  in  1856,  and 
lived  here  until  1867,  when  he  went  to  West 
Virginia,  but  returned  in  1868,  and  again  re- 
sided here  till  1871.  In  October  of  that 
year,  he  moved  to  Lincoln,  Neb.,  where  he  is 
still  residing. 

JOHN  J.  LOER,  telegrapher  and  City 
Treasurer,  was  born  in  Alton,  Madison  Co., 
111.,  December  16,  1851.  He  grew  up  in  Al- 
ton, and  was  educated  there.  At  the  age  of 
eighteen,  he  began  to  learn  telegraphy  in 
the  office  of  the  Western  Union  at  Alton,  and 
in  1867  he  became  operator  at  Delhi,  111.,  on 
the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  for  a  short 
time,  when  he  went  to  Alton  for  sis  months. 
In  November,  1868,  he  engaged  his  services 
to  the  Vandalia  Railroad,  and  was  two  years 
night  operator  in  its  office  at  East  St.  Louis, 
Mo.  He  came  to  Effingham  December  22, 
1870,  and  has  been  day  operator  in  the  "Van" 
office  here  ever  since.  He  was  elected  City 
Treasurer  of  Effingham  on  the  Republican 
ticket  in  April,  ISSl,  and  served  two  terms. 
He  was  married,  September  14,  1876,  to  Miss 
Kate  Wortman,  of  Effingham. 

DAVID  W.  LOY,  deceased,  was  the  son  of 
Thomas  and  Susan  (Wright)  Loy.  and  was 
born  in  Watson  Township,  this  county.  May 
6,  1837.  He  remained  at  home  until  eight- 
een years  of  aj;e,  when  he  became  a  clerk  for 
Col.  J.  J.  Funkhouser,  in  Effingham.  He  re- 
mained with  him  for  some  years.  He  ran  a 
saw  mill  at  Ewington  for  several  years,  and 
invested  his  means  in  lots  in  Effingham,  and 
erected  houses  on  them.  During  this  period, 
he  built  some  of  the  first  business  houses  of 
the  place.  He  was  a  contractor  on  the  Van- 
dalia Railroad,  and  graded  a  mile  of  it  in  this 
county.  Dui'ing  the  last  seven  years  of  his  life, 
he  was  gradually  going  down  with  consump- 
tion, and  died  in  June,  1877.  He  was  married, 
July  1 7,  1878,  to  Mrs.  Emma  J.  Freece,  and  by 
her  had  two  children — Estella  and  Jarvis  V. 


FERDINAND  W.  LOY,  attorney  at  law, 
Effingham  City,  was  born  in  Watson  Town- 
ship, this  county,  March  10,  1859,  son  of 
Thomas  M.  and  Susan  (Wright)  Loy.  Our 
subject  was  raised  on  a  farm,  where  he  lived 
until  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  came  to 
Effingham  and  attended  the  public  schools. 
He  began  teaching  in  1876,  and  continued 
foiu:  winter  terms  of  six  months.  In  1878, 
he  began  the  study  of  law  under  Hon.  E.  N. 
Rinehart,  and  continued  about  one  year, 
when  ho  entered  the  Law  Department  of  the 
Northern  Indiana  Normal  School,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  June,  1881,  and  was  admit- 
ted to  the  practice  of  law  in  Indiana  in  May, 
1881,  and,  in  February,  1882,  to  the  Illinois 
bar  He  located  in  Effingham  and  formed  a 
partnership  with  William  B.  Wright,  under 
the  firm  of  Loy  &  Wright,  and  they  are  lo- 
cated in  Wright's  Building. 

JOHN  LUNDRY,  grocer,  Effingham,  born 
in  Phillipsburg,  Miami  Co.,  Ohio,  April  9, 
1841.  He  learned  the  wagon-maker's  trade 
with  his  father  from  boyhood.  Came  to  Il- 
linois with  his  father  in  1860,  and  worked  at 
trade  until  late  war.  He  enlisted  iu  fall  of 
1861,  aud  served  until  fall  of  1865.  He  en- 
listed in  the  Sixty-first  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, Company  H,  for  three  years.  He 
served  under  Grant  and  Sherman.  He  was 
in  the  battle  of  Shiloh  and  other  engage- 
ments. He  was  Orderly  Sergeant.  He  was 
in  active  service  in  Ai'my  of  Tennessee  until 
three  years  expired,  then  came  to  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  and  re-enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred 
and  Ninety-sixth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  served  under  Gen.  Hancock  until  close 
of  war,  when  he  joined  his  father  at  Mattoon, 
111.,  and  bought  his  shop  in  1867,  when  fa- 
ther moved  to  Iowa.  He  ran  wagon  shop  at 
Mattoon  until  1870,  when  he  sold  out  and 
went  to  Lockport,  Ind.,  where  he  engaged  in 
carpentering  until  1872,  when  he  moved  to 


53 


BIOGRAPHICAL : 


Effingham,  111.,  and  engaged  in  carpentering 
for  six  jeara  as  contractor,  when  he  again 
became  a  partner  with  his  father  in  wagon  shop 
until  September,  18S2,  when  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  John  M.  Johnson,  and,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Jjundry  &  Johnson,  opened  a 
grocery  on  Railroad  street,  and  has  since  con- 
tinued fair  business  in  groceries  and  provis- 
ions. Married,  in  1860,  to  Miss  Nancy  J. 
Haskell,  of  Mattoon,  111.  Has  five  children 
living — Lulu,  Leonard,  Jessie,  William,  Eva. 

NICHOLAS  LUNDRY,  wagon- manufact- 
urer, Effingham,  was  born  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  August  30,  1810,  and  lived  in  that 
State  until  1860.  At  the  age  of  sixteen,  he 
learned  the  trade  of  wagon-maker  in  Dayton, 
Ohio,  where  he  worked  for  seventeen  years — 
served  four  years  as  apprentice,  and  then 
worked  as  journeyman  for  a  year;  then 
bought  the  shop  and  ran  it  until  1860.  He 
came.to  Cumberland  County,  111.,  in  the  fall 
of  1860,  and  bought  a  saw-mill  there,  which 
he  ran  about  three  years,  then  moved  to  Mat- 
toon,  111.,  where  he  rented  a  shop  and  ran  it 
for  some  three  years,  and  went  to  Iowa  in 
1860  and  opened  a  wagon  shop  in  Marshall- 
town,  Iowa,  which  he  ran  until  November, 
1877,  when  he  came  to  Effingham,  111.  He 
bought  the  present  shop  on  Railroad  street 
of  Mr.  Lilly,  and  has  usually  employed  three 
assistants — one  blacksmith,  and,  with  himself, 
three  in  wood  shop — and  turns  out  about  sixty 
wagons  per  year;  also  a  repair  business.  His 
work  finds  a  ready  market  at  home.  The  ma- 
terial is  carefully  selected,  and  the  work  has 
a  good  reputation.  He  was  married,  in  Mi- 
ami County,  Ohio,  May  1, 1833,  to  Eliza  Fry, 
who  was  raised  in  Stark  County,  Ohio.  They 
have  two  sons  and  two  daughters  living.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  politics. 

REV.  ROBERT  H.  MANIER.  minister, 
Effingham,  was  born  near  Nashville,  Tenn., 
November  23,  1828.     He  spent  his  early  life 


on  a  farm  in  Tennessee,  and  was  educated 
first  in  Union  Academy,  Wilson  County, 
same  State.  At  the  age  of  twenty,  he  came 
to  Illinois  and  entered  Marion  Academy, 
where  he  remained  two  years,  and  then 
taught  in  the  public  schools  of  Saline  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  four  years,  and  entered  the  ministry 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  185-1:. 
His  first  pastoral  work  was  in  the  Du  Quoin 
Circuit,  being  a  member  of  the  Southei-n  Ill- 
inois Conference.  He  was  afterward  at  Cen- 
ti'alia,  Cairo,  Carbondale,  Chester  and  Mt. 
Vernon.  In  the  fall  of  1861,  he  enlisted  in 
the  Forty-eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
as"  Chaplain,  and  remained  one  year,  when 
he  resigned  on  account  of  lost  health.  On 
his  return,  he  joined  the  St.  Louis  Confer- 
ence, and  was  stationed  in  Jefferson  City, 
Mo.,  and  while  there  he  served  two  years  as 
Chaplain  of  the  Missouri  State  Senate,  and 
two  years  as  Chaplain  of  Missouri  Peniten- 
tiary. He  re-entered  the  Southern  Illinois 
Conference  in  1874,  and  was  pastor  at  Har- 
risburg,  Hawthorne,  Shawneetowu,  Enfield, 
and  is  on  his  third  year  as  pastor  of  the  Cen- 
tenary Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Effing- 
ham. He  united  with  the  church  at  the  age 
of  fourteen,  and  entered  the  ministry  at 
twenty-six.  He  married,  in  18r*2,  Miss  Sar- 
ah Lovina  Jones,  of  Raleigh,  111.,  and  five 
children  are  living  of  this  marriajre.  His 
wife  died  July  12,  1879.  He  married  a  sec- 
ond time,  Mrs  Lucy  J.  Hartgrove,  of  Shaw- 
neetown.  111. ,  and  by  her  has  one  son. 
DR.  J.  G.  McCOY  was  the  second  child  of 
I  Samuel  and  Mary  T.  (George)  McCoy,  and 
was  born  in  the  village  of  Smithfield,  Jeffer- 
son Co.,  Ohio,  on  the  13th  day  of  March, 
1836.  When  fom-teen  years  of  age,  his  par- 
ents changed  their  residence  to  New  Phila- 
delphia, Ohio,  near  which  place  the  subject 
grew  to  his  manhood.  At  the  ase  of  seven- 
teen,  he  commenced  his  own  independent  ca- 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


53 


reer,  and  taught  school  for  three  months  each 
year,  and  the  other  nine  months  attended 
college  at  Mt.  Union,  Stark  County.  He 
studied  medicine  with  an  uncle  in  New  Phil- 
adelphia dtiring  1855  and  1856.  In  the  year 
1857,  with  his  parents,  he  removed  to  Wayne 
County,  111.,  and  here  ho  resumed  his  profes- 
sion of  teaching,  but  added  to  it  the  practice 
of  medicine.  The  breaking-out  of  the  late 
war  found  him  thus  peacefully  occupied,  but, 
recognizing  his  country's  call  as  above  all 
else,  he  dropped  the  ferule  and  "  throwed 
physic  to  the  dogs,",  and  at  once,  in  company 
with  A.  J.  Judy,  raised  a  company  of  sol- 
diers, eighty-seven  in  number,  forty-eight  of 
them  his  immediate  neighbors.  This  was 
Company  K,  Sixty-first  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry.  He  was  elected  First  Lieutenant, 
but,  after  six  months'  service,  was  made  Cap- 
tain, and  continued  to  command  the  company 
during  the  war.  the  regiment  bearing  a  con- 
spicuous part  in  the  Shiloh,  Gun  Town,  siege 
of  Vicksburg  and  its  capture,  Little  Keck 
campaign,  as  well  as  the  Red  River  expedi- 
tion, etc.  Fully  one-half  of  the  original 
company  had  been  either  killed  in  battle  or 
died  of  wounds  and  disease.  At  the  close  of 
the  war.  Dr.  McCoy  fixed  his  residence  at 
Effingham,  111.  In  1875,  he  purchased  an 
interest  in  the  woolen-mills  at  this  place, 
which,  by  his  energy  and  business  capacity, 
he  soon  increased  from  a  little  concern  of  $5,- 
000  a  year  to  an  establishment  doing  an  an- 
nual business  of  $100,000,  running  a  con- 
stant force  of  over  thirty  employes.  The  to- 
tal destruction  of  this  mill  by  fire  in  Octo- 
ber. ISSl,  was  a  sevei-e  affliction  to  the  city 
and  her  valuable  industries.  Dr.  McCoy  was 
man-ied,  in  1859,  to  Xietitia  M.  Lock,  of 
Grayville,  111.  Twelve  children  have  been 
born  to  them,  ten  of  whom  are  now  living — 
seven  daughters  and  three  sons.  The  Doctor 
has  been  a  consistent  Republican  in  politics, 


but  always  more  of  a  temperance  man  than 
politician.  He,  with  a  few  friends,  organ- 
ized and  successfully  carried  through  the 
temperance  cause  in  Wayne  County,  and  to- 
day he  prides  himself  more  in  his  temperance 
work  and  efforts  than  all  else  he  has  ever  ac- 
complished of  a  public  nature.  His  whole 
life  and  purpose  has  been  that  of  an  enthusi- 
astic prohibitionist.  In  good  or  in  evil  re- 
port, his  piu'pose  or  energy  has  never  flagged 
in  the  cause. 

HENRY  MERZ,  deceased,  was  born  in 
Menzikon,  Switzerland,  in  183(3.  He  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1856,  and  lived  four 
years  in  Indiana,  working  on  a  farm,  then 
went  back  to  Switzerland  and  brought  the 
rest  of  his  father's  family  over  in  1860.  He 
came  to  this  county  in  1860,  where  he  estab- 
lished a  cigar  factory  and  ran  it  until  his 
death.  He  married  Martha  Schwarz,  of 
Madison  County,  111.,  in  1861,  and  left  six 
childi'en  living. 

JOHN  MERZ,  tobacconist,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Menzikon,  Switzerland.  March 
4,  1846.  At  the  age  of  fom-teen,  he  came 
with  his  parents  to  the  United  States,  and 
settled  in  Madison  County,  111.,  and  subject 
lived  with  them  on  a  farm  about  three  years. 
He  began  at  the  age  of  ten,  or  earlier,  to 
learn  cigar-making,  in  a  factory  in  the  town 
of  Menzikon,  Switzerland,  where  he  worked 
at  this  trade  about  four  years.  He  came  to 
'Effingham  County  in  1867,  and  worked  with 
his  brother  Henry  until  his  death,  in  1875, 
oiu-  subject  carrying  on  the  business  for  the 
widow  of  his  brother  about  four  years.  In 
May,  1870,  he  bought  her  interest,  and  has 
since  continued  in  the  manufacture  of  cigars. 
His  factory  employs  three  assistant  journey- 
men, and,  with  his  own  labor,  turns  out  from 
100,000  to  125,000  cigars  per  year.  His  fac- 
tory is  No.  6  in  the  Thirteenth  Collection 
District,  is  located  on  Jefferson  street,  and 


64 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


he  turns  out  at  present  eeveu  brands.  His 
manufactured  goods  find  a  ready  sale  in  this 
and  neighboring  towns.  He  also  runs  a  t  jbac- 
co  store  in  connection  with  the  factory. 

BENJAMIN  B.  MINOR,  grain  -  dealer, 
Effingham  City,  was  born  in  Seneca  County, 
N.  Y.,  October  20,  1840,  and  was  raised  on  a 
farm.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  came  West, 
first  in  1860,  and  taught  one  term  of  school, 
and  then  retui'ned,  and  came  again  in  1862 
and  located  at  Champaign,  111.,  remaining  in 
that  county  about  five  years.  In  September, 
1867,  he  came  to  Effingham,  in  the  employ 
of  E.  &  I.  Jennings,  of  Mattoon,  111.,  and  took 
charge  of  the  present  warehouse  on  the  Cen- 
tral Railroad  tracks.  He  bought  grain  for 
them,  and,  at  the  end  of  twenty -two  months, 
formed  a  partnership  with  his  former  employ- 
ers, under  the  style  of  Jennings  &  Minor, 
which  has  lasted  ever  since.  This  comjjany 
buy  and  ship  grain,  and  deal  in  coal.  They 
have  warehouses  at  six  points  in  this  county 
— Effingham,  Montrose,  Altamont,  Moccasin, 
Shumway  and  Deitrich.  They  also  have  two 
warehouses  in  Shelby  County,  at  Cowden  and 
Strasburg.  In  the  months  of  July  and  Au- 
gust of  1882,  they  handled  75,000  bushels  of 
grain.  They  have  nine  men  in  their  employ. 
The  business  is  entirely  under  the  personal 
supervision  of  Mi:  Minor.  Our  subject 
taught  school  four  years  in  New  York  State 
and  three  years  in  Illinois,  commencing  to 
teach  at  the  age  of  sixteen.  He  was  married, 
in  1866,  to  Alice  J.  Page,  daughter  of  Ur.  S. 
K.  Page,  of  Champaign,  111.  They  have  five 
children  living. 

GEORGE  C.  MITCHELL,  grocer,  Effing- 
ham, was  born  in  Turner,  Me.,  February  14, 
1848.  He  received  a  common-school  educa- 
tion, and  entered  a  store  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years.  At  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  came 
West  and  located  in  Ottawa,  111.,  just  after 
the  war,  where  he   became  clerk  in  a  retail 


grocery  store  or  two  years,  and  came  from 
there  to  Champaign,  111.,  and  made  Cham- 
paign his  headquarters  until  1871,  first  en- 
tering the  law  office  of  J.  S.  Lothrop,  where 
he  studied  Jaw  for  six  months,  but  did  not 
like  the  confinement,  and  became  abrakeman 
on  the  Illinois  Central,  and  in  six  months 
became  conductor  of  a  train  running  from 
Champaign  to  Centralia  during  1869  and 
1870.  He  was  next  baggage-master  on  the 
I.,  B.  &  W.  for  about  seven  months.  From 
the  spring  of  1871  to  the  fall'  of  1872,  he 
ran  a  train  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  from  St. 
Louis  to  Jefferson  City,  when  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Vandalia  Railroad,  and  was 
conductor  and  yardmaster  until  1876,  with 
headquarters  at  Effingham,  111.  He  ran  a 
train  on  the  Wabash  Railroad  for  a  year, 
and  resided  at  Springfield,  III.  In  1877,  he 
rented  the  Fleming  House  at  Effingham,  and 
ran  it  fifteen  months.  He  was,  while  in  the 
hotel  business,  elected  Secretary  of  the 
Springfield,  Effingham  &  South  -  Eastern 
Railroad,  and,  in  connection  with  his  other 
duties,  took  charge  of  a  store  at  Palestine, 
111.,  and  ran  that  four  months,  when  the  road 
passed  into  the  hands  of  a  Receiver,  when  he 
went  to  Champaign  and  again  entered  the 
law  office  of  his  brother-in-law  for  three 
months,  when  he  returned  to  Effingham  and 
became  a  salesman  for  Col.  I'unkhouser  for  a 
short  time.  June  11, 1880,  he  bought  a  gen- 
eral stock  of  goods  of  J.  E.  Tedi'ick,  and  has 
since  conducted  a  good  business  in  the  dry 
goods  and  grocery  trade  at  the  old  Grange 
stand.  In  March,  1881,  he  established  a 
branch  store  near  Neoga,  which  he  ran  seven 
mojiths,  with  large  sales  to  rail  men  on  the 
narrow  gauge  line.  May,  1881,  he  started  a 
store  at  Holliday,  and  another  in  June  at 
Beck's  Creek,  near  Cowden,  and  both  of  these 
are  still  in  active  operation.  He  employs 
from   four  to  ten  persons.     He  was  married. 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


55 


in  1874,  to  Nannie  E.,  daughter  of  Col.  J.  J. 
Funkhoiiser,   af  Effingham. 

ALEXANDER  S.  MOFFITT,  grocer,  Ef- 
liagham,  was  born  in  Waj'ne  County,  111.,  Octo- 
ber 12,  1827.  He  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools.  He  lived  on  a  farm  in 
Wayne  County  until  he  came  to  this  county, 
in  1856.  He  stopped  at  Ewington  from  De- 
cember, 1850,  to  April,  1857,  when  he  settled 
in  Effingham,  which  had  at  that  time  about 
ten  families,  and  there  is  only  one  man  living 
in  the  city  now  that  was  here  at  that  time. 
He  enrolled  about  twenty-five  pupils,  only  a 
few  of  whom  are  now  left  in  the  county — 
Byron  Whitfield  and  Mrs.  Dr.  Thompson — 
the  only  two  in  town.  Subject  next  taught 
six  mouths  at  Ewington,  and  returned  here 
in  .1 860.  He  was  elected  County  Siuweyor  in 
about  1860  or  1861,  and  served  until  he  en- 
tered the  army.  He  enlisted  in  August, 
1862,  in,  Company  K,  Ninety-eighth  Illinois 
Regiment,  Col.  Funkhouser.  This  portion 
of  the  town  was  laid  out  that  spring  by  Lit- 
tle &  Alexander,  and  was  bristling  with  the 
stakes  of  the  surveyor  and  along  Jefferson 
street  there  Was  willow  waist  high.  There 
were  only  two  stores.  Subject  taught  school 
for  eighteen  months,  six  months  each  year, 
in  a  little  frame  house  of  two  rooms.  He 
lived  in  one  end  and  taught  in  the  other. 
It  stood  at  the  northeast  corner  of  the  court 
house  square.  It  was  a  public  school,  and 
he  received  S33  per  month.  Our  subject 
went  in  as  First  Lieutenant,  and  was  pro- 
moted to  the  Captaincy  of  Company  K  at  the 
death  of  Capt.  Kelley,  who  was  killed  in  a 
railroad  accident  in  Bridgeport,  111.  The 
Ninety  eighth  was  a  part  of  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland.  Capt.  Moffitt  remained  with 
the  regiment  until  July,  1863,  when  he  re- 
signed on  account  of  continued  ill  health, 
and  after  his  return  was  elected  County  Sur- 
veyor and   served    in    that    office    altogether 


about  ten  years,  and  made  surveys  in  every 
township  in  the  county,  and  has  tramped  over 
three-fourths  of  the  sections  of  the  county. 
He  bought  city  property  in  1863.  In  March, 
1881,  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  on 
Jefferson  street,  and  has  since  continued, 
having  a  good  trade.  He  was  married,  in 
Wayne  County,  111.,  in  1853,  to  Mary  Gash, 
who  died  January  5, 1859,  leaving  no  children. 
He  remarried,  December,  1861,  Mary  C. 
Funk,  of  this  county.  Two  children  are  liv- 
ing of  this  marriage.  Mr.  Moffitt  has  always 
been  a  Democrat.  In  addition  to  holding  the 
Surveyor's  office  for  ten  years,  he  was  Deputy 
Sheriff  two  years  under  Huram  Mansfield  and 
Master  in  Chancery  for  six  years  of  this 
county.  He  lias  also  served  as  Alderman 
five  terms. 

A.  S.  MOORE,  livery,  Effingham,  was 
born  in  Chester  County,  Penn.,  Jan.  27, 
1824.  He  came  West  about  1830,  and  set- 
tled in  Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  and  lived  in 
Ohio  about  fifteen  or  sixteen  years,  when  he 
moved  to  Butler  County,  Ky.,  where  he  lived 
seven  years,  and  run  a  saw-mill  on  the  Green 
River  at  Lock  No.  4  for  about  five  years. 
He  came  to  Illinois  in  1852,  and  settled 
in  this  county,  entering  160  acres  of  land  in 
jjrairie,  on  the  north  side  of  Blue  Mound, 
Mound  Township,  and  put  up  the  first  house 
that  was  erected  on  the  prairie,  and  farmed 
there  until  1863,  when  he  moved  to  Effing- 
ham and  engaged  in  the  livery  business,  in 
which  he  has  been  engaged  for  nineteen 
years,  with  fair  success.  He  has  built  two 
stables,  and  conducts  a  good  livery  business, 
his  present  stable  being  located  on  Banker 
street.  He  was  married  to  Mrs.  Mary  E. 
Loomis  March  17, 1857,  m  Stark  County,  Ohio, 
by  Rev.  Leiter.  As  before  stated,  he  moved 
to  Blue  Mound,  this  county,  on  the  Big 
Prairie,  where  the  roads  ran  through  the  tall 
prairie  gi'ass  and  the  wolves  came  to  the  door, 


56 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


and  the  wild  deor  grazed  in  the  field,  and  a 
few  log  cabins  dotted  the  prairie.  Mrs. 
Moore  taught  school  in  Fayette  County,  at 
116  per  month,  in  a  log  cabin.  Our  subject 
broke  prairie  with  three  horses,  in  the  spring, 
and  run  a  threshing  machine  after  harvest. 
In  1861,  a  son  was  born — Clella  G.,  and, 
January  1, 1862,  Mr.  Moore  moved  to  Effing- 
ham, where  he  had  a  house  and  stable  built. 
He  kept  a  hotel,  which  was  called  the  Union 
House,  and  also  a  livery  stable.  Mr.  Moore 
would  drive  out  from  fifteen  to  twenty  men 
each  week  to  look  at  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  lands,  the  agent,  M.  Hoffman,  mak- 
ing the  Union  House  his  stopping  place, 
would  telegraph  ahead  to  Mr.  Moore  to  have 
meals  and  wagon  ready  to  feed  and  convey  the 
amount  of  men  that  would  arrive,  which  at 
one  time  was  thirty-one.  Mr.  Hofi'man,  An- 
drews or  Vally  would  accompany  them.  Mr. 
Moore  did  a  thriving  business  outside  of  his 
livery.  He  would  be  up  in  the  early  morn- 
ing, hauling  sand  and  loading  cars  for  ship- 
ment, and  he  filled  several  contracts  in  Mat- 
toon,Tuscola  and  other  towns.  Mrs.  Moore  kept 
boarders,  and  many  can  vouch  the  good  meals 
served  by  her,  as  she  was  called  a  first-class 
cook  and  made  her  house  a  pleasant  home 
for  all  who  stopped  with  her.  Our  subject 
enlarged  his  stable  as  business  increased, 
and  has  followed  the  livery  business  since. 
He  also  built  a  new  stable  called  the  City 
Livery  Stable.  His  residence  is  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Railroad  and  Franklin  avenue. 

AV.  H.  MOORE,  livery,  Effingham,  was  born 
in  Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  in  18i3.  His 
parents  moved  to  Butler  County,  Ky.,  when 
he  was  in  his  second  year,  where  he  lived 
until  he  was  ten  years  old.  His  father, 
Samuel  Moore,  died  while  on  a  journey  here, 
near  Owensburg,  Ky.,  and  the  mother  of  our 
subject  came  on  with  two  wagons  and  ten 
children.      The  eldest  son,  A.  S.  Moore,  came 


first  and  entered  land  in  what  is  now  Mound 
Township,  and  the  family  settled  on  the 
prairie  tear  Blue  Mound  in  March,  1853. 
The  mother  died  six  months  after  she  came 
here,  and  the  children  lived  together  as  a 
family  until  1861,  when  our  subject  started 
for  himself,  going  to  Hancock  County, 
111.,  and  worked  by  the  month  there  until 
1865.  In  the  fall  of  that  year,  he  went 
to  Kansas,  and  the  following  summer  was 
employed  as  teamster  for  several  mouths  in 
a  wagon  train,  driving  from  Fort  Riley  to 
Fort  Dodge.  He  came  to  Olney,  111.,  in  the 
winter  of  1866,  and  remained  there  until 
July,  1867,  when  he  began  the  erection  of  a 
stable  in  Effingham,  in  partnership  with  his 
brother  Samuel.  It  was  opened  for  business 
on  September  25,  1867,  and  the  business  has 
been  conducted  ever  since,  iinder  the  firm 
name  of  Samuel  Moore  &  Bro.  They  made 
additions  to  their  original  stable  until  its 
present  size  is  150x50  feet,  having  thirty 
stalls,  and  they  do  a  livery,  feed  and  sale 
business,  having  a  full  line  of  livery  outfit, 
including  twelve  horses. 

JOHN  MORHINNERS,  miller,  Effing- 
ham, was  born  in  Clinton  County,  this  State, 
March  14,  1846,  son  of  Francis  and  Mary 
(Waschefort)  Morhinners,  natives  of  Olden- 
burg, Germany,  he  born  in  1807  and  she  in 
1812.  They  are  both  living  in  Teutopolis, 
this  county,  are  farmers  and  the  parents  of 
four  children — three  sons  and  one  daughter. 
The  mother  is  a  sister  of  J.  F.  Waschefort, 
who  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  German 
Colony  at  Teutopolis,  this  county,  mention  of 
which  has  been  made  in  the  historical  portion 
of  this  work.  Our  subject  received  his 
schooling  in  his  native  county,  under  the 
disadvantage  of  the  schoolhouse  being  four 
or  five  miles  distant.  He  began  life  as  a 
clerk  and  for  ten  years  was  engaged  in  that 
capacity  in  the  employ  of  Mr.  J.  F.  Wasche- 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


57 


fort,  in  a  general  store  at  Teutopolis,  this 
county.  Our  subject  was  married,  Septem- 
ber 21,  1S75,-  to  Miss  Catharine  Wegmau, 
born  in  this  county  in  1851,  daughter  of  J. 
W.  and  Catharine  (Lobmeyer)  Wegman,  na- 
tives of  Germany.  The  father  is  living  in 
Teutopolis,  this  county;  the  mother  died  in 
this  county  in  187(5.  In  1877,  our  subject 
accepted  a  clerkship  in  the  Excelsior  Mills  of 
Effingham,  in  whose  employ  he  has  since 
remained.  He  is  an  Alderman  of  Effingham, 
and  as  such  is  serving  his  second  term. 
He  has  two  children — ^Louis,  born  Septem- 
ber 23,  1879,  and  William,  born  April  26, 
1882.  Our  subject  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  and  in  politics  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat. 

JOHN  N.  MURPHY,  Constable,  Effing- 
ham, was  born  in  Scioto  County,  Ohio,  Oc- 
tober 24,  1828;  he  came  West  when  six  years 
old.  His  father  emigrated  to  Vermillion 
County,  111.,  in  1834,  and  subject  lived  on 
the  farm  until  some  six  years  since.  His 
father  came  to  Effingham  County,  111.,  and 
settled  near  the  site  of  Elliottstown  in  what 
is  now  Bishop  Township,  about  1840.  He 
bought  his  claim,  consistint;  of  a  cabin  and 
about  forty  acres,  fenced,  and  afterward  en- 
tered 120  acres  on  the  same  site,  now  owned 
Viy  William  Underbrook  and  Tedrick.  Our 
subject  went  to  school  in  the  old  log  house 
on  the  east  part  of  his  father's  farm,  for  two 
winters,  to  his  brother,  William  H.  Miu-phy, 
and  three  winters  to  another  teacher  at  the 
same  place.  Oiu"  suliject  bought  a  Mexican 
land  warrant,  which  he  laid  on  160  acres  in 
what  is  novF  Watson  Township,  and  improved 
it  from  a  wild  state  and  lived  on  it  until 
about  1868,  when  he  sold  it  and  moved  near 
Effingham.  He  has  been  actively  associated 
with  the  interests  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  has  served  on  the  Board  of  Supervisors, 
while  in  Bishop  Township,  two  terms.      He 


served  four  years  as  Constable  in  the  old 
Teutopolis  Precinct,  and  nine  years  as  Con 
stable  of  Douglas  Township,  which  he  is  still 
serving  in  a  Constabulary  capacity.  His 
father,  David  Mm-phy,  was  born  in  Old  Vir- 
ginia, and  came  to  Scioto  County,  Ohio, 
when  young  and  married  Catharine  Williams, 
a  native  of  Virginia,  and  they  were  parents 
of  ten  children,  six  sons  and  four  daughters; 
only  three  sons  are  living  at  this  date  (1882) 
— John  N.,  George  W.,  of  Cass  County,  111., 
and  David  P.,  also  in  Cass  County,  111.  The 
father  died  in  Bishop  Township,  this  county, 
in  1844,  in  his  seventy-seventh  year,  and  his 
wife  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight,  in  the  same 
place. 

J.  P.  NELSON,  Effingham,  is  the  son  of 
Jacob  and  Nancy  (Watkins)  Nelson,  and  was 
born  in  Warren  Coiinty,  Tenn.,  December  3, 
1827.  He  came  to  White  County,  111.,  with 
his  parents,  when  one  yea^  old,  and  they 
stopped  at  White  County  one  year,  and.  in 
1829,  settled  in  what  is  now  West  or  Mound 
Township,  on  Limestone  Creek,  in  the  fall  of 
1829.  His  father  lived  there  a  year,  when  he 
removed  to  the  place  where  Calvin  Mitchell 
now  lives,  in  Jackson  Township,  and  cut  the 
first  "  stick  "  there.  He  improved  the  place, 
and  snme  years  afterward  entered  the  land 
and  cleared  those  bottoms  of  heavy  timber, 
making  a  large  farm.  He  (father)  died  in 
this  county  in  1856.  Our  subject,  when  he 
grew  up  to  be  a  boy  of  about  ten,  went  to  a 
school  taught  by  James  White  on  the  old 
Houston  place,  on  Big  Creek.  The  school 
taught  by  Mr.  White  was  the  first  taught  in 
that  neighborhood.  Subject  went  to  these 
schools  quite  regularly  from  the  year  1840,  as 
he  was  crippled  by  a  fall  at  the  age  of  ten. 
He  continued  to  attend  school  until  eighteen, 
and  then  taught  two  terms  in  his  home 
school.  lie  left  this  county  at  the  age  of 
twenty,  and  settled  in  Fayette  County,  111., 


58 


BIOGKAPHICAL: 


and  engaged  in  selling,  having  a  country- 
store  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  county 
for  about  three  years.  He  returned  to  his 
father's  farm  and  worked  two  years,  then 
learned  the  cabinet  trade  and  worked  at  it 
about  five  years,  and  afterward  engaged  in 
selling  goods  in  Greenland,  Fayette  Co., 
111.,  for  twelve  years,  and,  at  the  opening  of 
the  Springfield  &  Illinois  Southeastern  Rail- 
road, he  removed  to  Beeoher  City  and  en- 
gaged in  merchandising  there  two  years.  He 
met  with  reverses  at  Beecher  City  in  1874, 
including  the  lo.ss  of  his  house  by  fire.  He 
hao  been  engaged  at  various  pursuits  since, 
and  has  resided  in  the  county,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  one  year.  He  was  married,  in 
1850,  to  Miss  Luvesta  Miller.  They  have 
six  children,  all  living — Nancy  U.,  wife  of 
Henry  Musser;  Franklin  P. ;  Mary  E.,  wife  of 
William  Lane;  Thena  E.,  wife  of  Henry 
Tresh;  Benjamift  M. ;  and  Laura  L.,  wife  of 
William  Garner. 

LAWRENCE  NEWTON,  photographer, 
EflSngham,  was  born  in  Chenango  County, 
N.  Y.,  June  22,  1840.  He  lived  in  his  na- 
tive State  until  1861,  when  he  removed  to 
Owatonna,  Minn.,  and  in  1S61,  he  began  to 
learn  photography  in  that  place,  and  ran  a 
gallery  there  until  1864,  when  he  returned  to 
bis  old  home  in  Bainbridge,  N.  Y.,  and  con- 
ducted a  gallery  there,  with  the  exception  of 
three  years,  until  1877.  •  He  was  also  con- 
nected with  the  State  Military  service  for  nine 
years,  as  leader  of  a  regimental  baud  belong- 
ing to  the  Forty-third  New  York  National 
Guards.  In  the  spring  of  1877,  he  came  to 
Effingham  and  established  a  gallery  on  Jeffer- 
son street,  and  has  conducted  it  with  good 
success  ever  since.  He  has  been  leader  of 
the  Effingham  Cornet  Band  for  the  past  three 
years,  and  also  musical  director  in  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  and  Sabbath  school  of 
Effingham. 


CASPAR    NOLTE,  Justice  of   the  Peace, 

Effingham,  is  the  son  of  John  and  Brig- 
ita  (Karthofif)  Nolte,  and  was  born  in  the 
city  of  Merchede,  Provinca  of  Westphalia, 
Prussia,  December  3,  1819.  At  the  age  of 
thirteen,  he  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the  car- 
penter and  cabinet-maker's  trade,  serving  two 
years  and  nine  months,  and  afterward  worked 
four  years  as  a  journeyman  in  various  German 
States,  He  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1839,  and  worked  at  carpentering  in  New 
Orleans  and  Vicksburg,  Miss. ,  and  Little 
Rock,  Ark,  and  wont  to  St.  Louis,  in  1840,  but 
returned  in  the  winter  to  New  Orleans.  In 
1841,  he  permanently  located  in  St.  Louis, 
where  he  worked  as  a  journeyman  until  1847, 
when  he  became  a  contractor,  architect  and 
builder  in  the  same  city,  and  continued  until 
1852.  In  January  of  that  year,  he  made  a 
contract  with  the  building  committee  of  the 
St.  Peter's  congregation,  at  Teutopolis,  to 
build  their  church.  The  Building  Commit- 
tee was  composed  of  Joseph  Cogler,  pastor, 
John  F.  Waschefort,  John  Fecthrup,  John 
Osthoff  and  Joseph  Bergman.  His  contract 
was  to  furn'sh  the  pine  lumber  and  to  do  the 
wood  work  on  the  church  and  superintend  the 
brick  work,  and  he  came  in  April,  1852,  and 
completed  the  church  in  that  and  the  following 
year,  and  remained  to  do  other  work  in  Teu- 
topolis imtil  1855,  when  ho  returned  to  St. 
Louis,  where  he  worked  for  the  Government, 
i  building  the  post  office  and  the  old  custom 
house.  He  also  built  the  Visitation  Convent 
on  Cass  avenue,  James  Clements'  residence,  on 
Cassaveniie,Widows'  and  Infants' Asylum,  on 
Tenth  and  O'Falion  streets,  St.  Joseph's 
Half  Orphan  Asylum  and  other  prominent 
buildings.  He  remained  in  St.  Louis  until 
July,  1863,  when  he  retm-ned  to  Effingham 
and  kept  a  general  store  for  about  two  years, 
during  which  time  he  ei-ected  some  buildings. 
He  continued  as  contractor  and  builder  until 


EFFIXGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


59 


1873.  He  took  a  contract  to  build  St.  An- 
thony's Catholic  Church,  which  he  completed 
in  1874.  He  has  served  one  year  in  the  City 
Council  of  Effingham  and  one  year  as  Super- 
visor, and,  in  1873,  was  elected  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  and  has  served  in  that  office  ever  since, 
beincf  elected  and  re-elected  three  times. 
During  the  last  nine  years,  he  has  drawn  ar- 
chitectural plans  for  buildings,  several  public 
and  private  buildings  in  this  and  other  coun- 
ties, and  has  also  conducted  an  insurance 
business.  He  was  married,  in  St.  Louis,  Mo. , 
in  1842,  to  Miss  Fredericke  Bolleu,  who  died 
in  1849,  leaving  two  sons  and  a  daughter — 
Heniy  C. ,  Charles  H.,  who  died  in  Effingham 
July  10,  1881,  and  an  infant  daughter,  who 
died  ten  days  after  her  mother.  Our  subject 
remarried,  in  November,  1849,  Miss  Catharine 
Earnhardt.  They  had  ten  children,  five  of 
whom  died  in  infancy,  two  sons  and  three 
daughters,  living,  as  follows — Mary,  wife  of 
Frank  Kreke,  of  this  county;  Josephine, 
Caroline,  Lawrence  and  Frank.  The  parents 
of  the  subject  came  to  St.  Louis  in  1841,  and 
both  died  in  that  city. 

HENRY  C.  NOLTE,  grocer,  Effingham, 
son  of  Caspar  Nolte,  was  born  in  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  July  8,  1845;  he  was  educated  in  St. 
Louis  and  St.  Vincent's  College,  at  Cape  Gi- 
rardeau, Mo.,  where  he  spent  four  years. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen,  he  began  as  clerk  in 
a  commission  house,  Memphis,  Tenn. ,  for 
four  years,  and  retm'ned  to  St.  Louis  for  a 
year.  In  1809,  he  came  to  Effingham,  and 
entered  the  employ  of  F.  A.  Von  Gassy,  in 
grocery,  on  the  same  site  of  H.  C.  Nolte  & 
Co.'s  grocery,  over  seven  years.  In  March, 
1878,  subject,  with  his  father-in-law,  John 
Hoeny,  bought  the  present  grocery,  which  has 
been  run  by  Mi\  Nolte  under  the  fii-m  name 
of  H.  C.  Nolte  &  Co.,  and  is  enjoying  a  pros- 
perous trade.  Subject  was  married,  in  the 
fall  of  1873,  to  Miss  M.  E.,  daughter  of  John 


Hoeny,  Effingham,  from  which  union  there 
have  been  born  four  children. 

GERHARD  OSTHOFF,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Effingham,  was  born  in  Westjshalia,  Germany, 
January  24,  1817,  son  of  J.  H.  and  Maria  C. 
(Zurtorf)  Osthoif,  natives,  also,  of  Germany, 
he,  born  in  1770,  and  died  in  his  native  land 
in  1847;  she  born  in  1780,  and  died  in  the 
land,  of  her  birth  in  1866.  They  were  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  three  sons  and  live 
daughters.  Our  subject  received  his  educa- 
tion in  Germany,  where  ho  was  also  married, 
September  24,  1848,  to  Clara  Grosze  Streinen, 
born  in  Germany  in  1822,  daughter  of  Bern- 
hard  Groszen  Streinen,  also  a  native  of  Ger- 
many. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Osthoff  had  eleven  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  are  living — John,  Frank, 
Bernhard,  "Wilhelmina,  Elizabeth  and  Anna. 
Our  subject  served  two  years'  active  service  in 
the  German  Army.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1848,  landed  in  New  Orleans.  He 
resided  three  years  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and 
then  came  to  this  county,  where  he  purchased 
ninety  acres  of  slightly  improved  land  for 
$170.  He  now  has  260  acres  of  good  land, 
about  100  acres  being  in  timber.  He  carries 
on  general  farming  with  the  assistance  of 
his  two  sons.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Cath- 
olic Church,  and  in  politics  a  Democrat. 

BARNEY  OVERBECK,  clerk,  Effingham, 
was  born  in  this  county  November  27,  1850, 
sou  of  George  and  Elizabeth  (Berghause) 
Overbeck,  natives  of  Hanover,  Germany;  he 
was  a  farmer,  born  in  1806,  and  died  in  Teu- 
topolis  Township,  this  county,  in  1873;  she, 
born  in  1816,  and  is  still  living  in  Teu- 
topolis  Township,  this  county;  she  is  the 
mother  of  eight  children,  four  of  whom  are 
livitig.  Our  subject  received  some  schooling 
in  Teutopolis,  but  experience  has  been  his 
main  teacher.  He  learned  the  shoe-maker's 
trade  in  Teutopolis,  which  he  followed  till  he 
became  nineteen  years  of  age,  when  he  went 


GO 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


to  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  worked  in  a  shop, 
afterward  becoming  a  partner  in  the  business. 
He  sold  out  and  walked  to  Baxter  Springs, 
Cherokee  Co.,  Kan,,  a  distance  of  165  miles, 
and  worked  there,  afterward  starting  a  store, 
which  he  sold  to  W.  Crawford,  for  whom  he 
worked  about  a  year.  He  then  traveled 
through  the  Indian  Territories,  trading  with 
the  Indians  and  buying  hides  and  pelts, 
which  occupation  he  followed  for  a  year  and 
a  half.  He  retiu'ned  home  in  the  year  of  his 
father's  death,  and  visited  his  friends  and 
relatives.  In  August,  1873,  he  returned  to 
the  West,  and  was  for  six  months  engaged 
in  the  grocery  business  in  Baxter  Springs, 
Kan.,  after  which  he  moved  to  Joplin,  Mo., 
where  he  remained  about  a  year,  a  fire  de- 
stroying his  store  December  16,  1874,  when 
he  returned  to  Kansas,  and,  in  company  with 
"Buffalo  Bill,"  and  another  man,  went  to 
Ai-kansas,  retm-ning  to  Baxter  Springs,  and 
from  there  to  this  county,  and  has  since  re- 
sided here.  Anecdotes  of  his  travels  with 
"  Buffalo  Bill "  were  published  in  many 
Western  .papers  at  the  time.  He  has  been 
corresjiondent  of  the  Effingham  Democrat, 
and,  in  1879,  was  Chief  of  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment. He  has  filled  many  offices,  including 
that  of  Constable,  Deputy  Sheriff,  Tax  Col- 
lector and  Assessor.  Mr.  Overbeck  was  mar- 
ried, in  Effingham.  September  23,  1879,  to 
Maggie  Bushue,  born  in  Ohio,  daughter  of 
Mike  and  Barbara  Bushue,  natives  also  of 
Ohio.  Our  subject  is  a  member  of  the  Cath- 
olic Chiu'ch,  and  in  politics  is  a  Democrat. 

HENRY  C.  PAINTER,  editor,  Effingham, 
was  born  in  Spencer,  Ind.,  March  8,  18-45. 
His  fatlier,  David  Painter,  died  when  our 
subject  was  a  child  of  but  three  years.  He 
lived  with  his  mother,  Elizabeth  Painter, 
until  he  was  thirteen  j-ears  of  age,  when,  in 
the  spring  of  1859,  he  apprenticed  himself  to 
learn  the  printing  business  with  J.  F.  Ear- 


ner, editor  of  the  Omen  County  Journal, 
published  at  Sjjencer,  in  which  vocation  he 
remained  three  years  as  an  apprentice,  receiv- 
ing the  first  year  only  his  board  and  clothes, 
and  for  the  third  his  board  and  §100.  He 
was  First  Sergeant  in  Company  H,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Thirty-seventh  Indiana  Volunteers, 
for  the  period  of  100  days,  after  the  exjiira- 
tion  of  which  time  he  re-enlisted,  for  one 
year,  in  Cpmpany  B,  One  Hundred  and  Forty- 
ninth  Indiana  Volunteers,  or  diu'ing  the  war. 
and  was  mustered  out  of  the  service,  at  In- 
dianapolis, Ind.,  in  the  fall  of  1865,  the  war 
having  terminated.  Returning  to  his  old 
home  at  Spencer,  he  engaged  in  the  "  art 
preservative  "  until  the  spring  of  1866,  when 
he  concluded  to  take  the  advice  of  Horace 
Greeley,  and  accordingly  "  went  West."  Ar- 
riving at  Pana,  111.,  he  there  found  his  old 
preceptor,  Mr.  Harner,  publishing  the  Pana 
Orient,  and  succeeded  in  securing  a  situation 
with  him  for  a  time,  and  for  almost  two  years 
divided  his  time  by  working  for  Ben  Winters, 
who  was  editing  the  Taylorville  Press.  In 
June,  1868,  he  again  returned  to  his  old  home 
in  Indiana  and  purchased  material  and  estab- 
lished the  Independent,  at  Gosport,  Ind.,  is- 
suing the  first  number  on  the  20th  day  of  Au- 
gust, and  the  same  evening,  with  grip  in 
hand,  started  for  Pana,  111.,  where,  on  the 
23d  day  of  June,  1868,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Amanda  Eskridge,  and  returned  to  In- 
diana, where  he  continued  the  publication  of 
the  Independent  for  four  years.  He  then 
sold  his  office  and  material,  and,  in  March, 
1873,  went  to  Illinois  and  spent  some  time  in 
selecting  a  congenial  field  for  a  location, 
finally  locating  in  Effingham,  where  he  pur- 
chased the  Effingham -Re/)K6//ca«,  in  October, 
where,  he  still  successfully  holds  the  fort. 
David  Painter,  father  of  our  subject,  was  a 
miller  by  occupation.  He  was  born  June  12, 
1799,  and  died  at  Staunton,  Va.     The  mother 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


61 


of  our  subject,  who  still  survives  at  the  ripe 
old  age  of  eighty-two  yetors,  is  residing  with 
him,  who  is  the  youngest  child  of  a  family 
of  nine  children,  three  only  of  whom  are  now 
living^George,  a  farmer,  residing  in  Craw- 
ford County,  Kan.,  and  Eliza  E.,  widowed 
wife  of  George  E.  Allison,  a  resident  of  Den- 
ver, Colo.  Mrs.  Painter's  maiden  name  be- 
fore marriage  with  David  Painter  was  Eliza- 
beth Mowery;  she  was  born  in  Augusta 
County,  Va.,  July  21,  1801,  five  miles  from 
Staunton.  Our  subject's  wife  was  born  in 
Sussex  County,  Del.,  April  28,  1842.  Her 
father  was  Oakley  Eskridge,  and  her  mother, 
before  marriage,  was  Miss  Mary  Griflith;  she 
was  born  in  Maryland,  and  Mr.  Eskridge  in 
Delaware.  Mr.  Painter  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Chm-ch;  in  politics,  a  Republican, 
and  also  an  I.  O.  O.  F. 

JOSEPH  PARTRIDGE,  proprietor  of  the 
Pacific  House,  Effingham,  was  born  in  Meade 
County,  Ky..  July  26,  1832.  He  lived  there 
until  he  was  thirteen  years  old,  when  he  re- 
moved with  his  parents  to  Evansville,  Ind., 
where  he  lived  in  1861.  In  November  of 
that  year,  he  removed  to  Cairo,  111. ,  where  he 
lived  during  the  war.  acting  as  agent  of  the 
American  Express  Company.  He  was  route 
agent  of  the  Merchants'  Union  and  American 
Express  Companies,  with  headquarters  at  St. 
Joseph,  Mo.,  for  three  years.  In  1868,  he 
engaged  in  the  hotel  business,  at  Richmond 
and  Lexington  Junction.  Mo.,  and  kept  a 
railroad  eating-house  for  a  year.  He  was 
nest  proprietor  of  a  railroad  eating-house  at 
Jewett,  111.,  on  t'ue  Vandalia  line,  for  twenty- 
one  mouths.  In  1872,  he  came  here  and 
leased  the  Effingham  Hotel,  which  he  ran  six 
years  with  good  success.  In  November,  1878, 
he  b.ought  of  D.  Schmidt  the  Pacific  House, 
which  consists  of  two  buildings,  the  main  one 
located  on  Banker  street,  near  the  Vandalia 
&  Illinois  Central  depot.      It  is  a  thi-ee  and 


a  half  story  brick,  63x45,  and  contains  thirty- 
fom-  rooms,  thirty-two  of  which  are  fitted 
with  all  the  modern  conveniences,  including 
three  sample  rooms.  The  other  building  is  a 
two-storv  brick,  at  the  crossing  of  the  Van- 
dalia and  Central  roads,  and  has  a  dining- 
rooni,  lunch-room  and  sixteen  sleeping-rooms. 
Mr.  Partridge  gives  employment  to  twenty- 
one  persons,  and  a  transfer  wagon  is  run  to 
the  Wabash  road.  The  main  building  was 
erected  about  1868,  at  a  cost  of  S15,600,  and 
the  other  building  was  erected  in  1880,  by 
Mr.  Partridge,  at  a  cost  of  |6,000. 

DAVID  PHILIPS,  carpenter,  Effing- 
ham, was  born  in  Circleville,  Pickaway  Co., 
Ohio,  May  19,  1826,  son  of  James  and  Eliza- 
beth (Wolf)  Philips,  he  born  in  Anne  Arundel 
County,  Md. ,  in  1 780,  was  a  farmer  and  died  in 
1850  in  Parke  County,  Ind.  He  was  in  the 
war  of  1812.  The  mother  of  ouJ  subject  was 
born  in  Chester  County,  Penn.,  in  1795,  and 
died  in  Edgar  County,  this  State.  They  were 
the  parents  of  nine  children,  six  sons  and  three 
daughters.  Our  subject  received  some 
schooling  in  Parke  County,  Ind.,  but  is 
mainly  self-educated.  He  worked  on  his  fa- 
thers' farm  till  he  became  twenty.one  years 
of  ago.  He  learned  the  carpenter  trade  in 
his  native  State,  and  worked  at  it  for  three 
years,  afterward  clerking  for  five  years  in 
Edgar,  this  State,  during  which  time  he  also 
contracted  for  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
Company.  He  was  married,  in  Edgar,  this 
State,  in  September,  1854,  to  Miss  Margaret 
Love,  born  in  Edgar  County,  this  State,  in 
1835,  daughter  of  John  and  Ellen  (Watson) 
Love,  natives  of  Ohio.  Mr.  Philips  had  five 
children  by  this  wife — Elizabeth  E.,  Maria 
Bell,  Anna,  Horace  G.  and  Charles  F.  Mrs. 
Philips  died  in  March,  1859.  Oiu-  subject's 
second  marriage  occurred  December  2,  1865, 
in  Montezuma,  Ind.  Ho  wedded  Mrs.  Clara 
A.  (McDonald)  Halladay,  born  May  6,  1826, 


63 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


in  Parke  County,  Ind.,  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Betsey  (Taylor)  McDonald,  natives,  re- 
spectively, of  New  Jersey  and  New  York. 
Our  subject  has  one  boy  by  his  second  wife 
—Frank.  In  August,  1862,  Mr.  Philips  en- 
listed in  the  Eighty-tifth  Indiana  Infantry, 
Company  B,  Capt.  Brooks.  He  was  First 
Lieutenant,  and  toward  the  close  of  the  war 
he  took  sick  and  returned  home  and  took  up 
carpentering,  which  he  has  followed  ever 
since.  In  early  life,  after  working  three 
years  at  carpentering,  he  met  with  an  acci- 
dent by  falling  a  distance  of  thirty  feet  with 
a  scaffold,  from  which  he  received  injuries 
which  rendered  him  unable  to  follow  his 
trade,  and  so  for  three  years  he  taught 
school.  He  came  to  Effingham  in  1867,  and 
has  since  resided  here.  Mi-s.  Philips  had 
six  children  by  her  first  husband.  In  relig- 
ion, our  subject  is  a  Universalist.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  Montezu- 
ma Lodge.  No.  59.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  was  a  strong  Abolitionist. 

HERMAN  REAGELMAN,  merchant, 
Effingham  City,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Dar- 
feld.  Prussia,  February  3,  1836.  At  the 
age  of  fifteen,  he  began  to  work  at  the  stone- 
mason's trade,  and  at  nineteen  became  a  con- 
tractor on  the  public  works  for  the  King  of 
Prussia,  building  turnpikes  in  Westphalia 
until  1867,  and  worked  as  high  as  180  hands. 
In  November,  1867,  he  landed  at  Baltimore, 
Md. ,  and  came  direct  to  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
where  he  followed  excavation  of  cellars  and 
other  contract  work  for  about  four  months, 
and  came  to  Teutopolis  in  the  spring  of  1868, 
and  his  first  contract  was  on  the  convent,  for 
stone  work,  and,  after  working  there  about 
two  years,  he  came  to  Effingham  and  built 
the  stone  work  on  both  of  the  mills 
here,  and  the  round-house  and  shops  of  the 
Vandalia  Railroad.  In  1870,  he  bought  his 
present  business  block  on  Jefferson  street,  of 


S.  W.  Little,  and,  one  year  afterward, 
bought  the  Farmers'  Home,  on  Center  street, 
and,  for  one  and  a  half  years,  conducted  bus- 
iness there,  and  in  1871  a  fire  destroyed  his 
house  on  Jefferson  street,  with  a  net  loss  of 
$1,000.  After  rebuilding,  Mr.  Reagelman 
began  business  himself,  and  is  at  present  car- 
rying a  good  trade  in  groceries  and  liquors. 
In  1875,  he  bought  the  Cedar  Park,  consist- 
ing of  five  acres,  at  the  terminus  of  Jefferson 
street,  a  portion  of  which  is  devoted  to  pleas- 
ure grounds,  and  is  a  beautiful  summer  resort, 
shaded  with  evergreens,  and  with  a  seating 
capacity  for  several  hundred  persons,  a  music 
and  speaker's  stand,  and  large  dancing  floor. 
Other  parts  of  Cedar  Park  are  devoted  to 
fruit  and  grape  culture.  Our  subject  was 
married.  May  2,  1871,  to  Miss  Anna  B.  H. 
Hille,  of  this  county.  They  have  four  daugh- 
ters and  one  son  living,  Lizzie,  Annie,  Laura, 
Katie,  Joseph,  and  one  deceased.  He  is 
a  Democrat  in  politics.  Mrs.  Reagelman  is 
a  daughter  of  B.  H.  Hille,  of  Teutopolis, 
where  she  was  born. 

FREDERICK  REINH.'\.RT,  butcher, 
Effintrham,  the  son  of  Courod  and  Lena 
(Bloom)  Reinharb,  was  born  in  Hessen,  Ger- 
many, March  9,  1837.  At  the  age  of  three 
years,  he  came  with  his  father's  family  to 
America,  who  settled  on  a  farm  in  St.  Clair 
County,  111.  In  this  occupation  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  spent  his  boyhood,  only  alter- 
nating the  labors  of  the  farm  with  such  brief 
terms  of  the  neighborhood  schools  as  offered 
chances  for  gaining  a  little  rudimentary 
learning.  His  father  having  died  when  Mr. 
Reinhart  was  nine  years  old,  his  mother  mar- 
ried a  second  time,  to  Mr.  Henry  Culp,  and 
he  continued  to  assist  about  the  farm  until 
the  age  of  eighteen.  Dm-ing  these  years  of 
his  minority,  however,  his  brain  was  not  idle, 
and  the  hard  toil  of  his  willing  hands  by  no 
means  exhausted  his  energies  or  extinguished 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


6a 


his    ambition.      Nerved    by   the   desire    for 
something  worth    living   for;    though    poor, 
yet  possessed  with  the  riches  of  hardihood, 
frugality,   and    the  Dutch    characteristics  of 
indomitable  energy  and  perseverance, he  made 
a  start    in  life,  and,  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  he  was  shorn  of  all  he  possessed  by  tire, 
he  has  at  the  present  time,  and  is  conducting, 
two  of  the  principal  meat  markets  in  Effing- 
ham— one  on  Fayette  and  one  on  Jefferson 
street.     In  connection  with  his  regular  city 
trade,  he  packs  and  supplies  other  smaller 
dealers  throughout  the  county.      These  facts 
establish  Mr.  Reiphart's  reputation  for  ener- 
gy and  business  capacity  better  than  any  ful- 
some phrases  of  adulation  could  possibly  do. 
They  mark  him  as  a  peer  amongst  his  fellow- 
men,  and  fully  justify  the  high  esteem  placed 
upon   him    by   the    business    community    in 
which   he    lives.      March    9,    1857,    he   was 
joined  in  marriage  to  Miss  Anna  Burgmaim, 
of  Madison  County,  111.      The  result  of  this 
happy  union  was  nine  children  born  to  them 
as  follows:     CaiTie,  wife  of  John  Shay;  they 
were  married    December   7,  1879,  and  have 
one  child,  Terrence;    Edward,  Matilda,  Rob- 
ert, Emma,  Fred  and   William.      Those  not 
named   died  in  infancy.     Mr.  Reinhart  is  a 
member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  Lodge;  in  poli- 
tics, conservative  Democrat.     Mrs.   Reinhart 
was  the  only  child  of   her   father's   family. 
She  was  born  in  Germany  in  1840. 

OTTO  REUTLINGER,  saloon,  and  coal 
agent,  Effingham,  was  born  at  Frankfort-on- 
the-Main,  Germany,  April  14,  1833,  son  of 
Johan  Jacob  and  Katharina  (Rullmann)  Reut- 
linger,  natives  of  Germany,  where  they  also 
died.  He  was  born  in  1795,  and  was  the  fa- 
ther of  eight  children,  three  of  whom  are 
residing  in  this  country.  In  1813,  the  fa- 
ther was  a  volunteer  in  the  Prussian  service 
when  that  country  was  engaged  in  warfare 
against  Napoleon.     Our  subject  received  hi-^ 


education  in  his  native  town,  where  he  also 
learned  the  jeweler's  trade,  afterward  open- 
ing a  store  of  his  own.  He  was  married,  No- 
vember 17,  1SG4,  to  Miss  Eliza  Schott,  born 
in  Germany  June  11, 1841,  daughter  of  Ger 
hard  and  Emily  (Knatz)  Schott,  natives  also 
of  that  country.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reutlinger 
have  ten  children — Carl,  Gerhard,  John, 
Otto,  Anna,  Greta,  Lulu,  Emilie,  Adolph  and 
Nellie.  Our  subject  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1880,  and  resided  one  year  in  High- 
land, Madison  County,  this  State.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Chiu-ch,  and  in  pol- 
itics is  an  Independent. 

HON.   ERASTUS  N.  RINEHART.  attor- 
ney at   law,  Effingham,  was  bora  in  Watson 
Township,  this  county,  March  1,  1847.      His 
father's  family  moved  to  Ewington  when  sub  ■ 
ject  was  small,  and  the  father  bought  a  prai 
rie  farm  about  two  miles  south  of  Effingham, 
and  subject,  with  three  brothers,  opened  this 
farm,  and  reduced  it  from  wild  prairie  to  cul- 
tivation.     In   1869,    he   entered  McKendree 
College,  at  Lebanon,  111. ,  and  remained  there 
two  school   years.      He  began  the  study  of 
law    in    1871,    and    studied    about  eighteen 
montliB  with  Cooper  &  Kagay,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  February,  1871,  and  has 
practiced  law  here  ever  since,  first  as  partner 
with  John  C.  White  for  a  year,  and  afterward 
with  W.  H.  Gilmore  for  three  years,  and  since 
then   by  himself.     He  was   City  Attorney  in 
1872,  and  was  elected,    on   the   Democratic 
ticket,  in  1878,  to  the  State  Senate,  from  the 
Thirty-third     Senatorial    District,    for    four 
years,  and  was  renominated  August  3,  1882, 
at  Windsor,  for  a  second  term.      He  was  ap- 
pointed,   by    the    Circuit    Court,    Master    in 
Chancery,  in  1880,  and  is  still  serving.     His 
father  was  Daniel  Rinehart,  born  in  Fairfield 
County,  Ohio,  in  1812.     He  married  Barbara 
Kagay  February  9,  1839.     He  came  to  this 
county  in  1841,  and  was  soon  afterward  elect- 


(54 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ed  Justice  of  hhe  Peace,  serving  until  1844. 
He  first  settled  in  Watson  Township;  entered 
the  farm  now  owned  by  Michael  Sprinkle. 
He  moved  to  Ewington,  being  elected  Coun- 
ty Clerk  of  Effingham  County,  and  served 
one  term,  and  was  defeated  by  Thomas  M. 
Lioy  for  a  second  term,  and  while  Loy  served 
his  term,  he  kept  a  store  and  ran  a  pork 
packing  house.  He  was  then  again  elect- 
ed County  Clerk,  and  served  in  all  eight- 
een years,  serving  until  1809,  being  nom- 
inated and  elected  last  time  without  op- 
position. He  died  January  8,  1877,  on  his 
farm,  where  his  widow  still  lives.  ~  He  also 
served  as  Treasurer  and  Assessor  of  the  coun- 
ty in  1844.  In  1849  and  1850,  he  was  a 
merchant.  He  had  six  children — four  sons 
and  two  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  living 
but  the  oldest  daughter.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Melhodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  in 
politics  was  a  life-long  Democrat. 

HANLEY  R.  ROBBERTS,  grocer,  Effing- 
ham City,  was  born  in  Decatm-  County,  near 
Greensburg,  Ind.,  April  19,  1834.  He  was 
raised  on  a  farm  in  Indiana,  and  received  a 
common-school  education.  He  came  to  Illi- 
nois the  first  time  in  1831,  and  lived  in  Fay- 
ette County  for  ten  years,  on  a  farm,  and  was 
eno-aged  in  farming  near  St.  Elmo  at  the  out- 
break of  the  war.  He  went  to  Greensburg, 
Ind.,  where  he  bought  a  stock  of  goods,  and 
engaged  in  merchandising  two  years  there, 
and  then  came  to  Altamont,  this  county,  in 
1863,  and,  with  his  father-in-law,  Joel  Blake- 
ly,  built  a  livery  stable  in  Altamont,  which, 
in  the  fall  of  same  j^ear,  they  traded  for  a  farm 
near  Mason,  this  county,  which  he  conduct- 
ed for  about  two  years,  then  exchanged  it  for 
a  hardware  stock  of  goods  at  Richmond,  lud., 
and  brought  the  stock  to  Mason,  111.,  at  once, 
and  dealt  in  hardware  for  about  five  years,^ 
when,  on  account  of  his  wife's  failing  health, 
he  traveled  through  the  Western  States  of 


Missouri,  Iowa  and  Nebraska,  and  returned 
to  Effingham  in  November,  1880,  and  has 
since  eniTaged  in  the  grocery  business  here. 
He  is  at  present  located  on  Railroad  street, 
where  he  has  a  good  trade  in  groceries  and 
provisions.  He  was  married,  July  2,  1805, 
to  Mary  Elizabeth  Blakely,  a  daughter  of 
Joel  Blakely.  of  Fayette  County,  111.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Robberts  have  three  children  liv- 
ing— Sarah  J.,  Mabel,  Louis  R. 

MICHAEL  RUSSELL,  deceased,  was  born 
in  Ireland  December  15,  1829,  and  came  to 
this  country  with  his  pare;its  about  1880. 
His  father  settled  at  Burlington,  Vt.,  where 
he  was  engaged  principally  as  gardener  until 
his  death,  in  1865.  Subject  grew  up  in  Bur- 
lington, Vt.,  where,  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
years,  he  began  to  learn  the  brick-layer's  and 
plasterer's  trade,  at  which  he  worked  in  Bur- 
lington until  1852 — three  years  as  journey- 
man— when  he  removed  to  city  of  Worcester, 
Mass.,  and  engaged  in  the  ice  business  for 
two  years.  He  came  to  Chicago,  III.,  in 
March,  1856,  and  worked  at  his  trade  there 
durincr  summer,  and  in  November  left,  to 
work  on  station  houses  of  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral Ralroad,  plastering,  and  built  flues,  first 
at  Edgewood,  this  county,  afterward  at  Fa- 
rina, Kinmundy  and  Centralia,  where  he 
located  until  1863,  and  his  wife  died  there 
October  23,  1863.  Mr.  Russell  was  at  the 
time  working  in  Effingham,  and,  after  the 
death  of  his  wife,  brought  his  only  son  here, 
whom  he  placed  in  school  at  Teutopolis,  and 
located  permanently  here.  He  worked  at  his 
trade  at  intervals  ever  since.  About  1867, 
he  became  a  member  of  the  old  hook  and 
ladder  company  of  Effingham,  and,  after 
purchase  of  an  engine,  a  member  of  Deluge 
Fire  Company  No.  1.  and  has  been  Foreman 
of  that  company  for  three  successive  years, 
and  is  now  serving  his  second  term  as  Chief 
of  the  Fire  Department  of   Effingham,  ap- 


30-t^  (ld^. 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


65 


pointed  by  the  Council,  with  the  concurrence 
of  that  company.  He  was  elected  Justice  of 
the  Peace  in  the  spring  of  1881,  for  a  term 
of  four  years,  by  the  Democrats.  He  also 
conducts  a  collection  agency.  He  was  Town- 
ship Collector  during  three  terms,  at  diiTer- 
ent  times — first,  in  i860,  one  torm,  and  in 
187U  and  1880.  Married,  in  April,  1860,  to 
the  widow  of  the  late  David  M.  Shepheard, 
of  Mason,  111.  Has  one  son  and  one  daugh- 
ter— Cora  and  Delia.  He  was  first  manned 
to  Miss  Julia  Power,  of  Burlington,  Vt.,  in 
1850.  One  son  was  born  of  that  marriage, 
who  was  di-owned  in  the  Mississippi  River, 
near  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in  June,  1881,  in  his 
twenty-seventh  year.  His  name  was  Edward 
M. 

JOHN  SCHELLENBACH,  iron  foundry, 
Effingham  City,  was  born  on  the  River  Mo- 
selle, Province  of  the  Rhine  (now  Prussia), 
March  1,  1834.  When  eight  years  of  age, 
he  went  to  Paris,  France,  where  he  lived  un- 
til eighteen  years  of  age,  and  where  he 
worked  in  a  chemical  laboratory  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  gas  and  water  tubes.  He  sailed 
from  Havre  de  Grace  in  1852,  and  landed, 
November  9  of  that  year,  in  New  Orleans, 
La.,  where  he  remained  four  months,  when 
he  went  to  Hamilton,  Ohio,  where  he  entered 
the  employ  of  Hon.  Lewis  D.  Campbell  as 
overseer  of  his  farms  in  Butler  County,  Ohio. 
He  remained  with  him  about  five  years,  and 
had  charge  of  a  large  farm  there  until  1858. 
About  this  time,  he  engaged  his  services  to 
Long,  Black  &  Allstatter,  manufactm-ers  of 
reapers  and  mowers,  at  Hamilton,  Ohio.  He 
remained  with  them  as  machinist  until  the 
fall  of  1801,  when  he  volunteered  in  Col. 
Campbell's  regiment,  Sisty-ninth  Ohio  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  served  until  January 
11,  1805,  when  he  was  mustered  out  at  Co- 
lumbus, Ohio.  He  was  a  Sergeant  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Stone  River,  and  was  after  this  assigned 


to  the  Corps  of  Engineers,  and  was  de- 
tailed a  member  of  the  corps  of  Topograph- 
ical Engineers  at  Gen.  Rosecrans'  headquar- 
ters, and  remained  in  this  capacity,  with  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland,  until  the  battle  of 
Atlanta,  when  he  was  assigned  to  Gen.  Sher- 
man's headquarters,  and  served  there  until 
his  term  of  service  expired,  in  January,  1805. 
He  was  employed  in  making  maps  for  the 
movements  of  the  army.  After  the  war,  our 
subject,  with  his  brother,  M.  Schellenbach, 
and  William  Bechtel,  of  Hamilton,  formed  a 
partnership  and  built  a  foundry  and  ma- 
chine shoj:)  at  Seymour,  Ind.,  and,  in  about 
one  and  a  half  years,  subject  bought  his  part- 
ners out,  and  ran  the  business  until  1872, 
when  he  sold  out  and  went  to  Columbus, 
Ind.,  where  he  was  foreman  of  the  machine- 
shop  of  Pine,  Bush  &  Co.,  for  about  seven 
months,  when  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
where  he  worked  in  the  Eagle  Iron  Works 
for  about  one  year,  when  his  family  took  sick 
and  he  returned  home.  In  1874,  he  bought 
the  old  St.  John  Foundry  at  Shelbyville, 
Ind.,  and  ran  it  for  about  six  months, 
when  he  moved  it  here,  and,  in  April  of  1875, 
located  near  the  Vandalia  Railroad.  He 
erected  the  present  shops  that  year,  which 
consist  of  a  brick,  50x25,  with  a  frame  foun- 
dry in  the  rear.  He  employs  six  men  con- 
tinuously, and  has  an  engine  of  six-horse 
power.  They  do  a  general  jobbing  and  re- 
pair business,  and  manufacture  Perkins  and 
Lambert's  patent  stove  casting,  and  do  all 
kinds  of  house  work,  and  molding  in  iron 
and  brass.  Our  subject  was  married,  Feb- 
ruary 7,  1858,  to  Miss  Rosalie  Schaflfner,  of 
Hamilton,  Ohio.  She  was  born  in  Alsace, 
France,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1857.  She  was  a  governess  in  France  and 
Germany  in  several  noble  families.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Schellenbach  have  eight  children  living 
— Anna    Paulina,  now    Sister   Hyacintha,   a 

E 


66 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


teacher  in  the  Conveat  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception  at  Oldenburg,  Franklin  Co.,  Ind., 
in  charge  of  the  order  of  St.  Francis;  John 
Albert,  at  Milwaukee,  Wis. ;  Michael,  Peter, 
Henry  L.,  George  W.,  Margaret  R.,  Anna 
Clara,  at  home. 

DR.  L.  J.  SCHIFFERSTEIN,  physician, 
Effingham  City,  was  born  in  St.  Marie,  Jas- 
per Co.,  Ill,  March  1, 1850.     At  fifteen  years 
of  age,  he  entered  St.  Louis  University,  where 
he  spent  a  year,    and  next  spent  a  year   at 
Bardstown,  Ky.,  in  St.  Thomas  College.     In 
1867,  he  became  agent  of  the  Adams  Express 
Company  at  Olney,  111.,   and  was  thus  en- 
gaged until  the  fall  of   1809.     During  these 
two. years,  he  employed  his  spare  time  in  the 
study  of  medicine,  under  the  direction  of  Dr. 
H.  A.  Lemon,  of  Olney.     In  1869,  he  went  to 
St.  Louis,  and,  shortly  after,  entered  the  St. 
Louis  Medical  College,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated March  17,  1873,  after  which  he  became 
Assistant  Physician  in  the  City  Hospital  at 
St.  Louis   for  one  year.     He  came   home  in 
1874,  and  practiced  at  Olney,  111.,  until  May, 
1882,  when  he  took  charge  of  the  Eye  and 
Ear  Department  of  Effingham  Surgical  Insti- 
tute,  with  Dr.   J.    N.    Groves.      During  his 
medical  studies   in  St.    Louis,  subject  spent 
each  summer  with  Dr.   H.  Z.  Gill,  Professor 
of  Eye  and  Ear  College,  and  pursued  those 
studies  as  specialties,    and   has  since  given 
them  special  attention.     Before  he  entered 
upon  the  study  of  medicine,  he  was  a  practi- 
cal chemist  for  about  fourteen  years. 

W.  SCHNAVELIUS,  saloon,  Effingham. 
He  was  born  in  Selters,  Germany,  in  1835. 
His  father's  name  was  W.  Schnavelius,  who 
was  born  in  the  same  place  June  1,  1800. 
His  mother's  name  was  Augusta  Guenquest. 
She  was  bom  in  Emmerichhein,  Germany,  at 
a  date  iinhnown  to  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
In  this  family  there  were  four  children, 
named  in  the  order  of  their  births  as  follows: 


Henry,  Augusta,  Hermine  and  Elise.  Our 
subject  was  educated  in  Weisbaden  (Ger- 
many) High  School.  At  the  age  of  sixteen, 
he  became  engaged  as  a  seaman  on  board  of 
a  merchantman.  He  served  five  years  in  this 
capacity  as  Second  Mate,  dui'ing  which  time 
he  several  limes  visited  the  Chinese  ports, 
San  Francisco,  New  York  and  other  ports  in 
the  United  States.  In  1855,  he  joined  the 
Russian  Navy,  and  served  one  year,  after 
which  he  bought  and  commanded  his  own 
vessel,  a  merchantman,  and  made  several  trips 
to  the  United  States.  He  was  married,  in 
Germany,  in  1862,  to  Miss  Elise  Ketteler,  of 
Papenburg.  By  the  union  they  have  had  the 
following  children:  Augusta  and  "William. 
Augusta  was  born  in  Germany,  and  William  in 
Effingham,  111.  Wife's  father's  name  was  An- 
tone  Ketteler,  and  mother's  maiden  name  was 
Katrine  Biedenhorn.  She  was  born  in  Ger- 
many. Our  subject's  father  and  mother  both 
died  in  Germany,  and  are  reposing  in  St. 
Goorshausen  Cemetery.  The  father  died  in 
1853,  and  mother  in  1858.  In  religion,  sub- 
ject is  a  Lutheran;  in  politics,  a  Republican. 
The  name  of  the  vessel  in  which  he  was  first 
employed  was  the  Venerve.  His  own  was 
named  Amphitrite. 

GUSTAVUS  S.  SCHURICHT,  M.  D., 
Effingham,  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  June 
1,  1853,  and  was  raised  in  that  city.  He  was 
educated  in  the  Concordia  Academy  at  St. 
Louis,  and  began  the  study  of  medicine  in 
the  summer  of  1869,  reading  with  Dr.  R. 
Luyties,  and  at  the  same  time  entered  the  St. 
Louis  Homoeopathic  College  of  Medicine  and 
Surgery,  and  pursued  a  special  course  under 
Drs.  Helmuth,  Comstock  and  Luyties,  dur- 
ing the  summer  vacation.  In  1869,  he  en- 
tered the  college  proper,  and  attended  three 
regular  courses  of  lectures,  graduating  Feb- 
ruary 29,  1872,  and,  at  the  competitive  ex- 
amination, won  the  prize  medal  as  the  most 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


67 


proficient  student  in  chemistry.  Shortly  af- 
ter his  graduation,  he  located  at  Columbia, 
Monroe  Co.,  111.,  until  1874,  and  then  re- 
turned to  St.  Louis  for  over  a  year.  In  the 
fall  of  1S75.  he  wont  to  New  Orleans,  where 
he  practiced  until  1S78.  He  came  to  Effing- 
ham in  October,  1878,  where  he  has  since 
practiced  with  good  success,  and  is  at  pres- 
ent the  only  representative  of  his  school  in 
the  county.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Western 
Academy  of  Homceopathy. 

JOSEPH  P.  SCHWERMAN,  farmer,  P. 
O  Effingham,  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
March  25,  1849,  son  of  Joseph  F.  Schwer- 
man,  who  is  mentioned  in  the  historical  part 
of  this  work.  Our  subject  received  his  school- 
ing in  Effingham,  and  has  been  engaged  in 
farming  all  of  his  life,  living  with  his  father 
till  the  age  of  twenty-six.  He  was  married, 
in  Effingham,  June  22,  1879,  to  Miss  Mary 
Ungrun,  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  October 
23,  1853,  daughter  of  George  and  Margue- 
rite (Tiepen)  Ungi'un,  natives  of  Germany; 
he  died  in  this  county,  where  she  is  still  liv- 
ing. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schwerman  have  one 
child,  Joseph  Lawrence,  born  August  25, 
1880.  Mr.  Schwerman  has  213  acres  of  land, 
and  carries  on  general  farming.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  in  poli- 
tics is  a  Democrat. 

DR.  JOHN  O.  SCOTT,  retired,  Effingham, 
is  a  native  of  Davidson  County,  Tenn.,  where 
his  infant  eyes  fii'st  stared  in  wonder  at  this 
cvu-ious  world  December  8,  1805.  He  was 
reared  on  his  father's  farm,  within  six  miles 
of  Nashville.  His  father  was  a  soldier  in 
the  war  of  1812,  in  the  mounted  cavalry,  un- 
der Gen.  Coffee,  being  severely  wounded, 
December  28,  in  the  skirmish  preceding  the 
battle  of  New  Orleans.  The  family  moved 
into  Nashville  after  the  wounded  father  re- 
turned from  the  army.  In  the  city  of  Nash- 
ville, John  O.    Scott's  boyhood   and  meager 


attendance  in  the  schools,  until  he  was  lif. 
teen  years  of  age,  were  passed,  neither  in 
affluence  nor  in  poverty.  The  family  needs 
were  such  that,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years, 
the  serious  work  of  life  commenced,  and  the 
boy  was  put  to  work  in  a  bakery,  where  he 
labored  for  one  year.  Almost  in  the  days 
of  his  own  infancy,  being  only  sixteen 
years  old,  and  in  the  year  1822,  in  the 
babyhood  of  Illinois,  he  caught  the  infection 
of  the  romance  of  the  far  West;  the  land  of 
hope  and  promise  in  its  newness,  freshness 
and  breeziness,  and,  in  company  with  his  fa- 
ther, made  the  long  trip,  on  horseback,  to 
Franklin  County,  in  this  State.  The  light- 
hearted  boy  here  encountered  for  the  first 
time  the  "  Illinois  shakes,"  an  indigenous 
Western  animal,  and  it  is  no  figure  of  speech 
to  say  it  "  floored"  him.  Between  "shakes," 
he  shook  the  Franklin  County  dust  from  his 
heels,  and,  with  his  father,  went  to  Gibson 
County,  Ind.,  where  the  two  engaged  in 
farming.  In  1825,  being  then  twenty  years 
of  age,  he  retm-ned  to  Clay  County,  111., 
making  a  short  stay  here.  He  joined  a  fam- 
ily named  Elliott,  and,  in  company  with 
them,  moved  to  Shelby  County,  passing  en- 
tirely through  what  is  now  Effingham  Coun- 
ty, and  camping  one  night  at  Blue  Point. 
(This  is  referred  to  fully  jn  the  general  coun- 
ty history.)  In  1827,  he  returned  to  Gibson 
County;  for  the  next  year,  he  worked  as  a 
farm  hand  at  $10  a  month,  in  Posey  County, 
and  returned  to  Shelby  County,  111.  In 
1831,  he  came  to  this  county,  and  worked  a 
short  time  on  the  National  road,  and  the  next 
spring,  1832,  he  returned  to  this  work,  and 
this  time  came  to  make  this  his  permanent 
home.  Thus,  fifty-seven  years  ago,  he  was 
here,  passing  through  this  wild  desert  waste, 
and  for  fifty  years  and  more  ho  has  been  a 
citizen  of  this  county.  He  located  and  made 
his  first  improvement  in  what  is  now  Jackson 


68 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


Township,  iu  the  spring  of  1833.     In  roam- 
ing over  the  country,  he  had  called  to  see  his 
old  Smith   County,  Tenn.,  friends,  Jonathan 
Parkhurst's  family,  and  here  he  met  his  des- 
tiny in  a  pair  of  bright  eyes  that  belonged 
to  Martha,   the   daughter  of   Jonathan,   and 
they  were  duly  married,  March  28,  1833.      It 
is  possible  the  little  flame  that  culminated  in 
this    vast    conflagration    that  consumed    the 
young  lives  of  "  single  wretchedness "  was 
started  away  back  in  Tennessee,  where,  as 
innocent  children,  they  played  "come  to  see," 
"  keep  house"  and  "  hide  and  seek"  about  the 
Tennessee  cabins.     They  will  not  tell  now. 
They  may  even  affect   to  believe  this  ques- 
tioning twaddle  and  nonsense,  but  the  kindly 
smile  upon  their  faces  as  they  watch  the  in- 
nocent gambols  of  their  grandchildren  tells 
plainly  enough   that  the  old,  old  story  is  not 
forgotten  by  them;  and  that  in  the  twilight 
of  their  old  and  cheery  lives,  memory  often 
turns  backward,  and  brightens  and  sweetens 
life  with  that  sacred  joy  that  comes  only  to 
the  pure  in  heart,  the  upright,  jiist  and  good. 
Mrs.  Martha  Scott  was  born  August  25,  1806, 
in  Smith  County,  Tenn,,  and  the  Parkhurst 
family  came   from  White    County,    in  this 
State,   to  what  is  now  Mason   Township,  in 
the  year   1829.     John  O.  Scott  was  elected 
Constable  at  the  first  county  election    ever 
held   in  the  county.     For   more   than  seven 
years  he  was  County  School  Commissioner,  to 
which  ofiBce  he  was  elected   first    in   1842. 
During  his  term  of   office,  be  had  to  manage 
and  dispose  of   all  the  school  lands  in  the 
county.      The  mental   activity  and  energy  of 
the  man  is  aptly  told  in  the  fact  that,  imme- 
diately after  he  had  built  himself  a  house  and 
opened  his  small  farm,   and  the  winter  had 
come,  when   out-door  work   was   principally 
stopped,  instead  of  idling  away  his  time,  he 
borrowed  medical  books  of  Dr.  Le  (Jrone  and 
studied  medicine.     In  a  short  time,  he  had  so 


mastered  his  books  that  his  services  were  called 
for  to  attend  the  sick,  and  for  the  next 
twenty  years  his  practice  was  extensive  and 
his  success  unusually  good.  In  1875 — his 
sons  being  all  grown  men  and  out  in  the 
world  doing  for  themselves — Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Scott  left  their  farm  in  Jackson  Township,  and 
commenced  their  residence  in  the  city  of 
Effingham.  Their  family  is  four  sons,  name- 
ly: Samuel  Thomas,  a  farmer  in  St.  Clair 
County,  Mo.;  Elisha  W.,  William  F.  and 
Owen,  the  last  three  residing  in  this  county, 
and  one  daughter,  Cynthia  Ann  Gillespie, 
who  was  the  eldest  child,  and  who  is  now  de- 
ceased. Dr.  John  O.  Scott  is  now  seventy- 
seven  years  old.  His  residence  in  this  coun- 
ty has  passed  the  half- century  mark,  and, 
hale  and  cheery,  he  and  his  beloved  helpmeet 
are  spared  to  family  and  friends,  and  let  us 
hope  they  may  yet  long  be  with  its,  and  when 
that  other^  and  more  important  in  their  lives, 
half-centiiry — the  golden  wedding  day — 
comes,  and  that  is  now  so  near  at  hand,  may 
no  shadow  yet  and  for  aye  flit  across  the 
smiling  heaven  above  them. 

SAMUEL  N.  SCOTT,  Postmaster,  Eflfing- 
ham  City,  was  born  in  Guernsey  County, 
Ohio,  October  22,  1848.  He  learned  the 
printer's  trade  at  the  age  of  twelve,  in  the 
office  of  the  Cadiz  Republican.  In  1860, 
his  parents  moved  to  this  county  and  settled 
on  a  farm  in  Lucas  Township,  where  our 
subject  lived  until  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war.  He  enlisted,  in  August,  1861,  in  the 
Thirty-eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infan,try, 
for  three  years.  He  was  in  the  Department 
of  Missoiu-i  until  June,  1862,  when  they  were 
ordered  to  re-enforce Halleck  at  Corinth,  and 
left  the  Ai-my  of  Mississippi  in  August,  1862, 
and  joined  Buell  at  Nashville,  and  served 
with  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  until  after 
the  Atlanta  campaign,  and  came  home  late  in 
the  fall  of  1864,  having  served  over  his  term. 


EFFIXGIIAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


69 


He  was  engaged  in  the  battles  of  Frederick- 
town,  Mo.,  Perryville,  Ky.,  Stone  River, 
Tenn.,  where  he  was  captm-ed  and  held  until 
March,  at  Libby  Prison,  and  was  paroled  and 
sent  North.  He  joined  his  old  command  at 
Murfreesboro,  and  was  at  Chickamauga.  He 
was  with  the  command  in  all  engagements 
from  Tunuell  Hill,  Ga.,  to  Itlanta.  In  No- 
vember, 1864,  he  went  to  Columbus,  Ohio, 
where  he  was  employed  in  a  hardware  store 
as  book-keeper  until  18G8,  when  he  went  to 
Helena,  Ai'k.  Ho  came  to  Effingham,  and, 
his  health  breaking  down,  he  went  to  Colusa, 
Cal.,  and  was  afterward  in- Plumas  County, 
where  he  ran  a  mine  as  Superintendent  until 
1877,  when  he  returned  to  Effingham,  re- 
newed in  health.  He  engaged  in  farming 
with  his  brother,  and  had  a  store  at  Winter- 
rowd,  and  afterward  a  boot  and  shoe  store 
until  appointed  Postmaster,  being  appointed 
by  President  Ai'thur  in  November,  1881,  for 
four  years.  He  was  married,  in  December, 
1876,  to  Miss  Lizzie  C.  Williams,  of  Califor- 
nia. Her  father  was  from  Huntingdon 
County,  Penn.,  born  in  1792;  came  to  Guern- 
sey County,  Ohio,  in  1818,  and  lived  there 
until  1S60,  when  he  came  to  this  county, 
where  he  died  February  1,  1866.  Ho  had 
eight  sons  and  four  daughters,  all  of  whom 
grew  up.  Four  sons  were  in  the  army — Rob- 
ert G.,  in  Ninety-eighth  Illinois  Infantry, 
served  till  i860;  Peter  N.,  Thirty-eighth  Ill- 
inois, was  Second  Lieutenant  of  Company 
K,  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Stone 
River;  Curtis  M.,  Eighth  Illinois  Infantry, 
served  three  years. 

OWEN  SCOTT,  lawyer,  and  editor  of  the 
Effingham  Democrat.  This  gentleman  is 
the  son  of  Dr.  John  O.  and  Martha  B.  (Park- 
hurst)  Scott,  natives  of  Tennessee,  he  born 
in  1805,  is  still  living;  she  in  1806.  They 
were  the  parents  of  five  children.  Subject 
was  born  in  Jackson  Township,  this  county, 


July  6,  1848.     Our  subject  went  to  school 
first  to  James  B.  Gillespie.      He  attended  the 
country    schools    in    Jackson    and    Watson 
Townships  until  sixteen  years  of   age,  when 
he  began  teaching,  and  his  first   school  was 
near  his  birthplace,  in  Jackson   Township, 
called    the    Carpenter    School.      He    taught 
twelve  months  in  succession  in  this  vicinity, 
the   last  six  months  of  which  he  taught  in  a 
grove  out  of  doors,  and  he  and  pupils  crawled 
into  an  old  hut  when  it  rained.     His  journey 
to  and  from  school    lay  through  the  woods, 
about  two  and   a  half   miles  distant,  and  he 
carried  his  gun  each  way,  and  supplied  par- 
ties at   both   ends  of  the   route  with  game. 
When  about  eleven  years  old,  his  parents  be- 
ing poor,  he  whs  in  need  of  boots,  to  go  to 
school,  and,  during  the  term,  he  stopped  one 
week  and  went  to  the  woods  with   dog   and 
caught  enough  rabbits,  at  5  cents   apiece,  to 
buy  new   boots,  and  was   in  his  place  next 
Monday  morning.     He  spent  the  year  of  1868 
in   school   at  Kinmundy,  under  Prof.    E.  O. 
Noble,  and,  after  teaching   for  some  time  in 
the  county,  he  entered,  in  September,  1869, 
the  State  Normal  University  at  Normal.  111., 
and  remained  for  one  year,  resuming  teaching 
here  in   1870,  in  Watson  Township,  at  Loy 
School,    and    received    §65    per    month    and 
board,  and  next  took   charge  of   the  Watson 
Township  Schools,  and,  in  1871,  he  was  em- 
ployed as  Superintendent  of   Effingham  City 
Schools,  in  which  capacity  he  remained  one 
year,  when  he  resigned,  and  entered  the  law 
office  of  S.  F.  Gilmore  to  read  law,  where  he 
studied  his  profession  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  January  10, 1874,  being  a  member  of 
the  second  class  that  was  examined  by  the 
Supreme  Court  at  Springfield.     He  was  elect- 
ed County  Superintendent  of  Schools    No- 
vember 4,  1873,  and  two  days  later  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Nora  Miser,  of  St.   Louis,  Mo. 
They  have  one  daughter — Henrietta  L.     He 


70 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


continued  to  hold  the  office  of  County  Super- 
intendent for  eight  years,  being  re-elected  in 
November,  1877.  He  visited  every  school  in 
the  county  every  year  during  the  first  term, 
and  each  year  held  a  Normal  School  for  the 
teachers  of  the  county,  and  all  were  well  at- 
tended. During  the  interval  between  official 
duties  he  devoted  to  the  practice  of  law.  He 
bought  a  half-interest  in  the  Effingham  Dem- 
ocrat, and,  October  13,  1881,  he  purchased 
the  remaining  half-interest  of  Mr.  G.  M. 
LeCrone,  and  has  since  conducted  the  paper 
with  good  success.  It  is  a  nine-column  folio, 
and  since  1855  has  been  the  official  paper  of 
the  county.  111-.  Scott  served  as  Deputy 
Treasui-er  for  one  year,  under  Noah  Jen- 
nings, and  two  years  under  Mr.  Wernsing. 
He  was  City  Attorney  diu-ing  the  years  1877 
and  1878.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  and  in  politics  is  a  Democrat. 

WILLIAM  W.  SIMPSON,  Circuit  Clerk, 
Effingham.  He  was  born  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
June  ]7,  1847;  he  came  to  Chicago,  111., 
with  his  parents  in  1851,  and  resided  there 
ten  years,  coming  to  Effingham  County  in 
1861.  His  step-father,  George  Screeton, 
bought  a  farm  in  Summit  Township,  and 
subject  resided  on  the  farm  with  him  eight 
years,  and  by  his  own  personal  efforts  picked 
up  a  good  general  education.  Thirteen 
years  ago,  he  became  agent  for  W.  W.  Kim- 
ball, of  Chicago,  and  has  sold  musical  in- 
struments ever  since  with  good  success.  He 
was  candidate  before  the  Democratic  prim- 
ary, in  1876,  for  nomination  for  Circuit 
Clerk,  and  was  defeated,  and,  in  1880,  ran 
the  second  time  against  same  opponent  and 
was  nominated  and  elected  for  a  term  of 
four  years  to  the  same  office. 

LEWIS  W.  SMITH,  physician,  Effing- 
ham, was  born  in  Zanesville,  Ohio,  November 
13,  1825;  at  ten  or  twelve  years  of  age,  he 
came  to  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  where  he  grew  to 


manhood  and  married  in  1848.  A  few  years 
after  his  marriage,  he  removed  to  Charleston, 
111.,  and  there  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  A. 
M.  Henry,  then  of  Charleston,  now  at  Mat- 
toon,  111.  He  graduated  from  the  Cincinnati 
Eclectic  Medical  Institute  during  the  session 
of  1859-60,  and  began  his  practice  at  Effing- 
ham, 111.,  in  the  spring  of  1861.  Dr.  LeCrone 
being  the  only  other  practicing  physician 
here  at  that  time,  and  our  subject  has  been 
here  in  active  practice  since,  except  four 
years  when  he  was  Postmaster  at  Effingham, 
serving  from  1869  to  1873.  He  has  been  a 
Eepublican  since  the  foundation  of  the  party, 
and  has  several  times  been  nominated  for 
imjjortant  offices. 

ROBERT  SPECK,  merchant,  Effingham, 
was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  June  6,  1850. 
When  five  years  old,  he  came  with  his  par- 
ents to  the  United  States,  and  first  lived  in 
Terre  Haute,  Ind. ,  until  1858,  when  his  fa- 
ther came  to  Effingham.  In  1864,  our  sub- 
ject entered  J.  F.  Waschefort's  store  here  as 
clerk,  and  continued  with  him  in  that  ca- 
pacity until  1879.  In  September  of  that 
year,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Dr.  Hen- 
rv  Eversmann,  and  this  firm  has  continued 
business  in  Mr.  Waschefort's  old  stand,  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Eversman  &  Speck. 
The  house  carries  a  large  general  stock,  and 
requires  five  persons  to  transact  the  business. 
Our  subject  was  married,  in  1873,  to  Miss  M. 
E.  Pearman,  of  Paris,  111.  They  have  one 
son.  Our  subject's  father,  John  Speck,  was 
also  born  in  Baden.  He  learned  the  trade 
of  shoe-maker  in  the  city  of  Strasbm-g,  and 
married  Mary  Riedmiller,  by  whom  he  had 
six  sons  and  one  daughter,  all  born  in  Ger- 
many, and  all  are  deceased  except  Robert. 
His  father  was  the  first  shoe  maker  to  locate 
in  Effingham  permanently,  and  he  conducted 
a  shop  of  his  own  here  from  1858  to  the  time 
of  his  death,  in  May,  1872.     He  was  an  ar- 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


dent  Republican.  Subject  was  twice  elected 
City  Clerk  of  Effingham,  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  overcoming  the  usual  large  majority, 
and  served  foiu'  years — from  1877  to  1881. 

THOMAS  SPEIRS,  foreman  blacksmith, 
Yandalia  Railroad  shops,  Effingham,  is  a 
sou  of  James  and  Jane  (Mason)  Speirs,  and 
was  born  in  Ayrshire,  Scotland,  December 
18,  1835.  In  his  seventeenth  year,  he  came 
to  the  United  States  with  his  parents,  who 
settled  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  attended 
school  some  two  years;  then  entered  the  ma- 
chine shop  of  De  Graff  &  Kendrick,  to  learn 
the  trade  of  blacksmith,  serving  a  tliree  years' 
apprenticeship,  when  he  removed  to  Marshall, 
Mich.,  where  he  entered  the  Michigan  Cen- 
tral Railroad  shops  as  blacksmith  for  a  year; 
then  came  to  Galesbui-g,  111.,  entering  the 
shops  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad  for  a  short  time,  when  he  removed 
to  Bloomington,  111.,  where  he  worked  at  his 
trade  in  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  shops 
for  a  short  period.  He  has  worked  in  the 
employ  of  different  railroad  companies  at 
vai'ious  points  in  Illinois  since  1857,  except 
two  years  spent  in  Michigan  and  the  South. 
He  has  been  in  the  employ  of  the  Vandalia 
Company  since  1868.  He  came  to  Effingham 
about  1871,  where  he  became  foreman  of  the 
blacksmith  department,  which  employs  from 
eight  to  eleven  men,  while  there  was  only 
one  man  in  his  department  when  he  first 
came.  He  married,  in  1863,  Miss  Lucy  J. 
Hunt,  of  Detroit,  Mich.  They  have  six  chil- 
dren living — James,  Walter,  Jennie,  Guy, 
Nettie,  Thomas,  all  living  in  this  county. 

JAMES  STEELEY,  proprietor  of  the 
Western  House,  Effingham,  was  born  in  Ed- 
gar County,  111.,  January  3,  1835,  and  was 
raised  on  a  farm  in  Coles  County,  111.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  became  a  brakeman 
on  the  I.  &  St.  L.  R.  R.,  and  in  a  short  time 
became  a  fireman  and  engineer  on  that  road. 


and  was  connected  with  it  for  twenty  years, 
running  mostly  on  the  Western  Division,  and 
has  been  living  at  Mattoon  for  the  last  thir- 
teen years.  September  1,  1882,  he  leased 
and  newly  furnished  the  Western  House,  of 
Effingham,  and  has  since  run  it  with  a  good 
trade.  It  has  twenty  large  rooms  for  guests 
— a  two -story  brick,  00x45,  with  a  sample- 
room  on  the  first  floor.  Employment  is  fur- 
nished to  seven  persons. 

W.  P.  SURRELLS,  merchant,  Effingham, 
was  born  in  Louisville,  Clay  Co.,  111.,  in 
January,  1837.  He  lived  in  his  native  town 
until  thirteen  years  old,  going  to  California 
overland,  with  his  father,  in  1850.  They 
were  in  the  mines  of  the  Upper  Sacramento 
and  Trinity  Rivers  three  years.  Returned 
Lome  in  1853,  and,  in  the  spring  of  1854, 
came  to  this  county  and  settled  at  Free- 
manton,  and  his  father  came  to  take  a  con- 
tract on  the  Brough  Railroad,  but  it  fell 
through.  Our  subject  moved  to  Effijjgham  in 
the  spring  of  1857,  and  clerked  for  C.  F. 
Falley,  who  had  two  stores,  and  he  went  to 
Ewington  and  took  charge  of  the  store  there, 
having  been  clerk  at  Freemanton  for  some 
time  before.  Our  subject  bought  Mr.  Falley 
out  in  1857,  and  ran  the  store  at  Ewington 
for  nine  months,  when  he  sold  out  and  moved 
to  Freemanton  and  went  to  teaching  there. 
He  had  previously  taught  in  the  Effingham 
public  schools,  in  the  winter  of  1855-50.  He 
married,  August  27,  1857,  Miss  Susan,  daugh- 
ter of  John  M.  Brown,  of  Mound  Township, 
now  living  in  Springfield,  111.  He  taught 
the  two.  winters  following  in  that  vicinity, 
and  also  farmed,  when  he  moved  to  Free- 
manton and  worked  in  a  saw-mill,  where  he 
met  with  an  accident.  He  sold  the  mill,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1859,  moved  back  to  Effing- 
ham and  taught  school  here  until  1861.  He 
enlisted,  in  Augvist,  1861,  in  the  Twentj-- 
sixth  Illinois.     He  was  first  in  the  Depart- 


72 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ment  of  Missoim;  was  in  the  battles  of  New 
Madrid,  Point  Pleasant,  Mo. ,  and  then  went 
to  Memphis,  Tenn.  Ho  was  next  at  Farm- 
ington  and  Corinth,  where  ho  was  wounded 
by  a  minie  ball  striking  him  in  the  ankle, 
which  broke  both  bones,  and  the  sixrgeons  de- 
cided to  amputate  the  limb,  but  he  removed 
the  signal  flag  three  times  that  marked  him 
as  a  subject  for  operation,  and  he  was  sent 
to  the  hospital,  where  he  lay  seven  days  be- 
fore his  limb  was  set,  and  a  month  passed 
and  his  wife  came  and  pulled  him  thi-ough. 
He  was  wounded, May  28,  1862,  and  was  dis- 
charged September  19,  1862,  at  St.  Louis. 
He  came  and  taught  school  at  Watson  on 
crutches.  He  settled  in  Watson  and  engaged 
in  hauling  cordwood,  and,  while  putting  up 
his  horses,  was  kicked  by  one  of  them  and 
broke  his  wounded  leg  just  above  where  it 
was  broken  before.  While  lying  sick,  he 
bought  a  stock  of  goods,  and  a  few  weeks 
afterward,  the  man  that  was  conducting  busi- 
ness for  him  absconded  with  all  the  money 
collected,  but  in  spite  of  this  our  subject  kept 
on  with  moderate  success  until  1866,  when 
he  sold  out  for  $800.  In  1868,  he  became 
clerk  for  T.  A.  Brown,  in  a  hardware  store, 
where  he  remained  for  eight  years.  He  then 
assisted  his  father  three  years  in  the  County 
Treasurer's  office,  until  the  latter's  death, 
January  21,  1879.  Our  subject  was  after- 
ward engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  un- 
til June,  1881,  when  he  engaged  in  the  hard- 
ware business  on  Jeiferson  street.  His  fa- 
ther, Jesse  B.  Surrells,  was  born  in  Virginia 
January  10,  1803,  and,  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  was  aged  seventy-six  years  and  eleven 
days.  He  was  of  French  extraction,  his 
grandfather  having  come  to  America  with 
Lafayette  in  the  days  of  the  Revolution  and 
served  in  the  war.  His  ancestors  settled  in 
Virginia,  after  the  close  of  the  war  of  the 
Revolution,  and  at  the   age  of   eleven  Jesse 


R. ,  together  with  his  father  and  family,  emi- 
grated to  Kentucky,  where  they  remained  for 
a    time    and   then    moved    to    Indiana.      In 
1831,  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight,  Mr.  Surrells 
came    to    Clay   County,    111.,   where    he    re- 
sided, with  the  exception  of  short  intervals, 
until  185-t,  when  he  came  to  this  county  and 
resided  here  continuously  until  the  time  of 
hia  death.      He  was  married  three  times,  h  av- 
ing  five  children  by  the  first  wife,  five  by  the 
second  and  one  by  the  third,  his  present  wid- 
ow.    Of  these,  one  by  the  first — W.  P.  Sm-- 
ells,  three  by  the  second  and  one  by  his  pres- 
ent widow,  sm'vive  him.      As  may  be  inferred 
from  his  connection  with  the  early  history  of 
our    county,    his     life   was    checkered    and 
eventful,  bat  through  it  all  there  rises  irre- 
sistibly   to   the  surface  the  motto    honesty, 
Dm-ing   his    residence    in   Clay   County,    he 
carried  on   the   business   of    raftsman,    and 
while  engaged  in  this  business  he  made  sev- 
eral trips  to  New  Orleans  with  produce  and 
merchandise.      On  one  of  these  trips  during 
an  epidemic,  he  was   attacked  with   cholera, 
from  which  he,  however,  recovered.      It  was 
no  uncommon  thing  in  those  days  for  mer- 
chants to  be  their  own  carriers,  and   Uucle 
Jesse    was    one    of   this  class.       A    flat-boat 
would  be  built  on  the  banks  of  some  suitable 
stream,  and  launched,  loaded  with  the  prod- 
uce of  the  country.     The  boat  was  always 
well  manned  with  experienced  river  men,  and 
at  the  first  rise  of  the   stream  would  be  cut 
loose  and  floated  all  the  way  to  New  Orleans. 
Uncle  Jesse  carried  on  this  business,  and  as 
already  stated,  made  several  of  these  hazard- 
ous  voyages,  embarking  on  the  Little  A\  a- 
bash,  near  Louisville,  Clay  Co. ,  111.     In  this 
way  he  accumulated  quite  a  competency,  Init 
on  one  trip  two  of  his  boats  sunk,  whicli  left 
him  with  an   indebtedness  of   some    $4,000' 
over  and  above  his   ability  to  pay.      He  did 
not,    however,   take  advantage  of   any  bank- 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


rupt  or  debtor's  lawB,  but  turned  over  every 
dollar's  worth  of  property  he  owned  toward 
payment  of  this  indebtedness.  Nor  did  he 
rest  here  where  men  of  even  much  reputed 
honesty  would  have  halted.  The  gold  fever 
of  Califoraia  had  begun  its  ravages  by  this 
time,  and  Uncle  Jesse,  with  his  sou  Perry, 
started  in  penury  in  1870,  for  the  West. 
Here  he  was  again  successful,  and  in  1853 
returned  to  Louisville  with  several  thousand 
dollars  in  gold,  with  which  he  paid  off  every 
cent  of  the  indebtedness  left  upon  his  shoul- 
ders by  the  disaster  upon  the  river.  This 
was  the  crowning  act  of  his  life,  and  in  it  is 
found  the  true  refle.x.  of  his  character.  It 
takes  rank  with  any  act  of  Aristides,  the  just, 
and  only  gives  place  to  Walter  Scott' a  typical 
discharge  from-  indebtedness  in  point  of 
amount.  Again  a  poor  man,  he  came  to 
EfiSngham,  in  1854,  going j  behind  the  coun- 
ters of  C.  F.  Falley,  then  a  merchant  of  this 
place.  After  a  few  years'  service  for  Mr. 
Falley,  he  became  an  employe  of  J.  Mette, 
the  principal  merchant  of  this  place  at  that 
time,  with  whom  he  continued  for  some  six 
years.  With  his  subsequent  life  ovu-  readers 
are  familiar.  He  has  held  the  office  of 
County  Treasurer  for  six  terms,  his  death  oc- 
curring while  yet  an  incumbent  of  that  office. 
While  a  resident  of  Clay  County,  he  was 
similarly  honored,  being  for  many  years  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  for  twelve  years  its 
Sheriff.  From  his  settlement  in  Clay  Coun- 
ty, in  1831,  he  may  be  really  called  a  resi- 
dent of  this  county,  for  his  name  is  indissol- 
ubly  connected  with  the  important  events  of 
our  county's  history  from  his  first  advent  in 
Clay.  He  was  a  laborer  on  the  National  road 
in  1832,  and  many  a  shovelful  of  dirt,  now 
unrecognizable  in  its  decaying  grade,  were 
thrown  up  by  the  hands  of  the  deceased. 
His  patriotism,  too,  was  never  lacking  when 
his  country  was  imperiled.     He  raised  a  com- 


pany for  the  Mexican  war,  but  the  quota  of 
our  State  being  full,  he  was  compelled  to  re- 
turn, and  age  only  prevented  him  from  bear- 
ing arms  against  the  Southern  confederacy. 
Such  was  the  life  to  which  that  large  con- 
course of  citizens  and  impressive  funeral 
pageant  paid  such  marked  tribute  upon  the 
Wednesday  when  his  remains  were  consigned 
to  their  last  resting-place.  The  men  who 
knew  of  and  had  been  the  recipients  of  his 
lavish  liberality  and  favors  crowded  around 
and  followed  him  to  the  gi-ave.  Perhaps  no 
man's  name  has  appeared  oftener,  and  upon 
more  paper  as  security  than  that  of  Jesse  R. 
Sm-rells,  and  no  name  has  given  that  jaaper 
more  evidences  of  value.  In  life,  he  bore  an 
irreproachable  character,  was  a  man  of  un- 
compromising honor  and  sterling  integrity, 
and  in  death  he  commanded  that  respect 
which  these  noble  qualities  inspire.  With  a 
life  untarnished  by  a  single  breach  of  trust, 
either  private  or  public,  he  will  take  his 
place  in  the  Valhalla  of  America's  honest 
pioneers  among  the  noblest  and  the  best. 

DR.  WESLEY  THOMPSON,  horticultur- 
ist, Effingham,  was  born  in  Fort  Wayne, 
Ind.,  June  30,  1845.  He  was  educated  at 
Asbury  University,  at  Green  Castle,  Ind., 
which  he  left  in  two  years  to  enter  the  army. 
He  began  the  study  of  medicine  proper  after 
leaving,  when  twenty  years  old,  and  read 
with  Dr.  J.  H.  Loughridge,  of  Rensselaer, 
Ind.,  continuing  three  years,  and  afterwai-d 
graduated  in  1809,  from  the  Miami  Medical 
College.  He  came  to  Illinois  in  1869,  and 
located  in  Effingham,  and  bought  out  his 
brother,  Hem-y  Thompson,  who  was  in  the 
drug  business,  in  which  our  subject  continued, 
in  connection  with  his  practice,  for  about  foiu- 
years.  He  removed  to  Lincoln,  Neb.,  in 
1870,  and  remained  until  1877,  in  the  floral 
and  commercial  gardening  business  at  Lin- 
coln.     In    1877,  he  returned   to  Effingham, 


74 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


and  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine,  in 
coEuection  with  his  present  business,  having 
since  1880  given  his  attention  to  the  orchard 
and  garden.  The  orchard  contains  about 
fifty-two  acres,  and  has  between  3,500  and 
4,000  apple  trees,  which  supplies  the  local 
market  and  are  also  shipped  to  St.  Louis, 
Kansas  City,  Chicago  and  Indianapolis.  He 
was  married,  in  1869,  to  Miss  Mellie  M.  Lit- 
tle, daughter  of  S.  W.  Little,  of  Lincoln, 
Neb.  •  They  have  three  children.  Dr.  Thomp- 
son" s  father.  Dr.  John  Thompson,  was  born  in 
Hull,  England,  where  he  served  an  appren- 
ticeship as  druggist.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  and  settled  first  at  Catskill,  N.  Y.  He 
was  married  in  England,  and  was  druggist 
and  physician  at  Rensselaer,  Ind.,  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1870.  Our  subject 
enlisted  in  the  Eighty-seventh  Indiana  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  Company  A,  in  November, 
18(i3,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
He  v?as  detailed  as  Regimental  Clerk  in  the 
headquarters  of   Col.  Hammond,  from   July, 

1864,  to  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  in  all 
of  the  principal  engagements  of  the  Atlanta 
campaign,  and  never  sick  or  excused  from 
duty  for  a  day,  and  mustered  out  at  Louis- 
ville, Ky.,  in  August,  1865. 

BERNARD  TRAYNOR,  machinist,  Effing- 
ham, was  born  in  County  Down,  Ireland, 
June  11,  1837,  and  was  raised  in  Belfast. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  went  to  Manchester, 
England,  and  entered  Fairburn's  great  en- 
gine and  machine  shops,  serving  five  years' 
apprenticeship  as  machinist.  He  returned  to 
Killyleagh,  Ireland,  and  worked  at  repairing 
machinery    of    the    flax    factory  there    until 

1865,  when  he  came  to  the  United  States, 
landing  in  New  York  City  in  December.  He 
went  to  Central  Falls,  R.  I. ,  where  he  worked 
for  Gov.  Spraguo  as  Superintendent  of  ma- 
chinery in  the  flax  factories  there  for  one 
year.     He  afterward  worked  at  Philadelphia, 


Penn.,  and  came  to  Chicago,  111.,  in  1867, 
and  remained  nine  months.  He  was  next 
employed  at  Ladoga,  Ind.,  and  next  at  Vin- 
cennes,  Ind.,  where  he  was  employed  in  the 
foundry  of  Clark  &  Buck  for  three  years  as 
foreman.  He  was  next  in  the  Eagle  foundry, 
at  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  about  one  year.  He 
then  entered  the  employ  of  the  T.,  H.  &  I.  R. 
R.  Company,  in  1872,  remaining  fom-  years. 
In  November,  1876,  he  came  to  Effingham,  in 
the  employ  of  the  Vandalia  road,  and  is  now 
foreman  of  the  machinery  department. 

ANTHONY  UNDERRINER,  business 
manager  of  Miller's  old  stand,  Effingham, 
was  born  in  Perry  County,  Mo.,  March  3, 
1856.  He  came  to  Illinois  when  nine  years 
of  age  and  resided  until  1869  at  Sigel,  Shel- 
by Co.,  111.  He  came  to  Effingham  in  1869, 
and  spent  about  foiu-  years  in  the  public 
schools.  In  1874,  he  entered  a  store  at  Si- 
gel,  111.,  as  clerk,  and  spent  one  year  there. 
In  1875,  he  retui-ned  to  Effingham  and  en- 
tered the  employ  of  John  J.  Miller  &  Co.  as 
clerk  and  salesman  in  their  dry  goods  store, 
and  has  been  at  the  same  stand  for  seven 
years.  The  business  changed  hands  in  1879, 
and  under  the  new  firm  he  has  been  head 
clerk  and  business  manager,  having  the  entire 
charge  of  the  purchase  and  sale  of  goods. 
The  house  employs  from  four  to  five  salesmen, 
and  does  a  largo  business  in  dry  goods  and 
notions. 

CORNELIUS  A.  VAN  ALLEN,  County 
Surveyor,  Effingham,  was  born  in  Jefferson 
County,  N.  Y.,  September  20,  1837.  He 
came  West  in  1855,  having  charge  of  a  party 
of  land  examiners  for  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad.  There  were  eight  Division  Engi- 
neers, and  each  man  had  two  chain  cai-riers. 
Subject  with  two  men  made  surveys  and 
notes  describing  lands  to  prepare  them  for 
the  market.  He  was  employed  in  this  work 
from  Decatur  to  Cairo,  and  remained  until 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


75 


all  the  railroad  lands  of  the  Central  were  ex- 
amined. He  made  his  home  with  his  brother 
here,  who  had  the  land  office,  selling  Central 
lands.  In  the  fall  of  1856,  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Government  as  chief  surveyor, 
making  original  survey  of  lands  in  Northern 
"Wisconsin  for  nearly  a  year,  and  returned  in 
the  fall  of  1857,  and  laid  out  the  town  of 
Edgewood  and  Farina.  In  the  fall  of  1857, 
he  made  a  visit  home,  and  retui-ned  here  in 
March,  1858,  and  located  permanently  and 
became  Deputy  Surveyor  for  Allen  Howard 
until  his  term  expired.  He  began  farming  in 
Bishop  Township  in  the  fall  of  1858,  and  broke 
the  first  prairie  farm  in  that  township,  continu- 
ing until  the  war  broke  out.  He  enlisted  in 
the  Fifty-fourth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
in  October,  1861,  and  served  until  the  spring 
of  1862,  when  he  was  wounded  by  the  acci- 
dental explosion  of  a  shell  at  Columbus,  Ky. , 
which  made  a  compound  fracture  of  limb, 
and  he  was  discharged  and  returned  home, 
and  entered  the  employ  of  J.  F.  Waschefort, 
as  foreman  at  the  mill  until  the  spring  of 
1866,  when  he  purchased  an  interest  in  a 
stock  of  goods  with  Judge  Gillenwaters,  and 
continued  in  the  store  here  until  he  was 
elected  County  Surveyor  of  Efi&ngham  Coun- 
ty, in  the  fall  of  1867,  and  closed  out  the 
mercantile  interest  as  soon  as  expedient.  He 
served  as  surveyor  for  a  term  of  two  years  and 
laid  out  the  town  of  Altamont  in  July,  1870, 
and  took  charge  of  the  agency  of  Vandalia, 
and  was  the  first  agent  of  that  road;  also  of 
the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  Railroad  and  the 
Wabash  Railroad.  He  then  traveled  as  Lost 
Car  Agent  for  Evansvillei  Terre  Haute  &  Chi - 
cago  Railroad,  for  two  years,  and  at  the  so- 
licitation of  J.  W.  Conlogue,  proprietor  of 
Altamont,  took  his  real  estate  interests  there, 
and  was  shortly  after  appointed  agent  of  the 
Paducah  Railroad,  which  he  held  three  and  a 
half  years.     In  the  spring  of   1878,  he  was 


elected  to  re-survey  Bishop.,  Township,  which 
he  did  during  that  summer,  and  in  the  fall 
surveyed  St.  Francis  and  Lucas  Townships. 
In  the  fall  of  1879,  he  was  elected  County 
Surveyor  of  Effingham.  He  was  educated  at 
Falley  Seminary,  at  Fulton,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
took  an  engineering  coiu'se,  which  he  com- 
pleted in  March,  1855.  He  was  married, 
September  23,  1858,  to  Miss  Laura  Sethman, 
of  Teutopolis,  111.  Ho  has  thi-ee  children 
living  and  three  dead. 

THOMAS  G.  VANDEVEER,  physician 
and  druggist,  Eifingham,  was  born  in  Orange 
County,  Ind.,  September  21,  1834.  He  came 
West  when  in  his  ninth  year  with  his  par- 
ents, who  settled  in  Clay  County,  111.  The 
father  died  the  same  year  of  his  arrival,  and 
the  mother  died  about  four  years  after  set- 
tling in  Clay  County.  Oui-  subject  went  to 
live  with  a  brother-in-law,  Hartwig  Samuel- 
son,  who  settled  in  Union  Township,  this 
county,  about  1850.  His  brother-in-law  was 
a  millwright  and  built  a  mill  at  Flensburg, 
and  subject  worked  in  the  mill  until  1853. 
He  then  came  to  Mason,  111. ,  and  after  some 
time  as  clerk  in  a  store  there,  he  began  read- 
ing medicine,  in  August,  1853,  with  Dr.  J. 
H.  Robinson,  of  Mason,  and,  reading  one 
year  with  him,  then  went  to  Louisville,  Clay 
Co.,Ill.,where  ho  read  with  Drs.  Hull  and  Bar- 
bre,  until  the  fall  of  1855.  He  also  attended 
the  session  of  1855-56  in  the  Rush  Medical 
College,  Chicago,  and  practiced  for  six  months 
in  Georgetown,  Clay  Co.,  111.,  when  he  came 
to  Mason,  this  county,  in  the,  fall  of  1856, 
and  practiced  there  tilP^the  fall  of  1859,  when 
he  relinquished  practice,  and  has  since  been 
almost  continually  in  the  di-ug  business.  In 
December,  1860,  he  entered  the  Circuit 
Clerk's  office  as  Deputy  and  brought  the  rec- 
ords'from  Ewington  to  Effingham.  In  1862, 
he  was  for  three  months  Surgeon  under  con- 
tract to  Companies  I  and  K,  of  the  Seventy- 


76 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


first  Regiment,  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry. 
Tbey  were  assigned  to  the  duty  of  guarding 
Big  Muddy  Bridge,  on  the  Illinois  Central. 
In  1864,  he  entered  the  employ  of  R.  Gil- 
bert, of  Effingham,  and  remained  until  1876 
as  clerk  in  his  di'ug  store.  In  September, 
1877,  he  took  charge  of  the  present  drug  store 
for  W.  T.  Pape,  and  has  conducted  th'e  busi- 
ness for  him  since.  Our  subject  married, 
May  3,  1865,  Miss  Martha  Jackson,  daughter 
of  John  Jackson,  of  this  county,  one  of  the 
early  pioneers.  The  Doctor  has  always  been 
a  Democrat,  and  has  been  named  for  several 
county  offices,  and  has  served  four  years  as 
Coroner  of  the  county. 

EDWARD  C.  VAN  HORN,  carpenter  and 
joiner,  Effingham,  is  a  native  of  Pennsylva- 
nia, born  August  15,  1832,  son  of  W.  D.  and 
Lydia  (Griswold)  Van  Horn;  he,  born  in 
Bradford  County,  Penn.,  December  27,  1803, 
is  a  carpenter  and  joiner  in  Ottawa  County, 
Ohio;  she  died  in  Hm-on  County,  Ohio,  in 
1846.  Our  subject  is  one  of  thirteen  chil- 
dren, eight  of  whom  were  full  brothers  and 
sisters.  He  received  his  education  in  Huron 
County,  Ohio,  and  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade  when  quite  young,  aud  at  the  age  of 
twenty,  went  to  Michigan  City,  Ind.,  from 
there  to  Galesburg,  and  afterward  to  Cairo, 
this  State,  and  iinally,  to  this  county,  where 
he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  for  one  year,  being  engaged  in 
building  and  repairing  bridges.  He  was 
married,  December  5,  1856,  to  Christina 
Statts,  born  in  Wayne  County,  this  State,  in 
1837,  daughter  of  Hiram  and  Jessie  Statts. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Horn  have  three  children 
living — Lydia,  Mollie  and  Edward.  Our 
subject  enlisted  in  the  Thirty-fifth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  Company  K,  Capt.  Dobbs; 
was  afterward  made  Sergeant  and  detailed  to 
the  Pioneer  Corps.  He  was  engaged  in  the 
battles   of    Perryville,  Stone  River,   Mission 


Ridge  and  Corinth,  but  was  not  under  fire  at 
the  latter  place.  He  came  to  this  county  after 
the  war,  and  helped  to  lay  out  into  lots  a  part 
of  Bruffton,  which  name  was  changed  to 
Effingham.  He  has  erected  some  of  the  finest 
buildings  in  the  latter  city.  He  has  held  the 
offices  of  Alderman  and  Marshal ;  is  a  temjier- 
ance  man  and  a  highly  respected  citizen.  He 
is  an  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Effingham  Lodge.  No. 
149,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic,  Yates  Post,  No.  88.  In 
politics,  he  is  a  Democrat. 

JOSEPH  VENEMANN,  merchant,  Effing- 
ham, was  born  in  Teutopolis,  Effingham 
County,  June  11,  1857.  He  began  as  clerk 
in  Evansville,  Ind.,  at  the  age  of  thirteen, 
remaining  two  years  and  then  returned  to 
this  county,  aud  lived  on  a  farm  for  four 
years.  He  then  went  to  St.  Louis  for  one 
and  one-half  years,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
a  retail  dry  goods  store,  on  Franklin  avenue, 
in  partnership  with  his  brothers,  August  aud 
John.  In  the  spring  of  1881,  August  and 
Joseph  sold  out  to  John,  a^nd  came  to  Effing- 
ham, and  opened  a  store  in  the  Dennis  build- 
ing, on  Jefferson  street,  where  they  have 
since  conducted  a  good  business  in  dry  goods, 
notions  and  gents'  furnishing  goods.  His 
father,  Anthony  Venemann,  was  a  native  of 
Germany;  was  born  in  the  year  1812;  was 
raised  to  the  occupation  of  farming,  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one  he  emigrated  to  the 
United  States,  settling  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
where  he  married  Mary  Bietenhorn,  and  came 
to  this  county  about  1846.  first  locating  on  a 
farm  in  Watson  Township,  where  they  lived 
in  a  rail-pen  until  they  could  build  a  cabin. 
He  remained  on  the  farm  and  made  improve- 
ments during  three  or  four  years,  then  moved 
to  Teutopolis  Township,  where  he  farmed 
about  three  years,  then  moved  to  the  village 
and  started  a  dry  goods  and  grocery  store 
and  continued  in  business  until   about  1871, 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


77 


when  he  moved  back  to  his  original  farm, 
which  he  owned  until  his  death,  a  fine  tract 
of  360  acres,  about  140  acres  of  which  was  in 
cultivation.  He  died  December  2,  1881. 
His  wife  died  in  the  fall  of  1864.  He  was  a 
strong  and  influential  Democrat.  He  had 
four  sons  and  two  daugliters  living  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  one  having  died  since. 
Those  living  are  Mary,  Lizzie,  John,  August 
and  Joseph.     Anthony  died  May  7,  1882. 

AUGUST  VENEMANN  was  born  in  Effing- 
ham County  July  28,  1854.  He  received 
his  early  education  in  the  neighborhood 
schools,  and  after  having  graduated  at  St. 
Joseph's  College,  at  Teutopolis,  he  assisted 
his  father  about  the  farm  for  one  year,  after 
which  he  engaged,  for  two  years,  as  clerk  in 
Effingham.  He  returned  to  farming  again, 
for  seven  years,  or  until  1880,  when  he  en- 
tered the  dry  goods  business  at  St.  Louis,  in 
company  with  his  brother  John,  under  the 
firm  name  of  J.  '&.  A.  Venemann.  They 
continued  the  business  together  for  one  year, 
when  oar'  subject  sold  his  interest  in  the 
business  to  his  brother  John,  and,  returning 
to  Effingham,  there  entered  the  dry  goods 
business  with  his  brother  Joseph.  He  was 
married,  October  2,  1882,  to  Miss  Mary  Wern- 
sing,  formerly  of  Ohio. 

W.  F.  VICORY,  lightning  rods  and  pumps, 
Effingham,  son  of  Anson  and  Hannah  (Treat) 
Vicory,  was  born  in  Springfield.  Clark  Co., 
Ohio,  September  19,  1816,  and  is  the  second 
child  of  a  family  of  seven  children,  all  of 
whom  are  now  living,  with  the  exception  of 
Herick,  namesake  of  Gen.  Herick,  the  re- 
nowned Indian  fighter  of  that  day,  and  Theo- 
dore, who  was  drowned  at  the  age  of  six,  and 
Elizabeth,  formerly  the  wife  of  Hiram  Mike- 
sell,  a  farmer.  Levi  resides  in  Arkansas, 
Hiram  in  Marshall  County,  Ind.,  and  Joseph 
is  a  resident  of  Idaho.  His  parents  on  both 
sides  were  of  English  extraction,  their  grand- 


parents having  emigrated  to  America  in  an 
early  day  and  settled  in  Vermont.  The  fa- 
ther of  our  subject  was  a  millwright  bytrada, 
and  having  removed  to  or  near  Saratoga,  N. 
Y.,  was  there  married,  it  is  supposed,  at  a 
date  not  known.  Soon  after  the  war  of  1812 
or  1813,  he  removed  to  Ohio,  where  our  sub- 
ject was  born.  Here  ho  followed  his  occupa- 
tion, building  mills  all  thi-ough  that  State 
and  Indiana  up  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
about  1852  or  1853;  previous  to  his  death, 
he  removed  from  Ohio  to  La  Porte,  Ind.  Mr. 
Vicory  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  Ohio  and  Indiana,  after  which  he  learned 
the  millwright  trade  with  his  father  and 
worked  with  him  up  to  the  time  he  was  thirty- 
four  years  of  age.  In  1850,  he  removed  to 
Effingham  County,  III,  where,  in  1851,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Cynthia  Glazner,  of 
Cumberland  County,  111.  By  this  union  they 
have  had  seven  children,  as  follows:  Mary, 
Frank,  George,  Jesse,  Freeman,  Evie  and 
Ettie.  Mr.  Vicory's  father  and  mother  were 
natives  of  Ohio.  Her  father  is  deceased,  her 
mother  is  still  living.  Our  subject's  great- 
grandfather had  fifteen  boys  who  all  grew  up 
to  manhood  and  scattered  all  through  the 
United  States,  the  youngest  of  which  was  our 
subject's  grandfather,  who  served  through  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  during  his  lifetime 
his  house  was  a  favorite  resort  for  the  old 
Revolutionary  soldiers.  During  his  life  he 
predicted  the  great  war  of  the  rebellion. 

BERNARD  VOGT,  shoe  store  and  custom 
shop,  Effingham,  was  born  in  Douglas  Town- 
fihip,  this  county,  June  10,  1843.  At  the 
age  of  eighteen,  he  began  to  learn  shoe-mak- 
incf  with  B.  Hodebecke,  serving  two  years' 
apprenticeship,  and  afterward  worked  about 
six  years  as  a  jom'neyman.  He  started  a 
shop  for  himself  here  about  1868,  and  has 
continued  ever  since,  and  for  the  last  seven 
yeai's  has  conducted  a  shoe  store  in  connec- 


78 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


tion  with  the  shop,  on  Jefiferson  street.  Mr. 
Vogt  employs  three  men  in  the  custom  depai't- 
ment,  and  carries  a  full  stock  of  boots  and 
shoes.  He  was  married,  in  1867,  to  Miss 
Lizzie  Feldhake.  They  have  seven  children 
living.  Our  subject's  father,  Barney  Vogt, 
was  born  in  Germany,  and  came  to  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  when  a  young  man,  and  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mary  Brown,  by  whom  he  had 
nine  children.  He  settled  on  a  farm  in  Doug- 
las Township  about  1840. 

GODFREY  F.  VOLKMAN,  saloon,  Effing- 
ham, was  born  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  April  5, 
1840.  His  father's  name  was  John  M.  Volk- 
man.  He  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  iu 
1816.  His  occupation  was  that  of  farming. 
His  mother's  name  was  Margaret  Looer, 
born  in  the  same  place  in  Germany.  She  is 
still  living;  they  had  twelve  children.  Our 
subject  was  educated  in  Chicago.  He  was 
married,  in  1867,  to  Miss  Sofa  Werndrofif; 
they  have  four  children  by  the  union,  she 
having  died.  He  was  married  a  second  time, 
in  1875,  to  Mrs.  Mary  Bering;  by  this  union 
they  have  had  four  children.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Battery  B,  First  Illinois  Artillery; 
during  his  service,  he  participated  in  twenty- 
nine  battles,  among  some  of  which  was  Stone 
River,  Lookout  Mountain,  Chickamauga, 
Mission  -Ridge,  Ringgold,  Resaca,  New 
Hope  Chui-ch,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Atlanta, 
Jonesboro,  Columbia,  Franklin,  Chattahoo- 
chie  and  others.  He  was  wounded  at  Chicka- 
mauga an  1  again  at  Resaca,  both  times  in 
the  same  leg.  On  arriving  in  this  country, 
his  father  settled  in  Utica,  N.  Y".,  where  he 
was  married.  He  removed  to  McHenry 
County,  111.,  where  he  remained  one  year; 
from  there  he  went  to  Chicago.  His  children 
were  Conrad,  Charles,  Annie,  Emma,  Lizzie, 
Frank,  Peter,  Maggie  and  Mary.  Annie  mar- 
ried John  Giesler,  a  resident  of  Shelby 
County,  111. ;  Emma,  wife  of  J.  Folk,  resides 


in  Shelby  County  also;    Lizzie,  wife  of  John 
Shultice,  resides  at  Streator,  111. 

FRANCIS  A.  VON  GASSY,  banker, 
Effingham,  was  born  in  St.  Petersburg, 
Russia,  October  4,  1833,  son  of  Alexander 
N.  Von  Gassy,  also  a  native  of  Russia.  Our 
subject  received  his  education  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  Berlin,  Prussia,  which  he  left  when 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  afterward  trav- 
eled extensively  in  Europe  and  Asia,  making 
a  tour  through  Italy,  Greece  and  Turkey  for 
observation.  He  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1856,  and  was  married,  January  10.  1865, 
to  Lucy  I.  Catterlin,  a  native  of  Frankfort, 
Ind.  In  1860,  our  subject  joined  the  army, 
and  was  in  the  Western  Division  under  Gen. 
Grant.  He  was  mustered  out  in  1805  and 
received  a  civil  appointment  in  the  War  De- 
partment. He  came  to  Effingham  in  1869, 
and  established  a  grocery-store.  In  ISiO,  he 
established  the  Effingham  Bank,  of  which  he 
is  the  sole  proprietor,  and  which  has  since 
been  conducted  with  good  success,  and  in 
which  business  he  is  at  present  engaged.  He 
is  a  Protestant  in  religion,  and  in  politics  is 
a  Democrat. 

SIDNEY  B.  WADE,  agent  Vandalia  Rail- 
road, Effingham,  was  born  in  Jasper  County, 
111.,  March  11,  1841.  He  spent  the  first 
twenty  years  of  his  life  in  Jasper  County,  in 
the  town  of  Newton,  where  he  received  a 
public  school  education.  At  eighteen,  he  be- 
came part  owner  of  a  local  Republican  paper, 
published  at  Newton,  called  the  Western  Star, 
which  he  ran  during  1859  and  1860.  He 
enlisted,  in  April,  1861,  in  the  Twenty-first 
Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  wont  into 
camp  at  Mattoon,  III,  under  Col.  Good,  of 
Decatur.  On  the  11th  day  of  June,  1861, 
the  regiment,  1,000  strong,  re-enlisted  for 
three  years,  retaining  the  old  number.  Twen- 
ty-first. Subject  was  a  member  of  Company 
K,  and  the  reariment  went  into  service  under 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


79 


Col.  U.  S.  Grant,  and  saw  service  in  Mis- 
soui'i;  was  in  the  battle  of  Fredericktown, 
Mo.,  and  marched  into  Arkansas  under  Gen. 
Steele,  to  Jacksonport,  Ark.,  and  were  or- 
dered back  by  forced  marches,  to  Cape  Girar- 
deau, Mo.,  where  they  took  boat  to  Pittsburg 
Landing,  where  they  joined  Gen.  Jeff  C.  Da- 
vis, and  were  Tinder  his  command  from  that 
time  forth,  and  were  in  the  siege  of  Corinth. 
They  went  into  camp  at  Jacinto,  Miss. ,  crossed 
the  river  at  luka,  and  were  on  the  Bragg  raid 
in  Kentucky  and  at  the  battle  of  Perryville, 
Ky. ,  when  they  went  to  Nashville,  Tenn., 
when  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  was 
formed,  and  the  Twenty-first  did  service  at 
Stone  River,  Chickaruauga  and  all  of  the 
principal  battles  of  the  Atlanta  campaign, 
including  the  siege  of  Atlanta  and  Jones- 
boro,  and  returned  to  Nashville  to  intercept 
Hood  and  fought  desperately  at  Franklin, 
Tenn,  and  the  battle  of  Nashville,  after  which 
they  were  transferred  to  Texas,  via  of  New 
Orleans,  and  received  their  first  muster-out 
papers  in  December,  1865,  and  were  finally 
mustered  out  at  Springfield.  111.,  in  Febru- 
ary, 1806,  having  served  four  years  and  eight 
months.  Of  the  original  members  of  Com- 
pany K,  about  twenty  men  were  mustered 
out  at  the  close  of  the  war.  After  his  return, 
Mr.  Wade  located  at  Newton,  111.,  and  for 
six  months  published  the  Jasper  County 
Union,  and  then  went  to  Mt.  Carmel,  111., 
and  revived  the  Mt.  Carmel  Register,  which 
he  ran  a  short  time,  five  months,  when  he 
sold  out  and  became  a  compositor  on  various 
papers  in  St.  Louis  dm-ing  1869  and  1870. 
In  January,  1871,  he  came  to  Effingham.  111., 
and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Vandalia  Rail- 
road, then  recently  opened.  He  first  became 
clerk  in  the  freight  and  ticket  office.  He  be- 
came agent  at  Altamont  in  1874,  and  con- 
ducted that  office  about  three  years.  In  Au- 
gust,   1877,  he   became   freight    and    ticket 


agent  at  Effingham,  where  he  has  since  con- 
tinued. Mr.  Wade  was  married,  September 
27,  1809,  to  Sarah  E.  Fleming,  of  Effingham, 
by  whom  he  has  a  son  and  daughter.  His 
father,  Hiram  Wade,  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
and  came  to  Indiana  in  1810,  and  in  the  fall 
of  the  same  year  to  Illinois,  and  settled  first 
in  Lawrence  County,  III.,  where  he  lived  for 
some  years  and  served  as  Sheriff  of  Law- 
rence, and  came  to  Jasper  County,  111. ,  when 
the  Cherokee  Indians  still  lived  there.  He 
was  Circuit  and  County  Clerk  of  Jasper 
County  for  sixteen  years,  and  held  the  office 
of  Circuit  i/lerk  in  all  twenty  years.  He 
died  in  March.  1861.  He  was  a  Republican, 
and  was  elected  the  last  time  as  a  Republican 
in  a  strong  Democratic  County,  had  twelve 
children;  his  wife's  maiden  name  was  Luein- 
da  Neal,  a  native  of  Maryland.  Of  their 
twelve  children  but  three  sons  are  living,  all 
of  whom  served  in  the  army. 

THOMAS  C.  WADE,  traveling  salesman, 
Effingham,  was  born  in  Perry  County,  Ohio, 
near  Somerset,  March  27,  1851,  and  was 
raised  on  a  farm.  At  the  age  of  twenty,  he 
became  clerk  in  a  retail  grocery  store  at  Som- 
erset, Ohio,  remaining  in  that  capacity  for  a 
year.  In  1S72,  he  came  to  Effingham,  and 
opened  a  grocery  store  of  his  own,  and  con- 
ducted it  three  years.  He  w^as  agent  of  the 
Adams  Express  Company  here  during  the 
last  two  years  (1874  and  1875).  He  sold  out 
his  stock  of  groceries  in  January,  1876,  and 
engaged  his  services  to  Hulman  &  Co.,  whole- 
sale grocers,  Terra  Haute,  Ind.,  as  traveling 
salesman,  and  has  been  with  that  house  ever 
since,  its  present  name  being  H.  Hulman. 
He  represents  the  interests  of  his  house  in 
Southern  Illinois.  He  is  a  Democrat  and 
exerts  a  strong  influence  in  his,  party.  He 
was  married,  in  August,  1874,  to  Miss  Lin- 
nie  Moller,  Effingham. 

BERNARD  H.  WERNSING,  County 
Treasiu'er,   Effingham,  was  born    in   Cincin- 


80 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


nati,  Ohio,  May  6, 1840.  He  came  with 
his  parents  to  this  county  in  1S5U,  and  set- 
tled in  St.  Francis  Township,  near  Teutopo- 
lis.  In  1851,  he  was  sent  back  to  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  to  school,  where  ho  spent  about  f  oiu-  and 
a  half  years  in  the  St.  Francis  College,  grad- 
uating in  the  fall  of  1855.  He  began  teach- 
ing in  1856  in  the  Effingham  town  schools, 
which  only  had  one  department,  and  was  held 
in  a  log  schoolhouse,  and  his  compensation 
was  $25  per  month.  He  taught  four  months 
here,  when  he  took  a  school  in  Bishop  Town- 
ship, where  he  taught  for  three  years  in  suc- 
cession, and,  after  teaching  one  term  in  Teu- 
topolis,  he  began  farming  in  St.  Francis 
Township,  and  continued  until  the  fall  of 
1879,  when  he  was  elected  County  Treasurer 
of  Kffingham  County,  and  is  serving  his  third 
year,  and  was  renominated  for  a  term  of 
four  years  by  the  Democratic  Primary  of 
1882.  In  his  township,  he  has  held  important 
offices  of  trust,  being  Supervisor  for  twelve 
years  and  Chairman  of  the  board.  He  has 
always  been  a  Democrat  in  politics.  He  was 
married  first  to  Mary  A.  Vogt,  in  May,  1859, 
and  had  seven  childi-en,  all  living.  His 
wife  died  in  June,  1876.  He  remarried,  in 
May,  1881,  to  Elizabeth  B.  Miller,  of  this 
county.  Oui-  subject's  father,  John  H.  Wern- 
sing,  was  born  in  Hanover,  German}',  about 
1803;  was  a  farmer  in  Hanover,  and  married 
Elizabeth  Huckmann,  of  Hanover,  and  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1839,  with  his  family 
of  fom'  sons  and  two  daughters — John  Heni'y, 
Jr.,  Frederick,  Herman,  Kate  (now  Mrs. 
Henry  Eggerman,  of  Teutopolis),  Theresia 
(deceased,  was  the  wife  of  Henry  Hatrup,  of 
Teutopolis),  and  our  subject,  who  was  the  only 
one  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  his  father 
settled  in  1839,  and  was  engineer  in  a  foun- 
dry there  till  1850,  when  he  moved  to  this 
county,  where  he  resided  until  his  death,which 
occurred  February  25,  1876. 


JOHN  C.  WHITE,  attorney,  Effingham, 
was  born  near  Forestville,  Wake  Co  ,  N.  C, 
May  21,  1846.  His  father  moved  from  there 
to  Brownsville,  Tenn.,  when  subject  was  five 
or  six  years  old,  and  lived  there  with  his 
family  about  two  years,  and  from  there  re- 
moved to  Illinois,  and,  in  1855,  settled  per- 
manently at  Greenville,  111.,  and  has  lived 
there  almost  continuously  ever  since.  Our 
subject  grew  up  in  Greenville  and  attended 
a  private  school  taught  by  S.  W.  Marston, 
and  also  recited  in  class  in  Elmira  College, 
then  presided  over  by  bis  father.  He  en- 
tered the  Model  Department  of  the  State 
University,  at  Normal,  111.,  in  1863,  for  a 
year,  and  the  following  year  entered  the  Pre- 
paratory Department  of  Chicago  University, 
and,  in  the  fall  of  1865,  he  entered  Shurtleff 
College,  at  Upper  Alton,  111.,  and  at  the  end 
of  his  junior  year  entered  the  Brown  Uni- 
versity, at  Providence,  R.  I.,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1869  He  came  back  to  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  and  read  law  with  Judge  Samuel 
Eeber,  of  St.*  Louis,  until  February,  1S71, 
when  he  came  to  Effingham  and  read  law 
with  J.  N.  Gwin  and  W.  B.  Cooper  for  a 
time,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Janu- 
ary, 1872,  forming  a  i:)artnership  with  E.  N. 
Rhinehart,  which  continued  until  August, 
1873,  when  he  formed  his  present  pai-tnership 
with  Judge  Gilmore.  In  addition  to  profes- 
sional labors,  Mr.  White  devotes  considerable 
attention  to  the  breeding  of  fine  cattle.  He 
married  Miss  Nellie  J.,  daughter  of  Rev.  Al- 
fred Bliss,  of  Fillmore  Township,  Montgom- 
ery Co.,  111.,  on  August  25,  1875.  They 
have  two  childi-en — Bliss  and  Nellie  K. 

BYROM  WHITFIELD,  Deputy  County 
Clerk,  Effingham,  was  born  in  Nash  County, 
N.  C,  July  30,  1850.  He  came  with  his 
parents  to  Effingham  in  1856,  and  has  lived 
here  ever  since.  He  entered  the  drug  store 
of  Dr.  McCoy,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  was 


EFFINGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


81 


clerk  in  that  business  until  1876,  excepting  one 
year,  in  which  he  was  in  the  hardware  trade. 
He  entered  the  Cuunty  Clerk's  office  as  Dep- 
uty in  Starch,  1876,  and  has  served  in  that 
office  ever  since,  under  Collector  Filler,  and 
has  served  one  term  as  City  Treasurer,  serv- 
ing from  1879  to  1881.  His  father,  Archi- 
bald r.,  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  in 
early  manhood  learned  theti-ade  of  carpenter 
and  builder,  which  he  followed  until  he  came 
here,  in  1856,  when  he  engaged  in  cabinet- 
making  and  showed  remarkable  skill  at  his 
trade,  at  which  he  worked  until  about  1878, 
when  he  was  taken  ill  and  died  in  March, 
1881,  in  his  fifty-eighth  year.  Oiu-  subject 
is  his  only  child. 

VIKGIL  WOOD,  attorney  at  law,  Effingham 
City,  was  born  in  Susquehanna  County,  Penn., 
April  10,  1836.  He  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  the  Su.squehanna  County 
Academy,  and,  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven,  he 
began  reading  law  in  his  native  county.  In 
1864,  he  went  to  Grant  County,  Wis.,  where 
he  taught  in  the  public  schools'  and  was  for 
two  years  Principal  of  one  in  Plattsville, 
Wis.,  graded  school,  and  continued  his  law 
studies  at  intervals  there,  and  came  to  Effing- 
ham in  July,  1867,  and  read  with  his  brother 
one  year,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  here  in 
the  fall  of  1868,  and  has  since  been  in  active 
practice  of  his  profession.  He  was  as.sociated 
with  his  brother  and  W.  H.  Barlow  until  De- 
cember, 1875,  since  which  the  firm  has  been 
Wood  Bros. 

BENSON  WOOD,  Mayor  and  attorney  at 
law,  Effingham  City,  was  born  in  Susquehan- 
na County,  Penn.,  March  31,  1839.  He  re- 
ceived a  common  school  and  academic  educa- 
tion in  his  native  State.  He  came  alone  to 
Illinois  in  1859,  and  located  in  Lee  County, 
in  the  town  of  Franklin  Grove,  where  he 
taught  in  the  jjublic  schools  for  two  years. 
In  August,  1861,  he  enlisted   in  the  Thirty- 


foiu-th  Illinois  Infantry,  and  served  in  the 
Ai-my  of  the  Cumberland  until  February,  1863. 
He  entered  as  First  Lieutenant  of  Company 
C  and  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Captain, 
April  7,  1862.  He  was  at  Shiloh.  the  siege  of 
Corinth,  Stone  River  and  other  minor  engage- 
ments. He  resigned,  in  February,  1863,  on 
account  of  ill  health,  and,  in  the  summer  of 
1863,  entered  the  Chicago  Law  School,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  June,  1864,  and  locat- 
ed at  Effingham  in  July  following,  where  he 
has  since  been  in  active  practice.  He  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1872  from  the 
Thirty-third  Senatorial  District.  He  was 
elected  Mayor  of  Effijigham  in  1881,  for  two 
years.  He  has  always  been  a  Republican  in 
politics. 

A.  J.  W'ORMAN,  real  estate,  Effingham, 
was  born  May  23,  1857,  son  of  John  J.  and 
Mary  (Budeod)  Worman,  he  born  in  Germany 
in  1827,  and  she  in  Holland.  They  had 
seven  children.  At  the  age  of  seventeen 
years,  our  subject  went  to  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
where  he  worked  at  type-setting  for  one  year 
in  a  stamp  factory,  and  the  following  two 
years  was  engaged  as  collector  for  R.  Booth, 
a  picture  dealer  of  that  city.  In  1877,  he 
returned  to  Effingham  and  accepted  a  position 
as  Assistant  Circuit  Clerk  under  W.  C.  Le 
Crone.  He  afterward  formed  a  partnership 
with  A.  W.  Le  Crone,  and  the  firm  is  now  en- 
gaged in  the  real  estate  business.  Our  sub- 
ject's familiarity  with  the  records  of  the 
county  courts  give  him  great  fitness  for  the 
business  in  which  he  is  at  present  engaged 
He  was  married,  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  March  8, 
1875,  to  Miss  Frances  Kemph,  born  in  Indi- 
ana December  18,  1854,  daughter  of  George 
and  Elizabeth  Kemph.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wor- 
man have  three  children — Lorina  Regina, 
Anna  Frances  and  Clara  Constance.  Our 
subject  is  a  member  of  tbe  Catholic  Church, 
and  in  politics  is  a  Democrat. 


83 


BIOGBAPHICAL: 


HENRY  H.  WRIGHT,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Effingham,  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  111., 
in  September,  1823;  moved  to  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
in  1828,  and  lived  there  a  year.  His  parents 
came  to  this  county  in  the  fall  of  1834. 
They  brought  three  ox-teams  and  seven  ox- 
carts. His  father  had  made  a  visit  previous 
to  coming,  and  made  arrangements  to  come 
hero  and  board  hands  working  on  the  Na- 
tional road.  He  therefore  brought  seven 
head  of  horses,  three  yoke  of  oxen  and  seven 
head  of  beef  cattle  and  provisions.  In  the 
spring  of  1835,  our  subject  and  his  brother 
George  went  to  Wayne  County  for  the  rest 
of  the  cattle  and  a  di'ove  of  sheep.  They 
had  one  horse,  and  night  came  on  and  they 
found  no  house  till  after  dark,  so  subjecV  be- 
came very  much  frightened  by  the  howling  of 
wolves.  They  finally  reached  a  cabin  in  the 
woods,  where  a  girl,  about  fourteen  years  of 
age,  was  alone,  and  they  put  the  sheep  in  a 
pen  around  the  house  and  the  dogs  kept  the 
wolves  away  till  morning.  On  their  way 
home  through  Clark  County,  they  saw  ou  a 
mound  and  counted  sixty  deer  playing. 
They  stopped  work  on  the  National  road  for 
a  time,  in  the  fall  of  1835,  and  his  father  di- 
vided out  the  stock  of  provisions,  and  lost 
heavily  from  book  accounts  on  account  of 
people  moving  away.  The  Government  au- 
thorities condemned  the  sandstone  abutments 
at  Ewington,  and  about  1835,  and  his  father 
secured  the  stone  in  them  and  built  the  foun- 
dation for  his  house.  Our  subject  went  to 
school  in  a  log  cabin  in  Ewington,  to  Thomas 
M.  Loy,  his  brother-in-law.  A  school  had 
been  taught  before  by  Mr.  Gillespie,  a  rela- 
tive of  Loy's.  Subject  next  went  to  school 
one  mile  north  of  Ewington,  to  Dr.  Newton 
Tarrant,  and  next  in  the  old  log  court  house 
at  Ewington.  At  about  the  age  of  fourteen, 
subject  was  sworn  in  as  mail -carrier  from 
Vandalia  to  Palestine,  111.     He  received  $12 


per  month,   and  was  found  everything.     It 
was  100  miles  and  he  made  a  round  trip  per 
week,    having   about   twelve   offices    on    the 
route,  and  he  traveled  on  horseback.     An  ex- 
press was  run  in  addition  to  mail.     Between 
New  York  and  St.  Louis,  there  was  a  "  sys- 
tem," and  the  stations  were  about  ten  miles 
apart.      Riders  approaching   would    blow    a 
horn,    and   the  nest    one    would    be    ready, 
mounted  and  would  take  the  little  bag,  and 
they  would  ride  swiftly  enough   to  make  ten 
miles  an  hour.     After  this,  a  telegraph  line 
was  put  up  and  was  in  operation  about  two 
years.     Our  subject  carried  mail  about  four 
months  to  Palestine,  and  next  he  carried  for 
six  months  from  Ganowag's  to  Vandalia.  and 
also  had  another  trip  to  Woodbury.     He  was 
the  first  time  employed  by  Mr.  B.  Whitfield, 
and  went  by  Widow  Cavanaugh's,  who   lived 
beyond  Greenup.      He  next  carried  from  Ew- 
ina-ton  to  Greenville  for  most  of  the  time  for 
four    years,   under   contract   of   his    brother 
George,  and  while  not  on  the  road  attended 
the    horse-mill    owned    by    his   mother,  and 
worked  on  the  farm.     He  was  married,  June 
9,  1844,  to  Miss  Susan  Selock,    a  sister  of 
Mrs.  John  Funk  and  Mrs.  William  T.  Myers 
and  several  others.      After  marriage,  our  sub- 
ject settled  in   Watson    Township,    on   land 
owned  by  Mr.  Hill,  then  called  "  W^ater  Oak 
Grove."     He  bought  a  small  improvement  of 
John  McCann,  and  lived  there  but  one  sea- 
son, when,  at  the  request  of  his  mother,  he 
came  back  to  Ewington,  where  his  wife  took 
sick  and  lost  her  arm.      He  took  charge  of   a 
hotel  and  small  farm  about  one  season,  when 
he  bought  an  improvement  near  Shumway, 
and  after  having  been  there  a  time,  he  again 
went  back  to  Ewington,  and  lived  there  as  a 
hotel-keeper  and  merchant  until  the  county 
seat  was  moved.      He  carried  the   chain  with 
Mr.  Lacy  when  his  brother  surveyed  and  laid 
out  Effingham,  and  built  a  house  here  before 


EFFIXGHAM  CITY  AND  DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 


83 


the  war,  where  Debold  Smith  lives.  He 
started  for  Pike's  Peak  in  1859,  but  met  so 
many  returning  that  he  did  not  reach  his 
destination.  He  returned  to  farm  on  Blue 
Point,  and  enlistpd,  in  August,  1861,  for 
three  years,  and  his  became  one  of  the  first 
veteran  regiments  in  186B.  He  enlisted  in 
the  Twenty-sixth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  belonged  to  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee. 
He  fought  at  New  Madrid,  Island  No.  10, 
Corinth,  Vicksbnrg,  siege  of  Jackson,  Miss., 
Mission  Ridge  (where  a  shell  cut  the  oil 
cloth  on  his  back  and  cut  a  man  just  back  of 
him),  and  At'anta,  Ga.  (lasting  three  weeks), 
Kenesaw  Mountain,  Jonesboro  and  on  the 
march  to  the  sea  and  last  battle  at  Grolds- 
boro,  N.  C  He  was  mustered  out  in  Sep- 
tember, 1865,  at  Springfield.  He  began 
making  brick  and  has  run  saw-mill  and  store 
and  farm.  He  was  proprietor  of  the  Flem- 
ing House,  Effingham,  and  opened  the  first 
hotel  in  Altamont,  where  he  remained  about 
two  years  and  again  to  Fleming  House,  and 
afterward  to  Newton,  and  retm-ned  to  Effing- 
ham and  kept  the  City  Hotel.  In  April, 
1882,  he  bought  his  present  place,  near 
Effingham,  where  he  is  now  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. Ml".  Wright  had  five  children  by  his 
first  marriage;  two  only  are  living — William 
H.  and  Samuel  H. ;  others  died  in  infancy. 
He  married,  the  second  time,  Mary  J.  Bates, 
of  this  county.  Ho  had  ten  childi-en  by  his 
last  marriage;  five  are  living — Hattie  J., 
Henrietta  V.,  Gussie,  Evaline,  Charles 
Beecher,  Olola  Maud;  others  died  in  in- 
fancy. 

WILLIAM  WRIGHT,  real  estate,  Effing- 
ham, was  born  in  Wayne  County,  111.,  June 
1-4,  1831.  He  came  with  his  parents  to  this 
county  late  in  1834.  His  father,  Jonathan 
Wright,  was  a  native  of  JNew  Jersey,  and 
was  a  bricklayer  by  trade.  He  came  to  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  as  early  as  1819,  and  while  work- 


ing there  selected  a  site  in  Wayne  County, 
111.,  and  brought  his  family  in  1821.  Two 
of  his  brothers  also  came  by  flat-boat  from 
Pittsburg,  Penn.,  to  Shawneetown,  111.,  and 
settled  three  miles  from  Fairfield,  111.  The 
father  lived  there  until  1834,  except  one  or 
two  years'  residence  in  St.  Louis.  He  died 
in  1835.  He  fell  with  a  scaffold  while  erect- 
ing the  old  State  House,  at  Vandalia,  111. 
He  left  four  sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom 
five  are  still  living.  George,  the  oldest  son, 
died  in  July,  1870.  He  had  been  County 
Surveyor  of  Effingham  County  for  some  years. 
Henry  H.  is  a  farmer  in  this  county  (see 
sketch);  William  C,  subject;  Mary  A.  Flem- 
ing, see  sketch;  Susan  (deceased),  was  the 
wife  of  Thomas  Loy;  Sarah,  wife  of  Mr. 
Burke,  of  Georgetown,  111.;  Helen  A.,  wife 
of  Col.  Funkhouser;  Hutchinson,  died  in  New 
Jersey  in  his  second  year,  and  Emma  A.,  died 
at  seven  years  of  age.  Our  subject,  the  third 
son  of  the  family,  received  his  education  in 
a  log  schoolhouse  at  Ewington,  and  worked 
on  the  farm  in  the  meantime.  He  was  mar- 
ried, in  1855;  to  Jemima  Rinehart,  and  has 
five  sons  living  of  that  marriage.  He  began 
farming  in  Summit  Township,  and  became 
by  purchase  of  other  heirs  owner  of  his  fa- 
ther's homestead,  which  he  farmed  for  ten 
years.  He  came  to  Effingham  in  the  spring 
of  1805,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  the 
real  estate  business,  selling  both  farm  and 
town  property  on  commission  and  for  him- 
self. He  received,  on  November  15,  1877, 
the  appointment  of  Postmaster  at  Effingham, 
by  President  Hayes,  and  held  the  office  four 
years  and  two  months.  His  first  wife  died 
January  2,  1871,  and  he  was  married  the  sec- 
ond time,  August  23,  1873,  to  Itli-s.  Maggie 
A.  Blair,  of  Olney,  111.  He  had  two  children 
by  his  last  marriage — one  son  and  one  daugh- 
ter. Mr.  Wright  is  President  of  the  Effing- 
ham County  Agricultural  Fair. 


84 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


WILLIAM    HARRISON   WRIGHT,   liv- 
eryman, Effingham,  was  born  in   Ewington, 
this  county,  January  5,  1847,  eldest,  son  of 
Henry  H.  Wright.     Our  subject  lived  in  Ew- 
ington  until    1857.      He   started   out  from 
home  when  twelve  years  old,  and  lived  at  the 
hotel  here  in   Effingham,  with  his  uncle,  un- 
til the  war  broke  out.     In  1862,  he  went  to 
Hannibal,  Mo.,  and  for  a  short  time  peddled 
goods  among  the  soldiers.     In  the  sjsring  of 
1863,  he  went  to  Scottsboro,  Ala.,  where  he 
fell  in  with  the   Fifteenth  Army    Corps  of 
Sherman's  Ai-my,  and  sold  notions   and  re- 
freshments to  soldiers.     He  followed  Sher- 
man's Ai-my  until  after  the  battle  of  Resaca, 
Ga. ,  where  he  was  struck  by  a  burdting  shell 
and  thrown  fifteen  feet,  but  received  no  per 
manent   injury.     He  was  sent   back  with  the 
wounded,  but  went   soon  after  to   Stevenson, 
Ala.,  where  he  found  employment   in  a  rail- 
road eating-house  for  two   months,  when  he 
went  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  where  he  was  mes- 
senger boy  at  the  headquarters  of  Capt.  Bru- 
mer,  who  was  in  charge  of  Corrals,  and    re- 
mained there   for   a  few  months.      After   a 
visit  home,  he  returned  to  Nashville,  Tenn., 
and  drove  a  team  there  a  short  time  for  the 
Government  until  he  was  promoted  to  the  po- 
sition of  wagonmaster  of  a  train  of  twenty- 
five  wagons,  running  fi-om  Nashville  to  the 
cavalry  post  east  of  that  city.     He  held  that 
position  until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  during 
this  period  bought  and  sold  horses,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  war  bought   Government  horses 
and  drove  them  North.     On  his  arrival  home, 
he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  brick  with 
his  father,  and  made  the  brick  for  the  M.  E. 
Church,  of  Effingham.     He  engaged  in  the 
livery  business  in  the   spring  of    1866,    in 
partnership  with  S.  J.  Fleming,  and  contin- 
ued with  him,  under  the  firfn  name  of  Flem- 
ing &  Wright,  about  six  years,  when  he  dis- 
solved his  partnership,  and  since   1872  has 


built  and  owned  three  stables,  and  dm-ing  the 
same  period  has  bought  from  six  to  ten  car- 
loads of  horses  and  mules  per  year,  princi- 
pally for  the  Southern  markets.  He  was  also 
interested  in  the  handling  and  training  of 
several  trotters,  and  figui-ed  in  every  county 
trot  since  the  establishment  of  the  Effingham 
County  Agricultural  Society.  His  horses 
have  met  with  uniform  success  in  these  races. 
His  present  stable  is  located  on  Banker 
street,  where  he  conducts  a  general  livery, 
sale  and  trading  business,  dealing  in  all  kinds 
of  live  stock.  He  was  married,  in  July,  1868, 
to  Miss  Emma  McPherson,  who  died  in  1875, 
leaving  four  children — Mabel  M.,  Albert  L., 
Samuel  H.  and  William  W.  He  remarried, 
May  27,  1878,  Miss  Lizzie  Mitchell. 

WILLIAM  B.  WRIGHT,  attorney  at  law, 
Effingham,  was  born  in  Ewington,  111.,  June 
7,  1860.  In  1865,  his  parents  moved  to 
Effingham,  wliere  oui  subject  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools.  At  the  age  of  sixteen, 
he  went  to  McLennan  County,  Texas,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  farming  and  cattle-herd- 
ing for  tlu-ee  years.  He  returned  home  in 
1879,  and  spent  one  year  in  the  high  school 
here,  and,  in  June,  1880,  he  went  to  Valpa- 
raiso, Ind.,  where  he  began  the  study  of  law. 
entering  the  Law  Department  of  the  North- 
ern Indiana  Nonnal  School,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  spring  of  1882.  In  May  of  the 
same  year  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  in  the 
State  of  Indiana,  and.  in  August,  1882,  was 
admitted  to  jjractice  in  the  courts  of  Illinois, 
forming  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Loy  in  June, 
1882.  During  the  summer  vacation  of  1881, 
he  studied  law  with  Benson  Wood  of  this 
place. 

JOSEPH  ZANDER,  shoe-maker,  Effing- 
ham, is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  Decem- 
ber 5,  1835,  son,of  John  and  Mary  (Copen- 
hagen) Zander,  natives  of  the  same  country. 
They  were  fai-mers  and  the  parents  of   five 


MOUXD  tow:nship. 


85 


children.  Our  subject  received  his  schooling 
in  his  native  country,  where  he  also  learned 
his  trade.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1866,  landing  in  New  York.  He  came  to 
Kankakee.  111.,  and  -.ifter  a  residence  there  of 
four  years,  he  came  to  EfiSngham,  and  worked 
at  his  trade.  He  was  married,  November  7, 
1871,  to  Miss  Louisa  Esh,  born  in  Germany 
May  28,  1850,  daughter  of  Joe  and  Dorothea 
(Garling)  Esh,  natives  also  of  Germany.     Mr. 


and  Mrs.  Zander  have  had  five  children, 
four  of  whom  are  living — Emilia,  born  Oc- 
tober 12,  1872;  Samuel,  August  21,  1874; 
August,  January  1,  1879,  and  Herman,  May 
9,  1882.  Our  subject  opened  a  shop  on  Main 
street  in  1878,  where  he  txu-ns  out  first 
class  work,  guaranteeing  a  good  fit  and  satis- 
faction. He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  and  in  political  affairs  he  votes  for 
the  best  men. 


MOUND    T 

WILLIAM  BLAKELY,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Altamont,  was  bom  in  Knox  County,  Ohio, 
August  5,  1830,  to  William  and  Sarah 
(Grubb)  Blakely.  Father  was  born  in 
Washington  County,  Penn.,  January  22, 
1805,  was  taken  to  Knox  County,  Ohio,  by 
his  parents  when  quite  young.  Here  he  was 
educated  and  raised  on  a  farm.  Arriving  at 
his  majority,  he  maiTied.  on  April  3,  1828, 
and  engaged  in  agricultural  piu'suits,  at 
which  he  continued  until  he  died,  which  oc- 
curred August  28,  1878.  He  was  a  son  of 
Francis  Blakely,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  The 
mother  of  oui'  subject  was  born  in  Rocking- 
ham County,  Va.,  November  10,  1807,  and  is 
now  residing  with  her  children;  is  now  in 
Knox  County,  Ohio,  where  most  of  her  chil- 
dren are  living;  she,  however,  spends  a  por- 
tion of  her  time  with  our  subject.  She  is 
a  daughter  of  Daniel  Grubb,  a  native  of 
Rockingham  County,  Va.,  and  a  soldier  in 
the  war  of  1812.  The  parents  of  our  subject 
had  twelve  children,  eight  boys  and  four 
girls,  of  whom  foiu'  boys  and  two  girls  are 
living — Mrs.  Nancy  J.  Horn,  bom  in  1831, 
October  28,  of  Knox  County,  Ohio;  subject; 
Mi-s.  Christian  Waddell,  January  24,  1840, 
of  Huron  County,  Ohio;    George  W.,    born 


OAVNSHIP. 

November  18,  1841,  Knox  County;  Hem-yH., 
January  18,  1844,  is  in  Eice  County,  Kan. ; 
Elcaneh  F.,  born  November  15,  1845,  of 
Knox;  John,  born  May  26,  1833,  came  to 
Effingham  County  in  about  1860,  and  re- 
mained here  until  1874,  when  he  removed  to 
PhilliiM  County,  Kan.,  and,  in  1882,  to 
Florida  to  improve  his  health,  but  died  at 
Pea  Ridge,  Ark.,  his  death  occurring  June 
21,  1882.  William,  our  subject,  spent  his 
early  life  at  home,  receiving  such  an 
education  as  the  common  schools  and  acad- 
emy of  Knox  County,  Ohio,  afforded,  and 
assisting  in  tilling  the  soil  of  his  fath- 
er's farm.  When  he  was  about  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  he  left  home  and  embarked 
on  his  career  in  life  as  a  farmer  in  his 
native  county.  In  the  spring  of  1858,  he  re- 
moved to  Clark  County,  where  he  remained 
until  November,  1868,  when  he  with  his  fam- 
ily drove  across  the  country,  three  teams  and 
wagons,  containing  his  family  and  earthly 
possessions,  to  the  then  far  West.  He,  hear- 
ing of  the  opportunities  a  poor  man  had  of 
obtaining  a  home  in  the  West,  was  induced 
to  try  his  luck.  He  remained  with  his 
brother  that  winter,  and  the  following  spring 
located  on  his  present  farm,  where  he  has 
since  remained  actively  engaged  in  farming. 


BIOGKAPHICAL: 


When  he  came  his  farm  was  imimproved,  a 
body  of  open  prairie.  Upon  his  farm  he  now 
has  a  large  and  commodious  house  and  barn, 
and  its  general  surroundings  speak  of  its 
owner  being  a  practical  farmer.  He  bought 
when  he  came  1(50  acres,  and  now  owns  200 
of  prairie  and  10  of  timber.  In  October, 
1857,  in  Knox  County,' he  married  Miss  Su- 
san Wohlford,  a  native  of  Knox  County, 
Ohio;  she  is  the  mother  of  six  children,  viz., 
Emma  (Albert)  Zimmerman;  Celesta  J., 
Sarah  C,  Charles  F.,  Ada  A.  and  John  H. 
He  has  held  the  offices  of  Road  Commission- 
er, Supervisor  for  one  term.  School  Treasurer 
for  live  or  six  years.  School  Trustee,  and  is 
now  School  Director.  Himself  and  family 
are  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church  at  Alta- 
mont,  and  a  Trustee  of  the  same.  He  held 
the  leadership  of  the  same  for  fifteen  years, 
and  has  been  a  liberal  contributor  to  school, 
church  and  charitable  purposes.  Politically, 
his  sympathies  are  with  the  Republican  par- 
ty. His  tvro  brothers,  George  and  Hem-y, 
enlisted  in  the  Eighty-second  Ohio,  Company 
F,  and  the  former,  serving  six  months,  was 
discharged  on  account  of  his  health,  and 
Henry  served  four  years;  was  with  Sherman 
on  his  march  through  the  South.  Neither 
was  wounded.  Henry  was  once  knocked 
down  by  a  ball  striking  his  buckle  on  the 
belt.  Mr.  Blakely  commenced  life  a  poor 
man,  and,  by  his  studied  economy  and  busi- 
ness habits,  he  has  succeeded  in  accumulating 
a  good  property  which  he  is  now  surrounded 
with. 

DANIEL  BOYER,  retired,  P.  O.  Alta- 
mont,  was  born  in  Alleghany  County,  Md., 
near  the  Virginia  line,  November  10,  1814. 
He  was  raised  on  a  farm  until  the  age  of 
eighteen.  He  went  to  driving  a  stage  on  the 
old  National  road,  between  Cumberland  and 
Unioutown,  Penn.,  and  continued  for  ten 
years.     He  then  drove  wagon  for  four  years, 


principally  between  Cumberland  and  Wheel- 
ing. 131  miles,  which  took  eighteen  days  for  a 
round  trip.  He  emigrated  to  Morgan  County, 
Ohio,  in  1853,  where  he  bought  a  farm  and 
lived  on  it  until  July,  1865,  and  his  labors 
were  attended  with  good  success.  He  landed 
in'Elfingham  Jnly  24,  1865,  where  he  kept  a 
grocery  until  March,  1§66J  March  15,  1806, 
he  came  to  old  Freemanton,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  a  general  merchandise  business,  and 
became  one  of  the  largest  dealers  in  that 
place,  until  1872,  when  ho  came  to  Altamont. 
He  brought  the  first  1,000  feet  of  lumber 
ever  brought  here,  put  up  a  platform  on  the 
Vandalia  road  and  began  buying  and  ship- 
ping grain,  loading  into  cars  as  fast  as  it 
came  in.  He  had  his  present  grain  house  up 
by  September,  and  at  once  put  up  a  little 
plank  house,  where  Reis  now  is,  and  sold 
goods  in  it  until  the  spring  of  1872,  by 
which  time  he  had  storeroom  completed  ad- 
jacent to  the  present  Boyer  House.  He 
closed  his  business  in  Freemanton  in  1872, 
and  the  same  year  had  warehouse,  lumber 
yard  and  store  at  the  same  time.  He  also 
bought  hogs  largely  in  Altamont.  He  con- 
tinued merchandising  until  February,  1878. 
He  built  the  first  hotel  here,  in  the  winter  of 
1872,  and  afterward  remodeled  it,  and  it  be- 
came the  Boyer  House  in  1878.  It  has  thir- 
ty-two bedrooms,  double  parlors,  two  sample- 
rooms  on  first  floor,  with  office,  etc. ,  etc.  He 
built  and  bought  about  eight  houses  in  the 
town.  He  moved  to  his  present  farm  August 
1,  1880,  which  he  has  improved  and  adorned 
with  a  substantial  and  beautiful  residence. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  but  has  sought 
no  office.  He  married,  in  Mercer  County, 
Penn.,  in  1838,  Rachel  White,  and  has  one 
daughter — Lydia  Ann,  wife  of  John  C.  Rus- 
sell. His  wife  died  in  Effingham  September 
18,  1865,  and  he  was  remarried,  in  1866,  to 
Mrs.  Mary  J.  Rufty,  of  this  county. 


MOUND  TOWNSHIP. 


87 


THEODORE  G.   BOYER,  photographer, 
Altamont,  son  of  Joseph  K.  and  Anna  (Ca 
Bey)  Boyer,  was  born  in  Coshocton  County, 
Ohio,  August  21,  1849.     He  was  brought  by 
his  parents  to  Warren   County,    111.,    when 
seven  yeai-s  old.     This  was  in  1850,  and,  in 
18()1,  he  moved  to  Bartholomew  County,  Ind., 
and,  in  1802,  he   entered  a  photograph  gal- 
lery in  Columbus,  Ind.,  to  learn  Ihe  business 
and  remained  there  until  1863;  he  afterward 
worked   as  a  general    operator    in    different 
points  in  Indiana,  Ohio  and  Kentucky,  until 
1805,  when  he  returned  to  Illinois,  and  also 
worked  in  Missouri,  Tennessee,  Mississippi, 
Louisiana,  and  Texas.     In  the  fall  of   1809, 
he  located  in  Centralia,  where  he  established 
a  photograph  gallery  of  his  own,  and  run  it 
for   almost  two  years,  when  he  removed   to 
Vandalia,  111.,  where  he  worked  from  1871  to 
1876,     and    during    that    time    established 
branch  galleries   at   Effingham,   Carbondale, 
Grand  Tower  and  Ramsey.      In  1876,  he  sold 
galleries  and  went  on  the  road,  and  executed 
crayon  and  ink  work  for  two  years,  princi- 
pally in  Illinois  and  Indiana.      September  1, 
1878,  he  came  to  Altamont,  III,  and   estab- 
lished his  present  gallery,  on  Main   street, 
where  he  has   every  facility  for  doing  every 
kind  of  artistic  work,  and  makes  a  specialty 
of  ink  work.     He  was  married,  in   1871,  to 
Miss  Susie  Lewis,  of  Centralia,  111.     In  poli- 
tics, he  is  a  Democrat.     He  is  serving  as  City 
Clerk  of  Altamont,  and  has  held  other  offices. 

WILLIAM  ALLEN  BROOM,  deceased, 
was  born  in  Smith  County,  Tenn.,  in  August, 
1829,  and  was  four  weeks  old  when  he  came 
to  this  county.  Schools  were  few  and  poor, 
and  he  went  from  two  to  two  and  one-half 
miles  distant  to  a  log  subscription  school. 
He  gained  what  might  be  called  a  fair  com- 
mon-school education,  and  taught  one  of  the 
early  schools  with  good  success,  and  taught 
about  three  terms.     He  started  out  for  him- 


self  on   a   farm,  where  he   continued  about 
three  years.     He  then  opened  a  store  at  Free- 
manton.       Ho  continued    there  for   a   time, 
when  he  bought  a  farm  in  Jackson  Township, 
where  he  remained   for  some  ten  years,  and 
has    had   good   success.       About    1805,    his 
health  broke  down,  and  he  removed  to  Mason 
Township,  where  he  farmed  until  1871.     For 
seven  yeai-s  he  ran  a  threshing  machine,  and 
this  tended  to  break   down  his  health.     In 
1871,  ho  came  to  Altamont  and  opened  the 
first  drug  store  of  the  place  with  Samuel  Gil- 
more  as  partner.      He  continued  about  nine 
months  in  that  business,  the  last  six  months 
alone,  when  he   sold  out  drugs  and  engaged 
in  the  diy  goods  trade,  with  Boyer  &  Russell, 
for  two  years.     Late  in   1873,  he  opened  a 
fm-nitui-e  store   here,  in  which  he  coutin'.ied 
until  his  death,  May  29,  1882.     In  1880,  he 
bought   the  building   where  the  business  is 
continued  by  his  son  David  E.     It  is  20x100 
feet  in  dimensions,   and  contains  a  lai'ge  and 
varied  stock  of   fm-niture.     He  married,    in 
1853  or  1854,  to  Miss  Nancy  Bishop,  of  this 
county.     Of   this   marriage   there   are   nine 
childi-en  living,  throe    dead.     Those   living 
are   John    E.,    conductor   on    the    Vandalia 
road,  at  Effingham;  Mary,  wife  of   William 
Harris,    engineer  at  Effingham;    David   E.; 
Ellery  M.;  Effie  M.,  wife  of  Franklin  Logue; 
Westcott  J.,  Warren  S.,   Chai-les  A.,  Lewis 
H.     William  A.  Broom  was  a  member  of  the 
M.  E.  Church.     David  E.  Broom  was  born  in 
Jackson  Township,  this  county,  February  8, 
1859.     He   worked  at  various   employments 
until  1880,  when  he  became  a  fom-th  partner 
in  the  firm  of  William  A.  Broom  &  Son,  and 
has  since  given  his  attention  to  the  business. 
HIRAM    H.    BROWN,    merchant,    Alta- 
mont, was  born  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  October 
6,  1830.     He  was  educated  at  Central  Col- 
lece,    Franklin    County,    Ohio,    and     began 
teaching  in  that  State.     In  1857,  he  came  to 


88 


BIOGRAPHICAL  : 


this  county  and  located  at  old  Freemanton, 
wheie  he  taught  a  village  school  for  two 
terms  and  clerked  in  a  store  for  J.  C.  Dofe- 
baugh  until  the  war  broke  out.  He  enlisted 
in  the  Fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  Cavalry,  in 
September,  1861,  and  was  First  Lieutenant 
of  Company  L,  having  raised  a  portion  of  that 
company  from  this  covmty.  He  was  in  sev- 
eral cavalry  engagements  at  Doniphan,  Mo., 
_  and  Cotton  Plant,  and  was  in  various  skir- 
mishes. Subject  was  thrown  from  his  horse 
at  Smithville,  Ai'k.,  June  27,  1862,  and  in- 
jured his  spine,  and  did  duty,  though  suffer- 
ing, until  his  discharge,  in  1863,  having  lost 
flesh  until  almost  a  skeleton.  After  his  re- 
turn and  recovery  of  health,  he  engaged  in 
farming  for  several  years,  and  shortly  after- 
ward formed  a  partnership  with  Boyer  & 
Russell,  and  conducted  a  store  in  Altamont, 
in  1871,  and  continued  for  about  three 
months,  when  he  sold  out  and  opened  a  new 
stock  of  goods  at  Dexter,  and  conducted 
business  there  for  about  nine  months,  when 
he  traded  his  stock  of  goods  for  a  farm.  He 
came  to  Altamont  and  erected  his  present 
store,  on  Third  street,  in  1872,  where  he  has 
conducted  a  general  store  for  ten  years.  At 
the  same  time  is  interested  in  farming.  He 
married,  in  1858,  Miss  Mary  C.  Defebaugh, 
of  this  eouaty,  daughter  of  John  C.  Defe- 
baugh, and  has  three  children  living.  Mrs. 
Brown  opened  a  millinery  establishment  here 
in  1872,  and  has  now  the  oldest  millinery 
house  in  town,  enjoying  a  liberal  patronage. 
EVAN  L.  BROWN,  proprietor  Boyer 
House,  Altamont,  was  born  in  Knox  County, 
Ohio,  April  26, 1842.  When  he  was  eight  years 
old,  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Richland 
County,  Ohio,  where  ho  lived  on  a  farm  un- 
til about  fifteen,  when  he  moved  to  Radnor 
Township  and  lived  there  for  about  twelve 
years,  and  farmed'on  his  father's  estate.  In 
the  spring  of' 1863,  he  came  to  Illinois,  and, 


in  1865,  located  in  Effingham  County,  where 
he  has  since  resided.  He  farmed  in  West 
Township  until  1875.  He  leased  a  hotel  in 
Edgewood,  111.,  called  the  Brown's  Hotel, 
which  his  father  had  kept  previously.  He 
ran  this  house  about  four  years.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1880,  he  leased  the  Boyer  House,  of  Al- 
tamont, for  three  years,  and  has  run  it  with 
good  success:  It  is  a  three-story  frame,  near 
Union  Depot  of  the  Vandalia  and  O.  &  M . 
Railroads,  and  contains  thirty-two  rooms, 
with  double  parlors,  sample  room,  etc.  Our 
subject  was  married  to  Miss  Martha  King, 
of  this  county.  She  was  born  in  Knox 
County,  Ohio. 

LEVI  BUTLER,  banker,  Altamont,  son  of 
Levi  and  Julia  A.  (Grove)  Butler,  was  born 
in  Putnam  County,  Ohio,  January  2-1,  185-1:. 
He  came  West  in  1860  with  his  parents,  who 
located  near  Toledo,  Cumberland  County, 
111.,  and  our  subject  lived  on  a  farm  until 
fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  began  teaching, 
having,  by  personal  effort  obtained  an  edu- 
cation. He  taught  for  five  years,  about 
eight  months  per  year,  and,  dm'ing  his  spare 
time  attended  a  private  school  at  Lose, 
Coles  Co.,  111.,  taught  by  Prof.  T.  J.  Lee, 
and,  at  the  close  of  school  work,  spent  an  en- 
tire year  there.  On  leaving  school,  he  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Adams  Express  Com- 
pany as  agent  at  Altamont,  111.,  continuing 
in  that  capacity-  for  about  two  and  a  half 
years,  when  he  resigned,  and  opened  a  gen- 
eral store  here,  which  he  conducted  one  year 
with  fair  success.  He  formed  a  partnership 
with  Dr.  C.  M.  Wright  January  1.  1879, 
and,  under  the  firm  name  of  C,  M.  Wright 
&  Co.,  opened  and  have  since  conducted  a 
private  bank,  in  which  Mi'.  Butler  has  acted 
as  Cashier.  He  was  married,  November, 
1879,  to  Miss  Florence,  oldest  daughter  of 
Dr.  C.  M.  Wright.  The  father  of  om-  sub- 
ject was   born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  came  to 


MOUND  TOWNSHIP. 


8» 


Ohio  about  1832,  and  lived  in  Putnam  Coun- 
ty, that  State,  until  1860.  He  came  to  Cum- 
berland County,  111.,  and  bought  a  tract  of 
800  acres  of  mostly  wild  land,  and  died  in 
1861,  leaving  a  widow  with  a  family  of  six 
sons  and  two  daughters,  our  subject  being 
the  youngest  of  the  family.  The  mother 
kept  the  •  family  together  until  all  grew  up 
except  our  subject,  who  appealed  for  an  op- 
portunity to  obtain  an  education,  and  she 
gave  him  his  time,  with  the  promise  that,  if 
he  improved  it  well,  she  would  not  charge  it 
to  him  in  the  final  settlement  of  the  estate. 
WILLIAM  J.  E.  BYERS,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Altamont,  was  born  in  Jackson  County,  Ohio, 
February  3,  1830,  to  George  and  Bertha 
(Goodrich)  Byers.  His  father  was  born  in 
Jackson  County,  Ohio,  March  3,  1806;  emi- 
grated to  Illinois  and  located  in  Effingham 
County  in  1803,  where  he  remained  until 
1880,  when  he  removed  to  Shelby  County, 
where  he  died  November  10,  1881.  He 
worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade  during  his 
younger  days,  and  in  his  latter  years  followed 
the  occupation  of  a  farmer.  He  was  a  son 
of  Edward  Byers,  a  native  of  Virgiuia,  who 
was  drafted  in  the  war  of  1812,  but  did  not 
have  to  serve.  The  motlier  of  our  subject 
was  born  in  Connecticut  in  1809,  and  died 
in  Jackson  County,  Ohio,  in  1837.  She  was 
the  mother  of  four  children,  of  whom  our 
subject  was  the  oldest  child.  He  was  edu- 
cated from  the  common  schools  of  Jackson 
County,  Ohio,  and  remained  at  home,  assist- 
in"  in  tillingf  the  soil  of  his  father's  farm, 
until  he  was  twenty -two  years  of  age.  He 
then  embarked  upon  his  career  m  life,  and 
engaged  as  a  hired  hand  upon  a  farm,  and 
then  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade  with  his 
brother-in-law,  W'illiam  J.  Dixon,  and  after- 
ward worked  at  carpentering,  shoe-making, 
and  general  employment  as  a  laboring  man. 
He  was  always  a  natiu-al  mechanic,  and  could 


turn  his  hand  and  become  jack-of-all-trades. 
In  1856,  he  removed  to  Muskingum  County, 
where  he  farmed  and  ran  a  blacksmith  shop. 
In  1858,  he  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in 
EfSngham  County,  adjoining  his  present 
farm.  In  1803,  he  was  drafted  into  the  army, 
and  served  to  the  close  of  the  war,  in  the 
Forty-second  Illinois  Infantry,  under  com- 
mand of  Col.  Swayne.  He  was  in  the  fol- 
lowing battles:  At  Columbia,  Tenn.,  Spring 
Hill,  Franklin,  Nashville.  After  the  war,  he 
returned  to  his  farm,  where  he  has  since  re- 
mained. When  he  came  to  the  county  it  was 
thinly  settled  in  this  part,  and  he  was  among 
the  first  settlers  of  this  portion  of  the  coun- 
ty. He  was  here  at  first  township  election, 
and  served  two  years  as  first  Township  Clerk, 
Collector,  Road  Overseer,  School  Trustee, 
Supervisor,  and  now  holding  office  of  Clerk 
of  School  Board.  August  22,  1872,  he  mar- 
ried Christina  Elizabeth  Hamilton,  a  native 
of  Jefferson  County,  Ohio,  born  February  14, 
1840,  to  Samuel  and  Mary  (Campbell)  Hout, 
both  natives  of  Ohio.  They  are  the  parents 
of  one  child,  William  Preston,  born  Decem- 
ber 12,  1874.  He  and  wife  are  members  of 
the  Evangelical  Brethren  Church.  An  act- 
ive member  of  the  order  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Al- 
tamont Lodge,  No.  533.  He  is  holding  office 
of  Steward  of  the  same.  He  is  a  Republican, 
and  cast  his  first  vote  for  Franklin  Pierce. 
D.  B.  CADE,  general  business  speculator, 
Altamont.  Altamont  has  in  its  midst  some 
excellent  business  men,  among  whom  is  D. 
B.  Cade.  He  was  born  in  September,  1838, 
in  Alleghany  County,  Md. ;  sou  of  Mortimer 
Cade  and  Mary  Boyer.  He  was  left  father- 
less at  the  age  of  ten,  and  subsequently 
moved  to  Virgiuia  with  his  mother  and  step- 
father, with  whom  he  lived  until  he  began 
business  upon  his  own  account.  He  canried 
on  business  here  in  Monongalia  County  un- 
til 1872,  when  he  came  to  this  State,  locat- 


90 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ing  here  in  Altamont,  and  has  since  lived. 
For  five  years  he  sold  goods  for  Daniel  Boy- 
er.  In  1877,  he  engaged  in  the  grain  trade, 
which  he  continued  until  1882,  when,  on  ac- 
count of  failing  health,  he  had  to  relinquish 
his  interests  in  this  direction,  and  seek  to  re- 
cuperate the  same  by  rest  or  a  change  of  bus- 
iness. March  12,  1869,  he  was  man-ied  to 
Paulina,  who  was  born  in  Granville,  Ohio, 
daughter  of  Edward  Capen.  Has  four  chil- 
dren— Clara,  Gracie,  Blanche  and  Maude. 
Member  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  and  oE  the  An- 
cient Order  of  United  Workmen.  Politics, 
Democratic. 

WILLIAM  S.  COLEMAN,  retired,  Alta- 
mont, was  born  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  Feb- 
ruary 24,  1811.  He  learned  the  tinner's 
trade  in  Mt.  Vernon.  He  left  Knox  County 
in  1846,  and  settled  in  Lima,  Allen  Co., 
Ohio,  where  he  manufuctui'ed  tinware  and 
sold  stoves  for  about  eight  years,  when  he 
removed  to  MissoTiri  in  1854,  and  lived  in 
Holt  and  Andrew  Counties  until  1857,  teach- 
ing school  in  those  counties  for  three  years. 
He  went  to  La  Fayette,  Ind.,  in  1857,  and 
lived  there  two  years,  coming  to  Effingham 
in  1859,  where  he  formed  a  partnership  with  D. 
B.  Alexander,  his  brother-in-law,  and  opened 
the  first  tin  shop  in  the  county,  and  connected 
with  it  a  store  for  sale  of  hardware  and 
stoves.  The  partnership  of  Alexander  & 
Coleman  lasted  until  1861,  when  Mr.  Cole- 
man entered  the  army;  enlisted  in  the  Fifth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Cavalry,  and  served  until 
the  winter  of  1863,  when  he  was  discharged 
on  account  of  continued  sickness.  He  served 
over  two  years,  and  fought  in  siege  of  Vicks- 
burg,  Jackson,  Miss. ,  Cotton  Plant,  Ark. ,  and 
several  other  battles  and  skirmishes.  On  his 
discharge,  he  was  sick  for  over  a  year,  and, 
in  1865,  he  was  appointed  Postmaster  of 
Effingham  by  President  Johnson,  and  held  it 
until  1869 — over  three  years.     Mr.  Coleman 


made  a  trip  West  in  1869,  and  remained  un- 
til 1873,  traveling  as  far  west  as  Utah  and 
taught  in  Colorado.  Since  his  return,  he  has 
engaged  in  no  active  business  pursuits.  He 
was  married,  in  Ohio,  in  1833,  to  Matilda 
Alexander,  of  Knox  County,  that  State.  Ten 
children  were  born  of  this  marriage — five 
sons  and  five  daughters.  Four  daughters 
and  two  sons  are  living,  as  follows:  Sarah 
E.,  wife  of  Michael  Beem,  of  this  place; 
Addie,  wife  ot  James  Beck,  of  Green  Castle, 
Ind. ;  Clara,  wife  of  K.  Walters,  of  Effing- 
ham; Emma,  wife  of  J.  M.  Blythe,  of  De- 
catur County,  111.;  David  B.,  of  Effingham; 
and  Charles  F.,  see  sketch. 

CHARLES  FRANKLIN  COLEMAN,  edi- 
tor Altamont  News,  was  born  near  St.  Jo- 
seph, Mo.,  February  13,  1856.  He  came 
with  his  parents  to  Effingham  when  about 
three  years  old,  and,  at  the  age  of  thirteen, 
entered  the  office  of  the  Effingham  Democrat 
to  learn  the  business.  He  worked  in  that 
office  as  foreman  until  November  25.  1881, 
except  five  years,  during  which  he  was  en- 
gaged on  the  Columbus  Democrat  at  Colum- 
bus, Ind.,  where  he  was  local  editor  of  a  daily 
paper.  December  9,  1881,  he  became  editor 
of  the  Altamont  Neios.  The  firm  of  Coleman 
&  Le  Crone,  consisting  of  subject  and  George 
M.  Le  Crone,  started  and  have  since  published 
the  paper  weekly.  (See  press  history.)  Our 
subject  is  present  Township  Clerk  of  Mound 
Township. 

SAMUEL  COOPER,  grain,  Altamont. 
Among  the  business  men  of  this  town  engaged 
in  the  grain  trade  is  Mr.  Cooper,  who  was 
born  in  1833,  June  14,  in  Marion  County, 
Ohio;  was  the  third  son  of  a  family  of  nine 
children  born  to  Thomas  Cooper  and  Ann 
Lock.  He  (Thomas)  was  a  native  of  Ireland, 
near  Dublin,  and  emigrated  to  America  and 
located  in  Marion  County,  Ohio,  when  a 
young  man,  being  a  pioneer  in  that  locality. 


MOUND  TOAVNSIIIP. 


91 


His  wife,  Ann,  was  born  in  Belmont  County, 
Ohio,  daughter  of  John  Lock.  Subject  came 
West  to  this  State,  locating  in  Fayette  Coun- 
ty, in  the  fall  of  1838.  Here  his  father  set- 
tled and  remained  until  his  death,  in  June, 
1848,  his  wife  surviving  him  until  Dec.  15, 
1880.  To  them  were  born  eight  children,  viz. : 
Euphemia,  James,  John  W.,  Samuel,  Mary 
A.,  William  Thomas,  Lucinda  and  Minerva. 
Euphemia  died  in  Fayette  County,  wife  of  T. 
C.  Chamberlain;  James  resides  in  New  Mex- 
ico; John  W.,  in  Colorado;  William, deceased, 
died  in  Indian  Territory;  Mary  A.,  died, 
was  the  wife  of  David  McGraw,  of  McDon- 
ough  County;  Thomas,  died  at  Murfreesboro 
while  in  the  army;  Lucinda,  resides  in  St. 
Elmo,  wife  of  N.  C.  Fletcher;  Minerva,  died 
young.  Samuel  was  raised  in  Fayette  Coun- 
ty, and  remained  at  home  on  the  farm.  At 
twenty-one,  began  farming  and  stock-dealing, 
and  continued  here  until  March,  1872,  when 
he  removed  to  St.  Elmo,  where  he  ensraged 
in  the  grain  and  stock  business,  remaining 
hero  until  January,  1875,  when  he  came  to 
Altamont,  and  has  been  engaged  in  stock- 
trading,  and,  since  1878,  been  in  the  grain 
business.  First  associated  with  John  Ensisrn. 
The  jjartnerahija  lasted  two  years.  He  then 
associated  with  D.  B.  Cade.  This  lasted 
about  six  months.  Then  discontinued  for 
some  time.  After  this,  was  associated  with 
Milton  Young  one  year,  then  went  out  of  the 
grain  business,  and,  in  August,  1882,  began 
business  again,  with  John  Rhodes,  since 
continued  under  firm  name  of  Cooper  & 
Rhodes.  Married,  1860,  May  3,  first,  Sarah 
Dunbar,  born  in  Marion  County,  Ohio,  daugh- 
ter of  William;  wife  died  November,  1863; 
by  her,  two  children — William  T.  and  James 
L.  Last  marriage  was  May  3,  1865,  to  Car- 
oline Dunbar,  sister  of  first  wife;  by  her  has 
three  children — Samuel  J.,  George  and  John. 
Republican  since  the  war.      Mr.  Cooper  owns 


over    three   hundred    acres  of   land    in   this 
county,  which  he  carries  on. 

ROBERT  DAWSON,  deceased.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  came  to  this  county  in  the 
spring  or  summer  of  1865,  and  engaged  in 
the  lumber  trade  in  Effingham.  It  is  said 
by  authority  that  the  cause  of  his  coming  to 
Effingham  was  that  he  had  too  strong  Demo- 
cratic proclivities  to  suit  the  war  party  of 
Polo,  111.,  where  he  resided  when  President 
Lincoln  was  assassinated.  Be  this  as  it  may, 
Effingham  caught  him.  His  capital  was  very 
limited,  but  he  was  economical,  industrious 
and  close  at  a  trade,  and,  as  times  were  flush, 
and  money  and  building  plenty,  he  did  a 
large  business  and  made  a  great  deal  of 
money.  He  was  very  determined  and  set  in 
his  ways,  and  very  blunt  in  his  manner,  but 
withal  very  generous  and  good-natured.  He 
was  quite  a  politician  and  clung  to  the  Dem- 
ocratic faith  with  unyielding  grip  in  na- 
tional elections,  but  in  local  he  chose  rather 
the  man  than  the  party.  He  took  a  great 
interest  in  public  affairs,  both  locarand  na- 
tional. He  held  the  position  of  Alderman 
and  School  Director  in  the  city,  and  proved 
a  thorn  in  the  side  of  defaulting  or  negligent 
officials.  His  odd  style  of  dress,  with  his 
gray  or  white  hair,  and  his  quick,  energetic 
step,  made  him  a  conspicuous  figure  on  the 
street,  and  he  was  known  far  and  wide.  He 
died  the  19th  of  March,  1881,  at  the  age  of 
seventy  six  years. 

DR.  HENRY  N.  DREWRY,  physician, 
Altamonc,  son  of  Henry  and  Lydia  (Bassett) 
Drewry,  was  born  in  Switzerland  County,  ' 
Ind.,  November  29,  1847.  He  lived  on  a 
farm  there  until  the  age  of  fifteen.  His  father, 
Henry  Drewry,  having  moved  to  Mason,  this 
county,  in  1862,  our  subject  went  to  a  district 
school  called  the  Claiborn  Wright  School,  and 
afterward  to  the  Mason  School  until  1868, 
attending  school  during  the  winter  season. 


93 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


In  the  fall  of  1S6S,  he  entered  the  Indus- 
trial University  at  Champaign,  111.,  where 
he  spent  four  years,  graduating  in  the  class 
of  1872,  and,  February  4,  1873,  he  married 
Miss  Harriet  A.  W.  Nunn,  who  died  in  No- 
vember, 1873.  In  the  spring  of  1874,  he 
went  to  Urbana,  Champaign  Co.,  111.,  and 
entered  the  office  of  Dr.  Samuel  Birney,  an 
old  army  siu-geon,  where  he  stiidied  under 
his  direction,  and  at  the  same  time  he  at- 
tended two  courses  of  lectures  in  the  Chicago 
Medical  College,  from  which  he  graduated 
March  21,  1876,  and  located  for  the  practice 
of  his  profession  at  Altamont,  as  partner  of 
Dr.  J.  N.  Groves,  for  two  years.  He  has 
since  that  time  been  in  active  practice  alone 
up  to  September,  1882,  when  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  Dr.  Edwin  L.  Yarletz,  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Drewry  &  Yarletz,  locat- 
ed on  Railroad  and  Main  streets.  He  has 
built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  He 
was  married,  October  29,  1882,  to  Miss  Mari- 
etta Mann,  of  Newton,  111. 

WILLIAM  DRYSDALE,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Welton,  was  born  in  Switzerland  County, 
Ind. ,  November  4.  1833,  to  William  and 
Margaret  (jVIanford)  Drysdale.  His  father 
was  born  in  Scotland  in  1793;  emigrated  to 
America  in  1813,  and  followed  the  trade  of  a 
stone-cutter  until  he  was  thirty  years.  In 
his  later  years,  followed  the  occupation  of  a 
farmer.  In  1840,  came  to  Effingham  County 
and  located  in  Mound  Township,  when  the 
deer  and  wild  turkey  were  plenty  and  among 
the  first  settlers  of  this  j^art  of  the  county. 
He  died  December  27,  1872.  The  mother  of 
our  subject  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  died 
in  1884,  aged  about  thirty  years.  She  was 
the  mother  of  four  children,  of  whom  Will- 
iam was  the  youngest  child.  His  early  life 
was  spent  at  home,  receiving  a  limited  com- 
mon-school education  and  assisting  in  till- 
ing the  soil    of  his  father's  farm.      He  re- 


mained at  home  until  he  was  eighteen  years 
of  age,  when  he  embarked  upon  his  career 
as  hired  hand  on  a  farm.  He  was  brought 
to  Effingham  County  when  about  seven  years 
of    age.       At   twenty-seven,    he    commenced 

1  farming  on  his  own  accoimt,  upon  a  farm  of 
200  acres  of  unimproved  land,  which  he  has 
put  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He 
has  remained  on  his  present  farm  for  twenty 
years.  In  1862,  he  married  Miss  Mary  A. 
Donnelly,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  was 
brought  to  America  by  her  parents  in  1849. 
She  was  born  in  November,  1841.  She  is 
the  mother  of  four  living  children,  viz. : 
Mary  A.,  Anna,  William  A.,  John  Francis. 
In  politics,  is  a  Republican,  but  generally 
votes  for  the  man.  He  is  now  the  owner  of 
260  acres. 

I  JOSEPH  DUNSFORD,  drugs  and  station- 
ery, Altamont,  is  the  successor  of  Frank 
Wantling  in  the  drug  and  stationery  business 

I  of  this  town,  and  has  had  over  ten  years'  ex- 
perience in  the  drug  business.  He  began 
reading  medicine  in  1871,  with  his  brother, 
Dr.  W.  H.  Dunsford,  at  St.  Elmo,  and  em- 
barked in  the  drug  business  with  him,  where 
he  continued  until  1878,  when  he  removed  to 
Rosemond,  this  State,  where  he  continued  in 
business  until  his  location  in  this  town.  He 
was  born  in  England,  son  of  John  and  Tab- 

I  itha  (Niblett)  Dunsford.  His  father  died  in 
England.  He  emigrated  to  this  country 
when  a  lad  of  sis  years,  with  his  mother  and 
step-father,  James  Mortimer,  who  now  reside 
at  Pana,  this  State.  They  first  located  at 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  remaining  here  about  seven 
years,  and  removed  with  them  to  Gasconade 
County,  Mo.,  where  he  lived  six  years,  at 
which  time  he  came  to  this  State,  and  has 
since  remained.  June  22,  1873,  he  was 
united  by  marriage  to  Miss  Clarilla,  eldest 
daughter  of  Dr.  John  Wills,  a  well-known 
physician  in  the  county,  residing  in  Liberty 


MOUND  TOAVNSHIP. 


93 


Township,  near  Beecher  City.  He  and  wife 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  is  also  affiliated  with  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  Lodge  at  St. 
Elmo.  In  connection  with  his  drugs  and 
medicines,  he  keeps  a  stock  of  books  and  sta- 
tionery, as  well  as  notions.  The  Doctor 
has  one  brother,  John,  who  resides  in  Mc- 
Pherson  County,  Kan.,  a  farmer — the  only 
surviving  brother  he  has;  W.  H.  and  Charles, 
both  deceased;  W.  H.  died  in  1874;  Charles 
died  in  1878  at  Rosemund.  He  was  also  a 
druggist,  and  served  as  Hosjiital  Steward  un- 
der Gen.  Sherman's  command  thi'ough  the 
entire  war. 

WILLIAM  J.  EYESTOIn"E,  harness,  Alta- 
mont.  Among  the  substantial  business  men 
of  Altamont  is  William  J.  Eyestone,  who  was 
born  in  1844,  March  13,  in  Wheatland  Town- 
ship, in  Fayette  County,  the  third  son  and 
sixth  child  of  a  family  of  ten  children  born  to 
Martin  and  Nancy  (Lock)  Eyestone;  he  was 
born  about  the  year  1808,  in  Baden,  Ger- 
many; she  was  born  about  1812,  daughter  of 
John  Lock.  Martin  Eyestone  emigrated  to 
this  country  and  located  in  Fayette  County 
at  an  early  day,  about  the  year  1837,  being 
one  of  the  first  settlers  there.  They  are  yet 
living.  William  was  raised  on  the  farm,  and 
about  the  time  he  became  of  age,  he  enlisted 
in  the  army,  in  Company  G,  Seventh  Illinois 
Cavalry;  went  in  March,  1864,  and  served 
until  December,  1865,  and,  upon  his  return 
to  peaceful  pursuits,  he  soon  married,  Jan- 
nary  26,  1866,  to  Elmira  H.,  born  in  June, 
1846,  in  Putnam  County,  Ind.,  daughter  of 
Joab  Yates  and  Mary  Kennedy  both  natives 
of  Kentucky,  and  removed  to  Indiana,  re- 
mained for  several  years,  and  finally  moved 
to  this  county,  where  they  died.  After  his 
marriage,  moved  into  Avena  Township,  where 
he  piirchased  a  farm  and  engaged  in  faitning. 
Continued  here  until  1878,  fall,  when  he  en- 


gaged in  the  stock  trade;  after  this,  engaged 
in  the 'grain  business,  which  he  carried  on 
some  time.  In  1880,  about,  he  pui-chased 
the  hardware  of  G.  W.  Gwin,  and  ran  this 
about  one  year,  then  sold  out,  and  for  a  time 
was  retired,  and  in  January,  1882,  he  started 
in  the  manufacture  of  harness,  and  is  yet  car- 
rying on  his  farm,  which  consists  of  120  acres 
in  Avena  and  160  in  this  county.  Mound 
Township.  He  has  two  children  living — 
Cora  and  Lotta;  one,  Rosa  Lee,  died  aged 
five  years,  in  1878.  He  has  been  a  member 
of  the  M.  E.  Chiu'ch  for  about  twenty-five 
years,  and  Steward  of  the  church.  He  cast 
his  first  vote  for  U.  S.  Grant,  and  has  since 
been  identified  with  the  Republican  party. 

JOEL  FINFROCK,  farmer,  P.  O.  Alta- 
mont, was  born  in  Muskingum  County,  Ohio, 
January  20,  1816,  to  Andi-ew  and  Susannah 
(Haines)  Finfrock.  His  father  was  born  in 
Lancaster  County,  Penn.  He  was  a  farmer, 
and  in  his  younger  days  worked  at  coopering. 
He  died  in  Ohio  in  1864.  Was  drafted  in 
Revolutionary  war,  but  was  not  called  on  to 
serve.  The  mother  of  oar  subject  was  born 
in  Maryland,  and  died  in  Effingham  County, 
111.,  in  about  1871.  They  were  the  parents 
of  five  children — thi'ee  boys  and  two  girls — 
of  whom  Joel  is  the  second  child.  Cathe- 
rine, the  oldest  living  child,  is  now  living 
with  her  brother  William,  and  youngest  liv- 
ing child  of  his  parents.  Joel  spent  his  boy- 
hood days  at  home,  receiving  such  an  educa- 
tion as  could  be  obtained  from  the  log  school- 
houses  of  his  day,  and  assisting  in  tilling 
the  soil  of  his  father's  farm.  He  remained 
at  home  until  he  was  twenty-two  years  of 
age,  and  embarked  on  his  career  in  life  as 
a  tiller  of  the  soil  in  his  native  county,  and 
continued  the  same  until  the  fall  of  1864, 
when  he  came  to  Effingham  County,  111.,  and 
settled  on  his  present  farm.  He  then  bought 
sixty  acres,  and  has  added  to  it  until  now  he 


94 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


is  the  owner  of  ninety  acres  of  well-improved 
land.  He  commenced  life  a  poor  man,  and, 
by  his  studied  economy  and  business  habits, 
he  has  succeeded  in  gaining  a  good  property. 
Now,  in  the  later  years  of  his  life,  he  is  sur- 
rounded with  those  comforts  and  enjoying 
those  pleasures  that  are  ever  the  result  of 
honesty,  industry  and  economy.  In  Musk- 
ingum County,  Ohio,  in  1838,  he  married 
Miss  Eliza  Huffman,  a  native  of  Muskingum 
County,  born  in  1819,  November  17,  to  Joseph 
and  Sarah  (Birkhimer)  Huffman.  He  was 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  she  of  Mary- 
land. Ml-,  and  Mrs  Finfrock  have  had  nine 
children,  all  of  whom  are  living — Susannah, 
wife  of  John  Birkhimer,  a  farmer  of  Jasper 
County,  111. ;  Ellen,  wife  of  James  Defen- 
baugh,  a  farmer  of  Eifingbam  County;  Cath- 
arine, wife  of  Robert  Ingram,  a  farmer  of  this 
county;  John,  married  aud  living  near  the 
home  farm;  Agnes,  wife  of  Frank  Birkhimer, 
a  farmer  of  this  county;  Julia,  wife  of 
Charles  Collins,  farmer  of  Jasper  County, 
111.;  George,  at  home;  Charles,  at  home; 
Jane,  wife  of  David  Armstrong,  a  farmer  of 
this  county.  Politically,  Democrat.  When 
they  were  married,  they  first  settled  in  Bridge- 
ville,  Ohio,  where  he  worked  out  by  the  month 
and  dav  on  a  farm,  and  from  his  earninars 
was  soon  able  to  buy  one  acre  of  land.  When 
he  came  to  this  county,  he  was  compelled  to 
work  out  by  the  month,  and  his  farm  was  un- 
improved. He  took  his  earnings  to  build  a 
log  cabin,  and  he  got  timber  to  farm  it,  and 
continued  to  save  until  he  was  able  to  add 
the  other  thirty.  Besides,  he  has  helped  his 
son  to  a  forty-acre  farm. 

WILLIAM  H.  FINFROCK,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Altamont,  was  born  in  Muskingum  County, 
Ohio,  September  10,  1823,  to  Andrew  and 
Siisannah  (Haines)  Finfrock.  His  father 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  Lancaster  Coun- 
ty, November  30,  1782.     He  was  a  cooper  by 


trade  and  worked  at  the  same  in  Pennsylva- 
nia, lu  about  1813,  he  emigrated  to  Ohio 
aud  located  in  Muskingum  County,  where  he 
principally  engaged  in  farming  until  the  time 
of  bis  death,  which  occurred  February  24, 
1804.  He  was  a  son  of  Tewalt  Finfrock,  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  of  French  descent. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  was  of  English 
descent,  born  in  Maryland  May  17,  1788.  and 
died  in  Effingham  County,  with  our  subject, 
April  2,  1869.  She  was  the  mother  of  live 
children,  of  whom  thi'ee  are  now  living, 
William  being  the  youngest  child.  He  was 
raised  on  a  farm  in  his  native  county  and 
educated  from  the  subcription  schools  com- 
mon in  his  day.  He  remained  with  his  par- 
ents to  the  time  of  their  death.  He.enarao'ed 
in  farming  in  Muskingum  County,  and  con- 
tinued the  same  until  1864,  when  he  came  to 
Illinois  and  located  on  his  present  farm  in 
Mound  Township,  one  aud  a  half  miles  from 
Altamont,  on  the  National  road.  In  Musk- 
ingum County,  Ohio,  Au'^ust  22,  1850,  he 
maiTied  Miss  Rebecca  Jane  Morrison,  a  na- 
tive of  Muskingum  County,  Ohio,  born  De- 
cember 21,  1830.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Nancy  (Dixou)  Morrison.  They  were 
natives  of  Ohio.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Finfrock 
have  three  children,  viz.:  Margaret,  wife  of 
Manuel  Kepler,  a  farmer  on  Mr.  Finfrock's 
farm;  Mary,  wife  of  Ephraim  Thrasher,  a 
farmer  of  Jackson  Township;  Sarah  J.,  at 
home.  Self  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Church.  Politically,  a  Democrat. 
He  commenced  life  very  poor,  and  worked 
hard  to  pay  for  his  farm.  He  is  now  the 
owner  of  forty  acres  of  prairie  and  ten  acres 
of  timber,  and  has  been  generally  siicessful. 
He  brought  a  valuable  team  with  him  from 
Ohio,  that  he  had  been  offered  $500  and  re- 
fused the  same.  He  found  one  dead  in  the 
stable,  and  the  other  was  struck  by  light- 
ning. 


MOUND  TOWNSHIP. 


95 


WILLIAM  FLORIN,  druggist,  Altamont, 
son  of  Peter  and  Serena  Florin,  was  born 
January  8,  1841^,  in  Madison  County,  III., 
where  he  was  raised  on  a  farm  until  fifteen 
years  of  age,  and  received  a  common-school 
education.  In  1859,  he  entered  the  State 
Normal  University  at  Bloomington,  111.,  and 
graduated  in  1865,  and  began  teaching  in  the 
fall  of  1805,  at  Lebanon,  St.  Clair  Co.,  111., 
and  remained  there  one  year  as  Principal  of 
the  German  department  of  the  public  schools. 
He  was  nest  Principal  of  the  Highland 
Schools  for  two  years,  when  he  returned  to 
Lebanon,  remaining  four  years  as  Principal 
of  the  public  schools,  and  afterward  one  year 
at  Highland.  He  nest  became  Principal  of 
the  grammar  department  of  the  public 
schools  at  Belleville  for  two  years,  and  was 
two  years  assistant  teacher  in  the  high  school. 
He  was  Principal  of  Edwards  Public  Schools 
one  year,  and  two  years  Principal  of  St.  Ja- 
cobs Public  Schools.  In  the  summer  of 
1879,  he  came  to  Altamont,  111.,  where,  in 
partnership  with  Andrew  Naegeli,  he  opened 
a  drug  store,  and  the  business  has  been  con- 
ducted by  subject,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Naegeli  &  Florin.  They  carry  a  full  stock 
of  di'ugs  and  medicines,  on  Railroad  street. 
Om-  subject's  pai'euts  were  boi-u  in  the  town 
of  Klosters,  Canton  Grumbuendten,  Switzer- 
land, where  they  were  also  married.  The  fa- 
ther was  a  teacher  in  Switzerland,  and  came 
to  the  United  State.s  in  1841,  and  settled  on 
a  farm  in  Madison  County,  111.,  where  he 
died  about  1850,  and  the  mother  died  in  No- 
vember, 1881.  They  had  five  sons  and  one 
daughter,  of  whom  three  sons  are  deceased. 

G.  C.  GOETTING,  milling,  Altamont,  is 
a  thorough  and  practical  millwright,  who 
learned  the  business  in  St.  Louis,  having 
served  a  thorough  and  long  apprenticeship 
under  some  of  the  best  workmen  and  first- 
class  mechanics  in  the  West,  and  is  not  only 


thoroughly  conversant  with  all  kinds  of  mill 
machinery,  but  understands  milling  as  it  is 
now  carried  orj  by  the  largest  and  most  suc- 
cessful mills  in  the  West.  He  was  born  May 
25,  1849,  in  Kur  Hessia,  Germany,  son  of 
Daniel  Goetting.  He  received  the  advan- 
tages of  the  best  schools  in  his  native  country, 
and  emigrated  to  this  country  in  1866,  locate 
ing  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  he  commenced 
the  trade  of  millwright,  and,  after  its  com- 
pletion, followed  the  business,  and  has  been 
engaged  in  building  some  of  the  largest  and 
best  mills  in  the  country.  July  8,  1878,  he 
associated  in  business  with  A.  K.  Halteman, 
which  was  subsequently  changed  to  Isaac  Q. 
Halteman  &  Co.,  which  yet  exists.  Mr. 
Goetting  came  to  this  town  in  the  summer  of 
1882,  and  purchased  the  flouring -mi  11  and 
good  will  of  Henry  Schlotterbeck,  and  has 
remodeled  the  entire  mill,  putting  new  ma- 
chinery of  the  latest  and  best  approved  ynd. 
Has  put  in  a  set  of  rolls,  and  has  a  capacity 
of  200  barrels  per  day.  His  products  find 
ready  sale,  and  his  mill  runs  day  and  night. 
He  exchanges  with  the  farmers,  who  will  al- 
ways find  Mr.  Goetting  ready  to  accommo- 
date them.  He  was  married,  October  8, 
1873,  to  Augusta  Melville,  I)y  whom  he  has 
three  children — Emma,  Addie  and  Lucy. 
Albert,  his  only  son,  died  June  11,  1881, 
aged  five  years. 

JAMES  GRANT,  farmer,  P.  O.  Altamont, 
was  born  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  December 
20,  1828,  to  Anthony  and  Rebecca  (Sloan) 
Grant.  He  was  born  in  New  Jersey;  came 
to  Pennsylvania  in  an  early  day,  and  to  Har- 
rison County,  Ohio,  in  about  1825,  and,  in 
1820,  to  Knox  County,  where  he  remained 
actively  engaged  in  farming  till  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  January,  1866, 
aged  eighty-threo  years.  The  mother  of  our 
subject  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  and  died  in 
Knox  County,  Ohio,  in  1869,  aged  eighty-six 


96 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


years.  She  was  the  mother  of  twelve  chil- 
dren, of  whom  our  subject  was  the  youngest 
child.  His  early  life  was  spent  in  receiving 
such  an  education  as  the  common  schools  of 
Knox  County  afforded,  and  assisting  in  till- 
ing the  soil  of  his  father's  farm.  He  re- 
mained at  his  home  until  he  was  twenty  years 
of  age,  when  he  married  and  embarked  on 
his  career  in  life  as  a  farmer,  upon  a  farm 
rented  of  his  father,  and  continued  the  same 
until  1851,  when,  with  his  wife,  one  child, 
one  two-horse  wagon,  loaded  with  his  house- 
hold goods,  which  was  all  of  his  possession, 
he  di'ove  across  the  country  to  Effingham 
County,  and  settled  in  the  timber  in  Mocca- 
sin Township,  and,  after  two  years,  moved  to 
his  present  farm,  being  but  a  few  settlers  in 
the  neighborhood  at  that  time.  He  there  en- 
tered 149  acl-es  and  is  now  the  owner  of  300 
acres.  He  gave  his  son  eighty  acres  of  it. 
In  1848,  he  married,  in  Knox  County,  Miss 
Elizabeth  Umphryes,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and 
died  in  Effingham  County  in  1878,  May  20, 
aged  fifty-fom-  years.  She  was  the  mother 
of  live  children,  of  whom  one  is  living,  John 
Wesley,  a  farmer  of  this  county.  In  Ohio, 
he  again  married,  August  29,  1848,  Miss 
Ann  Sinkey,  a  native  of  Ohio.  Politically, 
Democrat. 

JOHN  WESLEY  GRANT,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Altamont,  was  born  in  Knox  County,  Ohio, 
January  17,  1851.  He  was  brought  to 
Effingham  County  in  1851  by  his  parents, 
who  located  near  the  residence  of  our  sub- 
ject. He  attended  the  common  schools  of  the 
county,  and  spent  his  early  life  assisting  his 
father  in  fai'ming  until  he  was  about  twenty- 
one  years  of  age,  when  he  embarked  on  his 
career  in  life  as  a  farmer.  In  1871,  in 
Effingham  County,  he  married  Miss  Lovina 
Oliver,  a  native  of  Center  County.  Penn., 
born  April  1,  1849.  They  are  the  parents  of 
four  children,  of  whom  two  are  now  living — 


Clarissa    J.    and    Florence    A.      Politically. 
Democrat. 

G.  W.  GWIN,  merchant,  Altamont,  son  of 
Simeon  and  Elizabeth  (Henson)  Gwin,  born 
in  Jefferson  County,  111. ,  January  22,  1849. 
Our  subject  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  He  lived  in  Jefferson  County  until 
1861.  His  parents  moved  to  Ramsey,  Fay- 
ette Co.,  111.,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
learned  plasterer's  trade,  at  Assumption,  De- 
catur and  Vandalia,  working  as  apprentice 
for  five  years.  He  began  taking  contracts  in 
plastering  in  Fayette  County  in  about  1869. 
He  came  to  Altamont  August  15,  1871,  and 
located  as  contractor,  and  plastered  some  of 
the  first  buildings  erected  in  the  place.  He 
plastered,  in  the  town  and  vicinity,  about 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  buildings,  and 
built  some  brick  work.  He  continued  to 
work  at  trade,  employing  from  one  to  nine 
hands  for  about  six  years.  In  1877,  he  en- 
gaged in  the  retail  furniture  trade,  and  at 
the  same  time  sold  a  few  farm  implements. 
At  the  end  of  a  year,  sold  stock  of  furniture, 
and,  by  accident  rather  than  inclination,  was 
for  eight  mouths  interested  in  merchandis- 
ing, carrying  still  a  small  stock  of  farm  im- 
plements. In  1878,  he  erected  the  main 
building  of  his  present  hardwara  store,  and 
stocked  it  with  a  full  line  of  agricultiu-al  im- 
plements. He  conducted  an  exclusive  trade 
in  implements  until  Februai-y  10,  1879. 
when  he  added  a  $250  stock  of  hardware. 
As  trade  and  capital  increased,  he  enlarged 
his  stock  and  operations.  March  26,  1880, 
he  added  a  limited  stock  of  stoves,  and  short- 
ly afterward  he  added  a  tin  shop  and  began 
the  manufactui'e  of  tinware.  On  the  4th  of 
May,  1880,  he  sold  a  half-interest  in  hard- 
ware to  John  Ensign,  and  with  him,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Gwin  &  Ensign,  conducted 
the  hardware  trade  until  September  22,  1880, 
when  Mr.  Gwin  disposed  of  the   remaining 


MOUND  TOWNSHIP. 


97 


interest  in  the  hardware  stock,  and  for  a  time 
devoted  his  whole  attention  to  the  imple- 
ment busine.-s.  March  2,  ISSl,  he  bought 
Mr.  Ensign's  half-interest  in  hardware,  and 
thus  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Gwin 
&  Eyestone,  which  continued  until  in  July, 
1881,  at  which  time  Blr.  Gwin  bought  the  re- 
maining half-interest  of  Mr.  Eyestone,  and 
has  since  conducted  the  business  as  sole  pro- 
prietor. He  has  established  five  local  agen- 
cies in  Effingham  and  Fayette  Counties, 
which  are  supplied  from  this  house.  He  re- 
quires throughout  the  year  the  assistance  of 
two  men,  and  a  large  number  in  the  summer 
season,  and  has  sold  in  one  year  over  $45,- 
000  of  machinery.  He  has  also  dealt  in  real 
estate,  and  erected  several  buildings  in  the 
place.  He  takes  a  deep  interest  in  Sunday 
school  work,  and  has  been  Superintendent  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday  School  for 
eight  years.  He  was  married,  October  1, 
1871,  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Plant,  daughter  of 
James  Plant,  of  Greenville,  111. 

JEREMI.IH  HARMAN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Al- 
tamont,  was  bom  in  Tjancaster  County,  Penn., 
March  6,  1819,  to  Jo.seph  and  Elizabeth 
(Wolf)  Harmau.  Ho  was  born  in  Pennsylva- 
nia about  1778,  and  removed  from  Lancaster 
County  to  Adams  Couaty  in  the  spring  of 
1828,  where  he  died  the  same  year.  His 
business  was  that  of  a  farmer.  He  was  a  son 
of  John  Harman,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania in  1782,  and  died  in  about  1847,  in 
Ohio.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven  chil- 
dren— eight  girls  and  three  boys.  Of  the 
eleven,  subject  was  the  tenth  child.  His  ed- 
ucation was  limited  to  the  common  schools  of 
Lancaster  and  Adams  Counties,  Penn.  His 
schooling  was  received  in  the  log  house  com- 
mon in  his  day.  He  remained  at  home  until 
he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  ho  em- 
barked on  his  cai'eer  in  life  as  an  apprentice 


to  the  carpenter's  trade  for  one  year,  and 
then  learned  the  pump-maker's  trade,  and 
continued  the  same  until  1856,  and  then  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  piu-suits  in  \A'ayne 
County,  Ohio,  for  about  seven  years,  and  then 
removed  to  Ashland,  Ohio,  and  ran  a.  dray, 
and  engaged  in  the  freight  house  and  various 
other  occupations  for  four  years.  In  the 
fall  of  1867,  he  removed  to  Illinois  and  locat- 
ed in  Fayette,  and,  in  the  spring  of  1868, 
came  to  Effingham  County  and  located  on  his 
present  farm,  where  he  has  since  remained, 
actively  engaged  in  farming.  In  1840,  at 
Canton,  Ohio,  he  married  Catharine  Peeler, 
who  died  in  the  fall  of  1849,  leaving  two  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Elizabeth,  in  Logan  County, 
Ohio;  Penia  J.,  in  Carroll  County,  111.  In 
1852,  in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  he  married  Re 
becca  Thompson.  They  have  had  eight  chil- 
dren, of  whom  seven  are  now  living,  viz. : 
Mary  R.,  Sarah  E.,  Cora  M.  (deceased),  Ed- 
ward T.,  Clara  M.,  Hattie  L.,  Ida  Bell,  Jo- 
seph E.  In  county  officers  he  votes  for  the 
best  men,  but  in  general  elections  he  votes 
the  Repiiblican  ticket. 

MARTIN  HEIMrLNN,  blacksmith  and 
wagon-maker,  Altamont.  The  leading  and 
principal  interest  in  the  blacksmith  and  wag- 
on-making line  in  the  town  of  Altamont,  and, 
in  fact,  in  this  part  of  the  county,  is  that  run 
by  Mr.  Heimann  and  George  Ortmann,  who 
are  thorough,  practical  workmen,  which  fact 
has  been  recognized  by  the  people  in  this 
community,  who  have  given  them  a  liberal 
share  of  their  patronage.  Mr.  Heimann,  the 
senior  member  of  the  firm,  is  a  native  of  this 
State.  He  was  born  October  31,  1850,  in 
Damiansville,  Clinton  County.  His  parents 
were  Bernhard  Henry  Heimann  and  Cather- 
ine Adelheide  Menke,  both  natives  of  the 
province  of  Hanover,  and  emigrated  to  this 
country  as  early  as  18.30,  and  settled  in  Clin- 
ton   County,  where  they   engaged   in   farm 

G 


98 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ing,  and  remained  there  until  fheir  death, 
which  occurred  the  same  month  and  year, 
of  cholera,  August  15  and  8,  respective- 
ly, 1852,  leaving  six  sons,  of  whom  Mar- 
tin was  the  youngest.  The  older  boys  took 
care  of  the  young,  and,  in  the  abstnce  of 
their  par^ts,  tenderly  cared  for  the  children 
until  they  were  enabled  to  each  provide  for 
their  own  maintenance.  At  the  age  of  sixteen, 
he  began  learning  the  wagon-maker's  trade 
at  Damiansville,  which  he  followed  for  some 
time,  when  ho  engaged  in  farming.  Af- 
ter two  years'  experience  as  a  tiller  of  the 
soil,  he  came  to  this  county  and  purchased  a 
farm  in  Moccasin  Township,  and  continued 
farming  up  to  March,  1880,  when  he  sold 
out  his  farm  and  associated  with  Mr.  Ortmann 
in  the  manufacturing  business.  February 
27,  1872,  he  married  Rosina  Antonia,  a  na- 
tive of  St.  Louis,  daughter  of  Anton  Sandel. 
Has  four  children —Anna  M.,  Matilda  M., 
Louis  and  Catharine.  Member  of  the  Cath- 
olic Church,  and  in  politics  Democratic. 

M.  G.  HIGGINS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Altamont, 
was  borr  in  Rush  County,  Ind.,  July  16, 
1827,  to  William  A.  and  Elizabeth  (Wills) 
Higgins.  His  father  was  born  in  Virginia 
in  1790;  was  a  farmer,  and  died  in  Hen- 
dricks County,  Ind.,  in  1863.  He  was  a  son 
of  James  Higgins,  a  native  of  West  Virginia; 
was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Bourbon 
County;  was  a  Captain  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  serving  five  years.  Being  an  eccentric 
man,  he  refused  to  touch  the  2,600  acres  of 
land  that  was  set  oS  to  him  in  the  Western 
Reserve  of  Ohio.  It  is  said  that  he  had  the 
first  mule  that  was  foaled  in  Kentucky.  The 
mother  was  born  in  Bourbon  County,  Ky. ,  in 
1792,  and  died  in  Hendricks  County,  Ind., 
in  1865.  Her  parents  were  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia. She  was  the  mother  of  ten  children, 
of  whom  our  subject  was  the  sixth  child.  He 
was  raised  on   a   farm,  and   educated   at  the 


common  schools  of  his  day  in  his  native  coun- 
ty. At  seventeen  yea''s  of  age,  he  left  home 
and  embarked  on  his  career  in  life  as  a  hired 
hand  upon  a  farm.  At  twenty,  he  worked 
in  a  saw-mill,  and  soon  obtained  an  interest; 
afterward  became  the  owner  of  several  mills. 
At  twenty-five,  he  began  trading  in  stone; 
at  St.  Paul,  Ind.,  he  opened  the  quarries  at 
that  place,  and  at  the  same  time  was  engaged 
in  the  grain  business.  He  shipped  the  first 
grain  that  was  shipped  from  St.  Paul.  He 
then  became  engaged  in  real  estate  business 
and  stock- trading.  In  January.  1864.  he 
came  to  Effingham  and  ran  a  saloon  one 
year,  and  also  traded  during   the  time.      In 

1865,  in  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth  Reg- 
iment, was  selling  goods   in   the  army.     In 

1866,  he  continued  trading  again  uuti4  1868, 
when  he  began  farming  in  Shelby  County, 
and.  after  one  year,  in  Blue  Point,  in  Effing- 
ham County.  In  1875,  he  removed  to  Alta- 
mont, where  he  engaged  in  trading  in  stock 
until  1877.  when  he  came  to  his  present 
farm.  In  Shelby  County,  Ind.,  in  1848,  he 
married  Samantha  J.  Pierce,  who  has  borne 
him  six  children,  of  whom  three  are  now  liv- 
ing, viz.,  Herman,  Andrew  J.,  Alvin  I.  Has 
been  a  member  of  the  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  I. 
O.  O.  F.  Politically,  a  Democrat,  and  cast 
his  last  vote  for  McClellan. 

GEORGE  W.  HIGGS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Al- 
tamont, is  a  native  of  Effingham  County,  111., 
born  March  11,  1832,  born  to  Harrison  and 
Mary  (Martin)  Higgs.  His  father  was  born  in 
North  Carolina  in  1799,  where  he  was  raised 
and  educated;  afterward  went  to  Tennessee, 
and,  March  10,  1832,  came  to  Effingham 
Countv,  III.,  and  located  in  Jackson  Town- 
ship, where  he  remained,  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1839.  There  were  only  about  ten  or 
twelve  settlers  in  the  county  when  he  came, 
and  our  subject  remembers  of  seeing  the  In- 


MOUXD  TOWNSHIP. 


99 


dians  and  wolves.  He  was  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was 
born  in  Tennessee,  and  died  in  E.ilngham 
County  in  1834,  aged  thirty-four  yoars. 
She  was  the  mother  of  six  chikli-en,  of  whom 
oxu'  subject  was  the  fourth  child.  Of  them 
but  three  are  now  living.  George  was  edu- 
cated from  the  subscription  schools  of  Effing- 
ham County.  Ho  was  left  an  orphan  at  sev- 
en years  of  age,  and  mada  his  home  with 
Sam  Windsor  for  two  years,  John  I.  Brock- 
ett  three  years,  and  then  went  on  his  career 
in  life  as  a  laboring  man  upon  a  farm  In 
1853,  he  rented  somo  land  and  began  farming 
on  his  own  accjunt,  and,  two  years  later, 
bought  eighty  acres,  upon  which  he  is 
now  residing,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  ninety 
acres.  In  1853,  in  Effingham  County,  he 
married  Miss  Rachel  J.  Beck,  a  native  of 
Knox  County,  Ohio.  She  died  in  1855, 
leaving  one  child,  viz.,  William  Franklin. 
In  1858,  in  Effingham  County,  he  married  a 
second  time.  Miss  Adeline  Ward,  a  native  of 
Bond  County,  111.,  born  in  1843.  She  is  the 
mother  of  the  following  children:  Mary  A., 
Sarah  E.,  George  M.,  Lewis  A.,  Charley, 
James,  John.  Self  and  wife  are  members  of 
the  M.  E.  Church.  In  politics,  a  Democrat. 
GEORGE  HILLEMANN,  merchant,  Alta- 
mont,  was  born  in  the  villatre  of  Bierden. 
Kingdom  of  Hanover,  Germany,  November  1, 
1853.  He  came  with  his  parents  to  the  Unit- 
ed States  when  in  his  thirteenth  year.  His 
father  first  settled  in  Rochester,  N.  Y. ,  and 
came  to  this  county  in  1868.  His  father  was 
the  Rev.  J.  G.  M.  Hillemann,  who  took 
charge  of  the  St.  Paxil's  German  Lutheran 
Church,  one  mile  southwest  of  this  place. 
and  subject  lived  at  the  parsonage  until  he 
was  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to 
Vandalia  and  entered  the  printing  office  of 
the  German  paper  there  as  compositor,  and 
worked  at  printing  some  while  at  Rochester, 


N.  Y.  He  remained  hero  during  the  summer. 
He  then  lived  at  home  during  the  winter,  pm*- 
suing  his  studies, and,  the  next  sprin:^,  en- 
tered a  store  at  St.  Elmo  as  clerk,  from  May 
tj  October.  He  then  came  to  Alta  nont  and 
entered  the  employ  of  Buyer,  Datton  &  Co., 
as  clerk,  and  was  with  them  until  he  became 
a  partner  in  the  firm  C.  Kellim  &  Co.,  in 
1871,  and  was  with  this  firm  until  1873,  en- 
gaged in  general  merchandising.  He  then 
withdrew,  taking  his  interest  in  goods,  and 
opened  a  store  of  his  own  in  the  Coconower 
Building,  and  remained  there  until  May,  1S73, 
when  he  moved  into  his  present  store,  corner 
of  Main  and  Grove  streets,  where,  for  the  last 
nine  years,  he  has  enjoyed  a  liberal  patronage, 
carrying,  a  large  stock  of  general  merchan- 
dise, in  a  room  "22x70  feet  He  employs  two 
salesmen.  He  was  also  engaged  in  grain 
trade  during  1881.  Mr.  Hillemann  takns  an 
active  interest  in  local  politics,  and  was  the 
Republican  candidate  for  Circuit  Clerk  in 
1876.  and  is  the  present  (1882)  nominee  for 
County  Clerk.  His  father  was  born  in  Han- 
over about  1825.  He  was  educated  in  Staden, 
Hanover,  where  he  graduated,  and  finished 
his  theological  studies  at  New  Bergholz,  N. 
Y.,  in  1867,  and  came  here  in  1868,  and 
preached  for  St.  Paul's  German  Lutheran 
Church  of  this  township  until  1878.  He  be- 
gan his  ministrations  in  the  schoolhouse,  and, 
during  his  stay,  built  the  present  St.  Paul's 
Church.  In  1873,  ho  went  to  Sheboygan, 
Wis. ,  and  took  charge  of  two  congregations. 
He  married,  in  Germany,  Miss  Anna  E.  Lack- 
mann.  They  have  three  sons  and  seven 
daughters  living,  subject  being  the  second 
son. 

JOHN  F.  HIPSHER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Alta- 
mont,  was  born  in  Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  in 
1836,  January  18,  to  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Young)  Hipsher.  He  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania  July  18,    1802,  and    was   brought   to 


100 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Ohio  by  his  parents  when  he  was  quite  a 
young  boy.  They  located  in  Fairfield  Coun- 
ty, where  he  was  raised  and  educated.  He 
was  a  farmer,  and  came  to  Illinois  and  lo- 
cated in  Effingham  County  in  about  1851, 
where  he  died  in  February,  1874.  He 
bought  land  in  the  county  in  about  1830. 
He  was  the  owner  of  600  acres  and  gave  his 
children  half  a  section.  The  mother  of  our 
subject  was  born  in  Fairfield  County,  Ohio, 
July  24, 1803,  and  died  in  Effingham  Septem- 
ber 28,  1855.  They  were  the  parents  of  five 
children,  of  whom  our  subject  was  the  third 
child.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm,  and  re- 
ceived such  an  education  as  the  common 
schools  afforded.  He  remained  at  home  with 
his  parents  until  he  was  nineteen  years  of 
age,  when  he  embarked  on  his  career  in  life 
as  a  farmer,  upon  a  forty- acre  farm,  and  has 
continued  to  add  to  it  until  now  he  is  the 
owner  of  120  acres,  110  of  which  are  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation.  On  April  19, 1855, 
in  Effingham  County,  he  married  Edith  Nea- 
vill,  who  died  January  15,  1S58.  In  1800, 
August  23,  he  married  Miss  Catharine  Ster- 
ritt,  a  native  of  Scotland;  was  brought  to 
America  by  her  parents  in  1851.  She  is  the 
mother  of  eight  children,  of  whom  six  are 
now  living  viz.,  William  E.,  Margaret  E,. 
Anna  M.,  Ida  A.,  Allen  B.,  Robert  F.  An 
active  member  of  the  order  of  A ,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  at  Altamont  Lodge,  530.  In  politics,  a 
Democrat. 

MICHAEL  E.  HOGAN,  merchant,  Alta- 
mont. Among  the  successful  biisiness  men, 
and  who  ranks  in  the  list  of  self-made  men 
of  the  county,  is  Michael  E.  Hogan,  who  is 
the  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  M.  E.  Ho- 
gan &  Bros,,  of  this  town,  also  of  Hogan  & 
Clark,  of  Effingham.  He  was  born  August 
14,  1849,  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  the  eldest  son  of 
Christopher  Hogan  and  Ellen  King,  both 
natives  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  New  York 


State  in  1848,  coming  with  Smith  O'Brien 
and  John  Mitchell.  Christopher  Hogan  was 
a  large  stone  contractor,  and  did  a  large  bus- 
iness. Subject  came  West  with  his  parents 
in  1859,  locating  same  year  in  Fayette.  Fa- 
ther died  in  Fayette  County  September  16, 
about  1868.  His  wife  survived  him  several 
months.  Subject  is  the  eldest  of  eight  liv- 
ing children.  Subject  remained  with  par- 
ents until  about  the  year  1873,  January;  he 
engaged  in  business  with  Sumner  Clark  at 
Ramsey,  under  the  firm  name  of  M.  E.  Ho- 
gan &  Co. ,  which  lasted  until  the  spring  of 
1876,  at  which  time  he  came  to  this  place, 
where  he  started  on  his  ovvn  account  in  gen- 
eral store,  keeping  general  line  of  goods,  and 
since  continued  and  been  successful.  In 
connection  with  his  business,  he  has  been 
engaged  in  the  contracting  business,  doing  a 
large  and  very  successful  business,  being  the 
largest  dealer  in  that  line  in  this  part  of  the 
State,  having  handled,  in  the  last  year,  about 
350,000  ties,  of  about  $110,000  business. 
August  25,  1873,  he  married  Lucy  Dial,  born 
in  Fayette  County,  daughter  of  Lewis  Dial 
and  Rachel  Ream.  Has  four  children — Ella, 
Mabel,  Eugenia,  Thomas  E.  Member  of 
Catholic  Church. 

WILLIAM  N.  HOLLIS,  farcer,  P.  O.  Al- 
tamont, was  born  in  Sussex  County,  Del., 
January  1,  1832,  to  Noah  and  Catherine 
(Hardesty)  Hollis,  whose  history  appears  in 
the  sketch  of  Thomas  Hollis,  West  Town- 
ship. William  was  the  youngest  child  of 
his  parents,  raised  on  a  farm  and  educated 
from  the  common  schools  of  Ross  County, 
Ohio,  where  he  was  brought  by  his  parents 
when  two  years  old.  He  remained  with  his 
parents  until  he  was  twenly-one  years  of  age, 
when  he  embarked  on  his  career  in  life  as  a 
farmer,  with  one  horse,  upon  a  rented  farm 
for  two  years,  when  he  bought  fifty  acres  in 
Ross  County,  and  continued  on  there,  farm- 


MOUND  TOWNSHIP. 


101 


inrg  until  the  winter  of  1870,  when  he  came 
to  Illinois  and  located  in  Effingham. Coianty, 
on  his  present  farm.  Ho  then  bought  forty 
acres,  and  has  since  added  fort}-  to  it,  now 
having  eighty  acres,  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation.  January  27,  1853,  in  Ross  Coun- 
ty, he  married  Miss  Agnes  Thompson,  who 
was  born  in  Virginia  and  died  in  1869.  She 
was  the  mother  of  eight  children,  seven  of 
whom  are  living,  viz.,  Noah  F.,  Fran- 
ces Jane,  Mary  C.  (dead),  Rebecca  E.,  Emma 
a.  Ida  M.,  Martha  A.,  011a  A.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1870,  in  Vinton  County,  Ohio,  he  mar- 
ried Sarah  Ross,  a  native  of  Athens  County, 
Ohio,  born  in  1837.  Self  and  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  M.  E.  Church.  Politically,  is  a  Re- 
publican. He  entered  the  late  rebellion  in 
May,  1864,  and  was  mustered  out  August  of 
the  same  year.  He  served  in  One  Hundred 
and  Forty-ninth  Ohio,  under  command  Ken- 
ley's  brigade.  Was  guarding  a  wagon  train 
that  was  attacked. 

ARTHUR  HOWER,  merchant,  Altamont. 
has  been  identified  with  the  business  inter- 
ests of  this  town  since  September,  1876.  and 
of  the  State  since  1862.  The  history  of  this 
gentleman  in  brief  is  as  follows:  He  was 
born  in  St.  Joseph  County,  Mich.,  Decem- 
ber 13,  1847,  being  the  eldest  son  of  Nicho- 
las Hower,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  re- 
moved to  Michigan  when  a  young  man,  where 
he  afterward  married  Sophia  M.  Bristol,  who 
was  born  in  New  York,  daughter  of  Capt. 
Seaman  Bristol,  who  ran  on  the  lakes.  Sub- 
ject was  left  fatherless  in  1854,  and  remained 
with  his  mother  until  1868,  when  he  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  business  at  Kinmmidy, 
Marion  County,  this  State,  continuing  one 
year,  when  he  sold  out  his  interest  and  en- 
gaged in  handling  produce,  fruits,  etc.,  con- 
tinuing in  this  business  until  September, 
1876,  when  he  came  to  Altamont  and  engaged 
in  merchandising  in  copartnership  with  J.  P. 


Aydeldtt,  firm  name  being  Hower  &  Ayde- 
lott.  Fifteen  months  after,  he  associated 
with  Mr.  Davis,  who  purchased  the  interest 
of  the  former  partner.  This  association 
lasted  about  one  year,  when  he  purchased  his 
partner's  interest,  and  has  since  run  the  same 
on  his  own  account,  and  has  been  doing  a 
successful  business.  He  keeps  a  general 
store,  and  also  deals  in  railroad  ties  and  hard 
lumber;  also  has  a  half-inierest  in  the  man- 
ufacturing firm  of  Spence  Bros.  &  Co. ,  man- 
ufacturers of  babies'  and  children's  wagims, 
at  this  place.  February  9,  1872,  he  formed 
a  matrimonial  alliance  with  Harriet  Davis,  a 
native  of  Morrow  County,  Ohio,  daughter  of 
John  Davis.  He  has  one  child,  Jessie.  Is 
a  member  of  the  Ancient,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  and  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  of  this  place. 

PRESTON  K.  JOHNSON,  attorney  and 
Postmaster,  Altamont,  son  of  Dr.  John  B. 
and  Martha  (Davidson)  eTohuson,  was  born  in 
Montgomery  County,  Ind.,  March  1,  1854. 
At  the  age  of  eleven  years,  he  removed  with 
his  parents  to  Marion  County,  111.  He  was 
raised  on  a  farm,  and  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools,  and  began  teaching  at  the 
age  of  eighteen  years,  and  taught  for  three 
years  in  Marion  and  Fayette  Counties,  111. 
In  1875,  he  came  to  Altamont  and  began  the 
study  of  law  with  Hale  Johnson,  his  brothel, 
then  in  practice,here,  and,  after  studying  one 
year,  was  appointed  Postmaster  at  Altamont 
in  October,  1876,  and  for  about  iivo  years 
abandoned  law  studies,  engrossed  with  the 
duties  of  the  office.  Ho  resumed  law  studios 
in  the  fall  of  1880,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  May,  1882,  by  the  Supreme  Court,  at 
Springfield,  in  a  class  of  thirty-seven  per- 
sons, and  has  since  practiced  law  in  connec- 
tion with  the  duties  of  Postmaster.  His  fa- 
ther was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  moved  to 
Ohio  when  about  ten  years  of  age,  and  went 


103 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


to  Montgomery  County,  Ind. ,  when  a  young 
man,  whei-e  he  married.  He  studied  medi- 
cine in  Asbury  University,  Indiana.  He 
raised  a  company  for  the  Seventy -second  In- 
diana Vohiuteer  Infantry,  and  became  Assist- 
ant Sui'goon,  and  served  one  year.  He  came 
to  Marion  County,  111.,  in  1865,  and  settled 
near  Kinmundy.  where  he  farmed  and  prac- 
ticed medicine,  and  represented  Marion  and 
Fayette  Counties  in  the  Twenty-ninth  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  the  Illinois  Legislature,  and 
is  now  living  at  Judsonia,  Ark.  Has  five 
sons  and  three  daughters  living.  Our  sub- 
ject married  Miss  Belle  Chance,  near  Kin- 
mundy, 111.,  October  29,  1882. 

AA'ILLIAIM  KIECHOFF,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Altamont,  was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany, 
July  27,  1833,  a  son  of  Charles  Kirchoflf. 
William  was  raised  in  Germany,  on  a  farm, 
and  educated  in  the  Lutheran  schools.  In 
1856,  he  came  to  America,  by  sailing  vessel, 
from  Hamburg,  landing  in  New  York,  where 
he  remained  two  years,  where  he  engaged  as 
a  farm  laborer.  In  1858,  he  came  to  Illinois 
and  settled  in  EfiSngham  County,  and  worked 
the  farm  of  Joseph  Yates  for  four  years. 
He  bought  his  first  land  in  1858,  and  re- 
moved to  his  farm  in  1862.  Here  he  has 
since  remained,  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits, and  is  now  the  owner  of  135  acres  of 
land,  120  of  which  are  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation.  In  Germany,  in  1856,  he  mar- 
ried Mena  Ki-ainbrigs,  a  native  of  Prussia, 
Germany,  born  March  29,  1831.  They  have 
two  children — Frank  and  Mena.  Subject  and 
family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 
In  politics,  is  Independent- 

WILLIAM  C.  KLITZING,  merchant,  Al- 
tamont, was  born  in  Prussia,  in  the  village 
of  Neuendorf,  Germany,  August  29,  1845, 
At  the  age  of  eleveii  years,  he  came  with  his 
parents  to  the  United  States,  and  located  at 
Chicago  in  1857.     He  remained  in  Chicago 


until  1874,  and  there  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade,  and  the  manufacture  of  sash,  doors  and 
blinds.  He  came  to  Blue  Point  in  1874,  and 
in  1875  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
D.  Boyer  &  Co.,  in  general  merchandising, 
from  March,  1875,  to  December,  1876,  when 
Mr.  Boyer  sold  his  interest  to  H.  Mun^el, 
and  the  firm  has  since  been  Klitzing  &  Mun- 
zel.  They  occupied  a  site  adjoining  Boyer 
House  imtil  August,  1881,  when  they  moved 
into  their  present  room,  which  was  erected 
the  same  year  by  them.  The  main  building 
is  a  two-story  brick,  24x75,  with  wareroom 
in  rear  of  twenty  feet  length.  It  is  the  larg- 
est business  room  in  the  town,  and  is  stocked 
with  a  large  and  well-selected  stock  of  gen- 
eral merchandise.  Besides  the  partners,  two 
salesmen  are  employed.  Subject  was  mar 
ried,  in  1875,  to  Louisa  Sommerkamp,  of 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  has  two  children — 
Martha  and  Edward.  Our  subject's  father, 
John  Klitzing,  Sr.,  was  born  in  1812,  a  na- 
tive of  Prussia,  and  was  a  tavern-keeper  in 
the  village  of  Neuendorf,  where  he  married 
Maria  Oldenburg,  and  six  children  w^re  born 
in  Prussia  and  one  in  Chicago.  He  came  to 
Eflfingham  County  in  1862,  and  has  since 
farmed  near  Blue  Point,  Moccasin  Township. 
He  and  family  were  raised  in  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church. 

HENEY  KEOGMANN,  saloon,  Altamont, 
is  a  native  of  Gei-many,  born  January  25, 
1846,  in  Amt  Darma,  son  of  Frank  Krogmann 
and  Maria  Agal  Loot.  Henry  emigrated  to 
America,  arriving  Sejjtember  10,  1867,  and 
for  several  years  worked  for  John  F.  Wasche- 
fort,  of  Teutopolis,  remaining  with  him 
nearly  six  years;  afterward  was  four  years  in 
the  employ  of  Mr.  Holengstein;  subsequently, 
was  in  the  employ  of  other  parties  until  No- 
vember, 1876,  when  he  came  to  this  place 
and  engaged  in  the  hotel  business,  continu- 
ing in  this  line  until   June,  1879,  when  he 


MOUND  TOWNSHIP. 


103 


eugaged  in  the  saloon  business,  and  has  since 
continned,  doing  a  good  business,  having  a 
liberal  share  of  the  patronage  of  those  who 
love  choice  liquoi-s,  wines,  beer  and  cigars, 
of  which  he  keeps  a  constant  supply  always 
on  hand;  also  a  table  for  the  accommodation 
of  the  lovers  of  pool.  November  20,  1876,  he 
married  Elizabeth  Hannar,  a  nativ'o  of  In- 
diana, who  has  borne  him  one  child,  Hattie. 
Democratic  from  the  time  he  cast  his  first 
vote.  '' 

-ROBERT  LEITZELL,  farmer,  P.  O.  Al- 
tamont,  is  a  native  cf  Center  County,  Penn., 
born  July  18,  1861,  to  George  W.  and  Matil- 
da  (Strunk)    Leitzell.      His   father  was  born 
in  Union  County,  Penn.,  in  1829.     He  was 
raised  on  a  farm,  and  educated   in  the  com- 
mon schools.     He  was  married  in  1850,  in 
Union  County.     In  1866,  he  came  with   his 
family  to  Effingham  County,  111.,  and  located 
on  his  present   farm,  containing   220  acres. 
He  is  a  well-to-do   farmer,  and  bears  a  name 
and  reputation  that  is  beyond  reproach.      The 
mother  of  om-  subject  was  born   in  Mifflin 
County,  Penn.,  Mai-ch  11,  1830.     She  is  the 
mother  of   eleven  children,  of  whom  Robert 
is  the  fifth  child.     He  was  brought  to  this 
county  by  his  parents  when  but  five  years  of 
ase.      Was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  Effingham   County.     At  twenty  years  of 
age,  he  left  his  home,  took  a  trip  in  the  West, 
through  Iowa,   and  there  worked  for  about 
five  months  with  his  brother  on  a  farm.         e 
then   went   to    St.    Louis,   and   then  to    St. 
Charles  County,  Mo.,  where  he  ran  a  thresh- 
ing machine  during  the  fall  of  1881.      He 
then  went  to  Chicago  and  ran  a  street  car  on 
the  North  Side,  on  State   street,  and  contin- 
ued the  same  until  June,  1882.  when  he  went 
to    Jersey    County,    111.,    and   ran   a   steam 
thresher  until   November,  when  he  returned 
home,  where   he  expects  to  remain  and  man- 
age his  father's  farm.     He  is  an  enterprising 


young  man;    takes  great  interest  in  temper- 
ance.     Politically,  a  Republican. 

PETER  MAXHIMER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Al- 
tamont,  was  born  in  Allen  Coiinty  Penn., 
January  16,  1825,  to  Samuel  and  Elizabeth 
(Poorman)  Maxbimer.  He  was  born  in  Ger- 
many in  1801 ;  emigrated  to  Pennsylvania  in 
about  1825,  and  then  to  Stark  County,  Ohio, 
in  about  1827,  and  is  now  living  in  Ashland 
County.  He  is  now  living  with  son  upon  his 
farm.  He  has  retired.  He  was  a  farmer. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania in  1801.  and  died  in  Stark  County, 
Ohio,  in  18-il.  She  was  the  mother  of  six 
children,  of  whom  subject  is  second  child. 
He  remained  at  home  until  he  was  twenty- 
two.  He  attended  the  common  school. 
When  he  left  home,  he  removed  to  Indiana 
and  bought  120  acres,  and  farmed  seven 
years,  and  then  came  to  Effingham  County 
and  settled  on  his  present  farm.  He  there 
boiight  100  acres.  He  is  now  owner  of  120 
acres.  Member  of  Methodist  Church.  Po- 
litically, a  Democrat.  He  had  eight  children; 
six  living— Pearl  B.,  Ida  L.,  Emma  A.. 
Austin  O.,  Frank,  Elsie.  In  1847,  he  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Bishop,  who  died  in  1852. 
In  1855,  he  married  Josejihine  Owens,  who 
died  in  1875. 

G.  P.  M.iGERS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Altamont, 
was  born  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  February 
10,  1824,  to  William  N.  and  Jane  (Porter) 
Magers.  His  father  was  born  in  Frederick 
County,  Md.,  January  6,  1790,  where  he  was 
raised,  educated  and  married.  He  removed 
with  his  family  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  Knox 
County  in  1820,  and  removed  to  Noble  Coun- 
ty, Ind.,  in  1854,  where  he  died  ia  1855. 
He  was  a  farmer,  and  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
1812.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born 
in  Alleghany  County,  Md.,  in  1799,  and  died 
in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  in  182().  She  was  the 
mother  of  five  children,  of  whom  om-  subject 


104 


BIOUllArUICAL: 


was  the  fourth  child.     He  was  raised  and  edu- 
cated  in    Knox   County,   receiving  such    an 
education  as  the  subscription  schools  aiford- 
ed.     His  mother  died  when  he  was  two  years 
of   age.     His  early  life  was  spent  at  home, 
assisting  in  tilling  the   soil  of  his  father's 
farm.     At  about  twenty-one  years  of  age,  ho 
left  his  home  and  embarked  on  his  career  in 
life  as  a  shoe-maker  in  Maryland,  where  he 
went  on  leaving  home.     After  fom"  years,  he 
returned  to  Ohio  and  begran  farminar  in  his 
native  county.     He  removed  to  Indiana   in 
the  sjoring  of   1854,  and    located  in  De  Kalb 
County,  -where  he  remained  until  1801,  when 
he  removed   to  Allen  County  and   remained 
there  until  1872,  when  he  came  to  Effingham 
County   and   located    in   Mound   Township, 
west  of   the   Mound,  and  there  bought   140 
acres.      In  1876,  he  bought  his  jiresent  farm 
of   100   acres,  which   he   has    improved.     In 
Maryland,  in   1847,  he   married  Miss  Julia 
Ann  O'Brian,  who  has  borne  him  twelve  chil- 
dren, of  whom  nine  are  living,  viz.,  John  B. , 
William  E.,  Emma  C,  Samuel   D.,  Frances 
D.,  Lucy  A.,  Theodore  M.,   Mary  A.,  Anna 
B.     Subject  and  wife   are  members    of  the 
Catholic  Church.     In  politics,  is  a  Democrat. 
JAMES    S.  McCOY,  farmer.  P.   O.   Alta- 
mont,  was  born  in  Effingham  County,  111., 
October  31,    1857,    to  Elisha  and    Caroline 
(Ashing)   McCoy.      His   father  was  born  in 
Greene    County,    Ohio,    June  9,  1807.      He 
was  raised  on  a  farm  and    educated    in   the 
common  schools.      At   twenty-one   years    of 
age,  he  left  home  and  embarked  on  his  car- 
eer in  life  as  a  farmer  in  Fayette  County, 
Ohio.     In  1834,  removed  to  Allen  County, 
Ohio,  where  he  remained   luitil   1859,  when 
he  came  to  Illinois  and  located  in  Effingham 
County  on  his  present  farm.     Here  he  has 
since  remained.     He  has  been  twice  married. 
In  Madison  County,  Ohio,  March  10,  1836, 
he    married    Miss  Elizabeth  Stuthard,   who 


died  August  8,  1845.  She  was  the  mother 
of  four  children,  of  whom  one  is  now  living, 
viz.,  Bromwell.  In  1846,  March  17,  he  mar- 
ried a  second  time,  Miss  Caroline  Ashing,  a 
native  of  Champaign  County,  Ohio.  She  is 
the  mother  of  eight  children,  of  whom  seven 
are  now  living,  viz. ,  Sarah,  Margaret,  Alice. 
James,  Samuel,  Anna  and  Nancy.  Mr.  Eli- 
sha McCoy  has  been  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church  for  about  twenty-three  years. 
Politically,  he  is  a  Republican.  James  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Effing- 
ham CiDunty,  and  has  never  left  his  home. 
He  has,  however,  been  renting  a  portion  of 
his  father's  farm  for  foiir  years,  rolitically, 
he  is  a  Eejaublican,  and  cast  his  first  vote  for 
J.  A.  Garfield. 

G.  H.  MILLEVILLE,  agricultural  imple- 
ments, Altamont.  Among  the  dealers  in  ag- 
ricultural implements  of  this  county  is  Mr. 
Milleville,  who  was  born  in  Germany, 
village  of  Bergholtz,  on  November  16, 
1843,  the  third  son  of  eight  children  by 
his  father,  Philip  Milleville,  and  Augusta 
Schultz.  Gustavus  Henry  came  to  America 
with  his  parents  in  1847,  July  4,  arriving  in 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.  The  family  settled  in  the 
township  of  Wheatfield,  Bergholtz  Village. 
Father  was  a  blacksmith,  and  followed  his 
trade  here.  The  family  came  here  to  this 
county  in  1866.  Gustavus  H,  came  in  Feb- 
ruary; parents  came  in  April  following,  and 
settled  in  Mound  Township,  and  has  since 
remained.  G.  H.  worked  on  the  farm  from 
the  time  of  his  coming  here  until  1870.  In 
February,  same  year,  he  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  half  a  mile  south  of  Alta- 
mont. He  bought  the  interests  of  his  broth- 
er and  William  Krull,  and  his  sister's  inter- 
est, who  had  been  running  said  store,  in  con- 
nection with  his  sister,  Mrs.  Krull,  which 
partnership  lasted  until  May  of  1871,  when 
he  bought  his  sister's  interest,  and  then  took 


MOUND  TOWNSHIP. 


105 


in  Cliai-les  Kellim;  firm  was  Milleville  & 
Kellim.  This  lasted  until  July  15,  same 
year,  when  they  took  in  George  Hilleman; 
firm  was  Kellim  &  Co.  Eighteen  months 
later,  when  Mr.  Hilleman  dropped  but,  the 
business  was  then  continued  by  those  re- 
mainir^  until  about  one  year  after,  when 
Kellim  retired,  and  Mr.  Milleville  continued 
the  business  alone  until  September,  1876, 
when  he  sold  out  to  George  Hilleman  and  en- 
gaged in  the  agricultural  and  farm  imple- 
ment business.  He  has  doae  a  thriving  busi- 
ness; handles  McGormick's  harvesters,  and 
Fiirst  &  Bradley's  plows;  also  general  line  of 
fanning  implements.  He  moved  to  Altainont 
August  20, 1870.  and  moved  up  a  house  he  had, 
and  this  was  the  first  house  in  Altamont.  He 
was  appjinted  Postmaster  at  Mountville,  half 
a  mile  south  of  Altamont,  where  he  was  doing 
business.  First  commissii">n  was  dated  the 
31st  of  March,  1870.  Continued  here  as 
Postmaster  until  August  19,  same  year,  when 
he  got  the  name  nf  the  office  changed  to  Alta- 
mont, and  was  ro-commissionod,  the  8th  of 
December,  1870,  and  continued  as  Postmas- 
ter abijut  two  years.  When  the  administra- 
tion changed,  was  succeeded  by  John  C.  Rus- 
sell. Was  married,  November  24,  lcS70,  to 
Jouauaa  Wendt,  boi'n  in  Now  York  in  1850, 
daughter  of  Fred3ric  Wendt  and  Mena 
Sehultz.  Has  four  children — William,  Car- 
oline, Cordelia  and  John.  Members  of  Lu- 
theran Church.  Democratic  from  the  first 
vote  for  Lincoln.  January  28,  1864,  he  en- 
listed in  the  Second  Now  York  Mounted 
Rifles,  Company  I,  and  served  until  August 
10,  1865.  Served  in  fourteen  engagements. 
Regiment  was  1,'200  stroagat  first;  came  out 
460.  Some  of  the  most  prominent  battles. 
Was  in  all  the  battles  in  front  of  Petersburg; 
hardest  one  was  July  31,  1SG4.  June  14, 
same  year,  was  struck  with  shell  and  now 
carries  the  scar  on  his  leg. 


HERMAN  MUNZEL,  merchant,  Altamont, 
son  of  Christopher  and  Sophia  (Buchholz) 
Munzel,  was  born  in  the  village  of  Rosenthal, 
Hanover,  Germany,  May  14,  1843.  He 
learned  the  trade  of  barber  in  his  native 
town,  and  worked  at  it  until  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1865,  and  stopped  near  Hillsboro, 
Montgomery  Co.,  111.,  where  he  worked  on 
a  farm  for  six  months,  and  then  went  to  St. 
Louis,  where  he  followed  his  trade,  and  also 
at  Lebanon,  Mo.  At  Pierce  City  he  opened  a 
restaurant,  and  came  to  St.  Elmo,  111.,  in  1870, 
where  he  also  followed  mercantile  pursuits, 
and,  in  1872,  came  to  Altamont,  111.,  where  he 
followed  the  same  business  until  1875,  when 
he  bought  a  farm  in  Fayette  County,  111.,  and 
operated  it  one  year,  and,  in  Deeembei-,  1876, 
he  bought  a  half-interest  in  a  stock  of  mer- 
chandise, and  formed  the  present  partnership 
of  Klitzing  &  Munzel,  and  has  since  conduct- 
ed a  successful  business  in  general  store.  He 
was  married,  in  1872,  to  Miss  Augusta  Rade- 
loff,  of  thi^  couaty,  and  has  three  children 
living — Lydia,  Edward,  Agnes.  He  came  to 
this  county  with  small  capital,  and  has  made 
all  by  his  own  labor  and  management. 

D.  P.  NEEDHAM,  farmer,  P.  O.  Alta- 
mont, was  born  in  Clark  County,  Ind.,  on  the 
Ohio  River,  December  22, 1830,  to  Daniel  P. 
and  Julia  Ann  (Kincaid)  Needham.  His  fa- 
ther was  born  iu  Bradford  Couuty,  Penn. ,  in 
1804.  He  was  a  carpenter  and  farmer.  He 
emigrated  to  Coles  County,  111.,  in  1831 ;  was 
among  the  first  settlers  of  that  county,  and 
settled  on  ihe  head  of  Muddy  Point,  and  sub- 
sequently at  Charleston,  Jewett,  and  Spring 
Point  Township,  where  he  lived  for  forty 
years,  and  died  in  February,  1875.  His  par- 
ents were  of  English  descent,  and  natives  of 
Pennsylvania.  The  mother  of  our  subject 
was  born  in  Erie  County,  Penn.,  in  1805, 
and  died  in  Cumberland  County  in  October, 


106 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


1866.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  our  subject  was  the  second 
child.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm  in  Cumber- 
land County,  111.,  and  educated  from  the 
common  schools  of  that  county.  He  re- 
mained with  his  parents  until  he  was  twenty- 
four  years  of  age.  At  twenty-one  he  em- 
barked on  his  career  in  lite  at  the  carpenter's 
trade,  with  his  parents.  At  twenty- four,  he 
began  farming  in  Effingham  County.  He 
made  his  settlement  in  1855  or  1856,  St. 
Francis  Township,  where  he  remained  until 
1872,  with  the  exception  of  two  years  he 
spent  in  Effingham,  working  at  the  carpen- 
ter's trade.  He  bought  his  present  farm  in 
the  winter  of  1871,  and  removed  to  the  same 
the  following  spring,  and,  the  same  year, 
erected  a  brick  residence.  He  is  now  the 
owner  of  200  acres  of  good  land  in  the 
county.  In  1S55,  January  23,  in  Indiana, 
he  married  Miss  Mary  M.  Westbrook,  a 
native  of  Ohio,  born  October  24,  1832.  She 
is  the  mother  of  five  children,  four  of  whom 
are  living,  viz.:  John  W.,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy; William  C,  James,  Ada  J.,  Charles 
N.  Was  Supervisor  for  one  term;  School 
Trustee;  is  now  holding  it  this  eight  years. 
Dimitted  member  of  the  order  of  A.,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  at  Effingham,  149.  Politically  his  sym- 
pathies are  with  the  Democratic  party, 
stvoncr,  and  cast  his  first  vote  for  Franklin 
Pierce. 

ALFRED  NEWMAN,  Sr.,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Alhamont,  was  born  in  North  Carolina  June 
4,  1812,  to  Jesse  and  Luany  (Watkins)  New- 
man. His  father  was  born  in  Stokes  Coun- 
ty, N.  C,  in  1770,  where  he  was  raised  on  a 
farm,  educated  and  married.  In  1818,  he 
emigrated  with  his  family  to  Virginia,  and 
located  on  the  Blue  Kidge  Mountains,  in 
Grayson  County.  Here  he  remained  five  years, 
and,  in  1823,  moved  to  McMinn  County,  Tenn. 
In  1835,  while  en  route  to  Missoiu-i  with  his 


son-in-lasv  to  look  at  the  country,  he  was  tak- 
en  with  a  fever,   and  died  in  Warsaw,  Mo. 
after  a  short  sickness.     He  was  a  son  of  John 
Newman,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  of  Irish 
descent.      He  was   a  soldier  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.     His  parents   were    natives  of 
Ireland.     The    mother    of   our   subject,  was 
born  in  North  Carolina  in  1767,  and  died  in 
1833.   She  was  of  Irish  descent.  They  were  the 
parents  of  twelve  children,  of  whom  Alfred, 
our  subject,  was  the  youngest  child.     She  was 
first  married  to  John  George,  who  lived  only 
three  years.     Alfred  waj  raised  on  a   farm, 
and  received  such  an  education  as  the  sub- 
scription and  common  schools  of  his  day  af- 
forded,  all   received   from   the    log   school - 
houses.     He  remained  at  home  until  he  was 
thirty-one  years  of   age,  when  he    embarked 
on  his  career  in  life  as  a  farmer,  at  which  he 
has  since  continued.      In  1836,  he  came   to 
Illinois    and    located    in    West    Township, 
Effingham   County.      His    mother,   brother, 
sisters  and  niece  came  with  him.      They  came 
by  wagons,  driving  through  from  Tennessee, 
taking  twenty-seven  days  to  make  the  jour- 
ney,   and  camped  out   at  night.      When  he 
first  came  to  the  county,  the  Indians  used  to 
come  in   a  tribe  to  hunt,   and  the  families 
used   to  fear  them.     During    his    life.    Mr. 
Newman  has  accumulated  400  acres  of  land, 
and   is    now  the   owner  of    140,  'at  the   old 
homestead.     In    July,    1844,    in    Effingham 
County,  he  married  Ellen  Drysdale,  a  native 
of  Switzerland  County,  Ind.,  born  May  14. 
1826.      They  were  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
di-en,  viz,:     Jesse;    Charity,    wife    of    R.  C. 
Martin;  Jane,  wife  of  Edwai-d  Grace;  Mar- 
garet, widow  of  Thomas  Howe;  William;  Al 
fred   A.;    Mary,   wife   of    James  Robinson; 
James  D.,  Thomas  J.,  Allen  and  Ella.     Mr. 
Newman    has   twelve    grandchildren   living. 
Mr.    Newman  is   a  Democrat;  never  sought 
political  promotion,  nor  clamored  for  office. 


MOUKD  TOWNSHIP. 


107 


believing  it  to  be  more  consistent  with  his 
viewH  to  stay  at  home  and  'give  his  time  and 
attention  to  his  farm  and  family. 

WILLIAM  OLIVEil,  farmer,  P.  O.  Alta- 
mont.  was  born  in  Lebanon  County,  Penn., 
March  27,  1831,  to  Matthew  Nelson  and 
Mary  Sarah  (Emrich)  Oliver.  His  father  was 
born  in  England ;  was  brought  to  America  by 
his  parents  when  he  was  a  baby;  his  mother 
died  when  ho  was  two  years  old,  and  his 
father  when  he  was  seven  years.  He  was 
raised  an  orphan  in  Lancaster  County,  Penn. 
He  was  born  in  1800,  and  died  in  Pennsylva- 
nia in  1S67;  was  a  distiller  and  farmer.  He 
was  a  son  of  James  Oliver,  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolutionary  war.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  in  Lebanon 
County,  in  1807,  and  is  now  residing  in 
Etfingham  County  with  her  daughter,  Mi-s. 
Bowers.  She  is  the  mother  of  eleven  children, 
William,  our  subject,  being  the  fifth  child.  He 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Penn- 
sylvania, was  raised  on  a  farm  and  spent  his 
arlv  life  in  assisting  in  tilling  the  soil  of  his 
father"  s  farm.  Before  he  arrived  at  his  majori- 
ty, learned  the  trade  of  a  mason  of  his  brothers. 
At  twenty-two  years  of  age,  he  left  home  and 
embarked  on  his  own  career  in  life,  and 
worked  at  his  trade  for  about  eight  years. 
In  1861,  he  commenced  farming  in  Center 
County,  Penn.,  but  was  drafted  in  1863,  and 
served  in  the  last  rebellion  to  the  close  of 
the  war.  One  Hundred  and  Forty-ninth  Buck 
Tails.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  ho  returned 
to  Center  County,  and  again  took  upon  him- 
self the  duties  of  a  farm  life,  until  1867, 
when  he  with  his  family  removed  to  Illinois 
and  settled  on  his  present  farm  the  same 
year.  He  is  the  owner  of  eighty  acres  of 
good  land.  In  1854,  in  Pennsylvania,  he 
married  Miss  Sarah  Eishel,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, born  April  7,  1834.  They  are  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  three  are 


now  living,  viz.,  Adam  H.,  Sadie  E.,  William 
K.  He  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church.  He  is  a  Republican.  Since  he 
came  to  the  count}',  he  has  at  times,  when  he 
could  leave  his  farm  work,  been  engaged  in 
building  the  brick  houses  at  Altamont.  His 
daughter  Louisa  Rebecca  was  passing  by  the 
now  beautiful  cemeteiy  at  Altamont,  in  com- 
pany with  several  of  her  companions,  and  in 
the  conversation  wondered  who  would  be 
the  first  one  buried  there,  and  in  two 
weeks  it  fell  to  her  to  give  up  her  earthly 
home  and  rest  in  the  same  ground  that  was 
laid  out  for  the  cemetery. 

J.  M.  D.  ORRELL,  railroad  agent,  Alta- 
mont, is  the  efficient  agent  of  the  St.  Louis, 
Vandalia,  Terre  Haute  and  Ohio  &  Mississippi 
Railroads  of  this  place,  who  has  had  charge 
of  the  offices  since  August  1,  1877,  and  has 
engaged  in  railroading  since  thirteen  years 
of  age.  He  was  born  January  24,  1847,  in 
Mooresville,  Morgan  Co.,Ind.,  the  eldest  son 
of  Marcus  L.  Orrell,  a  native  of  Guilford 
County,  N.C.,  sou  of  Daniel  B.  Orrell,  who  died 
in  1869,  having  attained  to  the  remarkable  age 
of  one  hundred  and  three  years,  lacking  two 
months  and  three  days.  The  father  of  our  sub- 
ject removed  to  Morgan  County,  Ind.,  when  a 
young  man,  and  there  engaged  in  milling, 
and  theremarriedLucinda,  daughter  of  Peter 
Spoon,  also  a  North  Carolinian,  who  came  to 
Mooresville,  Ind.,  the' same  time  with  the  Or- 
rell family.  She  died  in  December,  1876, 
aged  fifty  three  years,  having  borne  seven 
children,  whose  names  are  Mary  E.,  Jasper 
M.  D.,  Adolphus  L.,  Laura,  Ellen,  Lillie  and 
Cory  C.  In  1855,  Marcus  L.  removed  to 
Quincy,  Ind.,  where  he  yet  resides.  Mary 
E. ,  the  eldest  child,  is  the  wife  of  George 
Tyler,  and  resides  in  this  town.  Laura  lives 
in  Quincy,  Ind.,  wife  of  John  Asher.  Ella 
is  the  wife  of  Wiley  P.  Jones,  of  Highland, 
this  State.     Lillie  resides  in  New  Providence, 


108 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Ind,  wife  of  David  McGill.  Adolphus  is 
railroad  agent  at  Qnincy,  Ind.,  on  the  New 
Albany  road.  Jasper  M.  D.,  began  his  ca- 
reer as  a  railroader  at  the  age  of  thirteen, 
when  he  began  the  art  of  telegraphy,  making 
his  first  commencement  in  chai'ge  of  an  office 
at  Bedford,  Ind.,  and  since  that  time  has 
been  located  at  various  points;  was  three 
years  agent  and  operator  on  the  Ohio  &  Mis- 
sissipjai  Railroad,  and  for  some  time  was  gen- 
eral operator  on  the  Union  Pacitic  Railroad, 
and  since  1874,  has  been  in  the  employ  of 
the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  Railroad  Company, 
and  since  August,  1877,  in  charge  of  the  office 
at  this  place,  on  the  St.  Louis,  Vandalia  & 
Terre  Haute  Railroad,  having  now  both  offices 
in  charge.  August  1, 1869,  he  married  Mary 
H.,  born  in  Mount  Zion,  Ind.,  daughter  of 
William  Gwin  and  Rebecca  Mouser,  the  for- 
mer of  Virginia,  the  latter  of  Kentucky. 
Mr.  Orrell  has  a  small  farm  lying  adjacent  to 
the  town  where  he  resides.  He  has  two  chil- 
dren— Lora  Elvira  and  Ida  E.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Republican. 

GEORGE  ORTMANN,  wagonmaker,  Al- 
tamout.  Of  the  self-made  mechanics  in 
Effingham  County  is  George  Ortmann,  who 
came  to  this  town  in  February,  1876,  and  has 
since  been  identified  with  the  business  inter- 
ests of  this  place.  He  was  born  April  24, 
1852,  in  Amt  Cloppenbiu-g  Prussia,  son  of 
Wilhelm  and  Kate  (Helen)  Ortmann,  to  whom 
were  born  four  children,  two  sons  and  two 
daughters.  At  the  age  of  eighteen,  George 
emigrated  to  this  State,  coming  to  Clinton 
County,  where  he  attended  English  schools 
for  awhile,  afterward  completed  the  wagon- 
maker's  trade,  which  he  continued  some  time 
as  a  journeyman  workman,  up  to  the  time  of 
his  coming  to  this  place,  in  February,  1876, 
wLen  he  set  up  in  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count, continuing  in  this  manner  until  his 
association  with  Martin  Heinmann,  in  March, 


1880,  when  the  business  is  carried  on  as  Ort- 
mann &  Heimnann.  In  connection  with 
their  large  wagon  and  paint  shop,  they  carry 
on  blacksinithing  at  the  same  time,  and  are 
turning  out  iirst-class  work,  and  having  all 
the  work  they  can  do.  October  20,  1876,  he 
married  Kate  Kolker,  a  native  of  the  county; 
she  has  borne  him  three  children — Frankie, 
Eddie  and  Clara.  Democratic,  and  a  member 
of  che  Catholic  Church. 

ORLANDO  POORM.VN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Al- 
tamont,  was  born  in  Stark  County,  Ohio, 
July  20,  1837,  to  Peter  and  Maria  (Werner) 
Poorman.  His  early  life  was  spent  in  re- 
ceiving such  an  education  as  the  common 
schools  of  Ohio  afforded,  and  assisting  in 
tilling  the  soil  of  his  father's  farm.  He  has 
always  remained  with  his  parents,  and  came 
with  them  to  Effingham  County  in  1861,  and 
settled  on  the  same  farm  where  our  subject 
is  now  living.  When  he  first  came  he  bought 
365  acres  of  land,  and  is  now  the  owner  of 
the  same.  The  father  of  our  subject  makes 
his  home  with  oiu'  subject,  but  is  now  visiting 
with  his  daughter,  in  Shelby  County.  In 
Effingham  County,  in  18S2,  he  married  Miss 
Caroline  Hott,  a  native  of  Fairfield  County, 
Ohio.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Philip  Hott, 
now  residing  in  Fayette  County;  he  is  a  farm- 
er. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Poorman  have  only  one 
child,  viz.,  Iva  Lorrin,  born  August  31, 1877. 
Subject  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Reform 
Church.  Politically,  his  sympathy  is  with 
the  Democratic  party. 

GEORGE  W.  POORMAN,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Altamont,  was  born  in  Stark  County,  Ohio, 
September  30,  1838,  to  Peter  and  Maria 
(Werner)  Poorman.  He  was  born  in  Franklin 
County,  Peun.,  near  Chambersburg,  February 
27,  1809;  he  was  raised  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
came  to  Stark  County,  Ohio,  in  1827,  where 
he  remained  until  1861,  when  he  came  to 
Effingham  County,  111.,  and  settled  near  Blue 


MOUND  TOWNSHIP. 


10!) 


Mound.  He  is  now  living  in  Shelby  County 
with  his  daughter.  He  is  now  retired;  was 
a  farmer.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was 
born  in  1814,  in  Franklin  County,  Penn.;  she 
died  in  August,  1850.  They  were  the  parents 
of  nine  childi-en,  seven  of  whoju  were  raised. 
Subject  is  the  second  child.  His  early  life 
was  spent  in  receiving  a  common-school  edu- 
cation in  Stark  Co. ,  Ohio,  and  Heidelberg  Col- 
lege, Tiffin,  one  session.  He  remained  with  his 
parents  until  he  was  twenty-nine  years  of  age, 
and  previous  to  that  taught  school  in  Stark 
County,  and  twelve  years  in  Effingham  and 
Fayette.  He  taught  the  first  school  in  Alta- 
mont.  In  1878,  he  gave  up  teaching,  and  be- 
gan farming,  which  he  has  continued  since. 
His  farm  is  located  one-foiu-th  mile  from  Alta- 
mont.  In  1873,  in  Fayette  County,  he  mar- 
ried Eliza  J.  Watson,  a  daughter  of  Alfred 
and  Christiana  Watson.  They  have  five 
children,  viz.,  Lucy,  Mary,  Clara  M.,  Alfred 
P..  Charles  W.  He  was  second  Township 
Clerk  and  served  three  years;  was  Collector 
one  year.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the 
A.  O,  U.  W.,  at  Altamont,  Blue  Mound 
Lodge  (Financier  of  it).  Himself  and  family 
are  members  of  the  Reformed  Church  of  the 
United  States.  In  politics,  his  sympathy  is 
with  the  Democratic  party;  also  his  father. 
He  came  to  Effingham  County  in  1857,  and 
located  near  his  present  residence. 

JOSEPH  F.  QUATJMAN,  merchant,  Alta- 
mont, son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  Ann  (Otten) 
Quatman,  was  born  in  Teutopolis  Township, 
two  miles  north  of  Teutopolis,  111.,  April  8, 
1851.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
and  St.  Joseph's  College,  and  was  raised  on 
a  farm  until  the  age  of  sixteen  or  seventeen, 
when  he  entered  upon  an  apprenticeship  at 
shoemaking,  and  served  two  years  with  B.  Ho- 
debecker,  of  Effingham,  and  afterward  worked 
as  a  journeyman  at  different  points  in  the 
West,  and,  in  1873,  when  he  settled  at  Alta- 


mont, 111.,  and  was  the  second  shoe-maker 
that  located  here.  He  started  his  fii-st  shop 
in  the  north  "  Y "  of  Railroad  street,  and 
moved  to  Railroad  street  two  months  later. 
He  has  been  located  on  Railroad  street  ever 
since,  except  about  one  year  on  Main  street. 
He  employs  from  one  to  two  journeymen,  and 
carries  a  full  stock  of  boots  and  shoes,  doing, 
also,  a  large  custom  trade.  He  was  married, 
in  October,  1874,  to  Miss  Anna  Hays,  of  Mat- 
toon,  111.,  and  has  five  children  living.  His 
father,  Joseph  Quatman,  was  born  in  Essen, 
Oldenburg,  Germany,  May  10,  1810.  He  was 
the  schoolmate  of  the  late  John  F.  Wasche- 
fort  in  Germany.  He  came  to  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  in  1836,  and  worked  at  different  points 
in  Ohio,  at  various  callings,  until  1846,  when 
he  came  to  this  county,  and  bought  land  in 
Teutopolis  Townshif),  where  he  still  lives, 
engaged  in  farming.  He  had  three  sons  and 
two  daughters,  of  whom  two  sons  and  one 
daughter  are  living — Frederick  Quatman,  of 
Teutopolis;  Mary,  wife  of  August  Schults, 
St.  Francis  Township,  and  subject.  The 
father  and  mother  were  married  in  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio. 

MICHAEL  REIS,  grocer,  Altamont.  Of 
the  several  grocers  in  the  town  of  Altamont 
that  supply  the  people  with  the  necessaries 
of  life  in  his  line,  is  Mr.  Reis,  who,  though 
having  a  small  store,  yet  there  are  none  that 
are  bringing  in  the  possessor  more  satisfac- 
tory returns  for  the  amount  invested  than  the 
store  of  the  above-mentioned  gentleman.  His 
stock  of  goods,  consisting  of  groceries,  queens, 
stone  and  wooden  ware,  tobaccos,  pipes  and 
cigras,  etc.,  are  all  well  selected  and  sold  at 
prices  inviting  competition.  He  was  born 
June  2,  1837,  in  the  Province  of  Stai-ken- 
burg,  Prussia,  eldest  son  of  Bartholomew 
Reia  and  Anna  Hertling.  He  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1853,  arriving  in  New  York  February 
8,  in  company  with  his  parents,  and  removed 


110 


BIOGRAPHICAl.: 


with  them  tj  Portage  County,  Ohio,  and  after 
a  brief  sojourn,  they  located  two  years  in 
Tuscarawas  County;  afterward  i-e moved  to 
St.  Louis,  living  one  year,  finally  locating  in 
St.  Clair  County,  where  he  followed  the  coop- 
er'-s  trade,  which  he  began  learning  at  the 
age  of  nineteen,  first,  in  St,  Louis,  complet- 
ing the  same  after  his  removal  to  St.  Clair. 
February  29,  1870,  he  married  Gertrude 
Summerfield,  a  native  of  the  Province  of  Po- 
sen,  in  Prussia,  who  has  borne  him  one  child 
— Frank      Member  of   the  Catholic  Church. 

J.  A.  REYNOLDS,  express  agent,  Alta- 
mont.  The  obliging  agent  of  the  American 
Express  Company  of  Altamont  was  born  Jan- 
uary 8,  1854,  in  Fayette  County,  this  State, 
son  of  Joseph  Reynolds,  a  native  of  Knox 
County,  Ohio.  His  mother's  maiden  name 
was  Cynthia  Ray.  Subject  was  raised  upon 
a  farm  and  when  a  young  man  began  clerk- 
ing in  a  store  for  Samuel  Rhode,  of  Browns- 
town,  and  continued  with  him  until  Novem- 
ber 1,  1876,  when  he  took  cliarge  of  the  rail- 
road office  and  express  business  and  ran  the 
same  for  four  years.  In  1S80,  he  came  to 
this  place,  and  has  since  had  charge  of  Amer- 
ican Express  Company's  business  here.  De- 
cember 23,  1876,  she  was  married  to  Carrie 
Pearce,  who  was  born  in  Attica,  Ind. ,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Pierce.  She  died  August  24, 
1878,  having  borae  him  two  children — Pearl 
and  Blanche.  His  last  marriage  was  May  5, 
1881,  to  Laura  V.,  daughter  of  Ambrose 
Besse.  She  has  borne  one  child — Mabel. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Chm-ch  and 
of  the  Legion  of  Honor. 

JOHN  RHODES,  grain  dealer,  Altamont. 
Among  the  business  men  of  this  town  is  Mr. 
Rhodes,  who  is  a  native  of  this  State;  he  was 
born  in  Fayette  County  March  9,  1843,  the 
youngest  son  and  child  of  Joseph  and  Mar- 
garet Rhodes, both  natives  of  Fayette  County, 
Ponn.,  and  settled  in  Perry  County,  Ohio,  re- 


maining there  several  years;  about  the  year 
1840,  removed  to  Greene  County,  Illinois,  and 
removed  to  Fayette  County,  where  he  settled 
and  has  since  remained.  To  them  were  born 
nine  children,  of  whom  two  sons  and  daugh- 
ters are  living.  John  re'nained  at  home  on 
the  farm  iintil  twenty- eight  years  of  age, 
when  he  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  ac- 
count, continuing  here  until  the  fall  of  1872, 
when  he  came  to  Altamont  and  engaged  in 
the  livery  business  with  his  brother  Jacob, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Rhodes  Bros. ;  this 
continued  about  four  years,  when  he  engaged 
in  the  saloon  business,  which  he  still  runs. 
Since  March,  1882,  he  has  been  associated 
with  Samuel  Cooper  in  the  grain  and  stock 
business.  He  was  married,  October  1,  1871, 
to  Samantha  White,  daughter  of  J.  M.  White 
and  Desdemona  Shell.  , He  has  two  children 
— John  and  James  E.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  American  Legion  of  Honor,  No.  160. 

SYLVESTER  STUART  RICE,  physician, 
Altamont,  whoso  portrait  appears  in  this 
work,  was  born  in  Trumbull  County,  Ohio, 
July  4,  1834,  son  of  Jonathan  Stuart  and 
Martha  (Mathews)  Rice,  he  born  in  Doyles- 
town,  Bucks  Co.,  Penn. ,  September  20,  1808, 
and  died  January  20,  1852;  she  born  near 
Gunpowder,  Md.,  June  10,  1810,  and  died 
September  30,  1867.  The  parents  were 
farmers,  and  moved  to  Trumbull  County, 
Ohio,  in  May,  1834.  Thoy  were  married  Au- 
gust 28,  1833,  and  were  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  three  of  whom  are  living — Mary  J., 
Marian  L.  (Rice)  Smith,  and  our  subject. 
The  latter  received  his  early  education  in  the 
public  schools,  and  after»vard  studied  at  Sa- 
lem and  Mt.  Union,  Ohio.  He  attended  med- 
ical lectures  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1855  and 
1856,  and  afterward  took  a  post-graduate 
course  in  the  Missouri  Medical  College  in 
1882.  He  taught  school  in  Burkesville,  Ky., 
from  the  fall  of  1852  to  the  spring  of  1854; 


MOUND  TOWNSHIP. 


Ill 


in  North  Vernon.  lud. ,  in  the  winter  of  1854 
-55,  and  commenced  the  study  of  medicine 
with  Dr.  J.  W.  Parrish,  of  that  place  in  iSo-i. 
He  was  married,  May  24, 1874,  in  Greenville, 
Bond  County,  this  State,  to  Sarah  E.  Hennin- 
ger,  born  in  Fayette  Count)-,  111. ,  October  2, 
1 850,  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  Isabel 
(Oglesby)  Henninger,  he  a  native  of  Virginia, 
born  in  Washington  County,  that  State,  July  9 
1817,  moved  to  Fayette  County,  this  State  in 
1833,  and  resided  there  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  January  20,  1882;  she,  born  in  Ma- 
son County,  Ky.,  in  1819,  was  married  to  Mr. 
Henninger  October  28,  1845.  Om-  subject 
commenced  the  regular  practice  of  medicine 
in  August,  1858,  at  Collinsville,  III. ;  contin- 
ued there  until  1872,  since  which  time  he 
has  resided  and  practiced  in  this  county. 
He  has  two  children — Mary  Stuart,  born 
June  26,  1875;  and  Eugenia  H.,  born  June 
22,  1881.  Our  subject  is  the  present  Presi- 
dent of  the  Town  Board,  and  has  also  been  a 
member  of  the  School  Board  for  several  years. 
He  is  liberal  in  his  religious  views,  and  in 
political  matters  is  a  Democrat  of  the  Jack- 
sonian  type.  He  has  been  for  several  years 
a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  is  also  an 
A. ,  F.  &  A.  M. 

THOxMAS  B.  RUCH,  farmer,  P.  O.  Alta- 
mont.  This  gentleman  is  a  native  of  Colum- 
bia County,  Penn.,  born  April  13,  1828. 
His  father,  Joseph  Kuch,  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania in  about  1783.  He  was  a  mechanic, 
following  the  occupation  of  a  shoemaker. 
He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  He 
died  in  1848.  His  parents  were  natives  of 
Germany.  His  wife  was  Ann  Hess,  of  Ger- 
man parentage,  born  in  Pennsylvania  in 
1783,  and  died  in  1845.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  seven  childi-en,  of  whom  Thomas  was 
the  youngest  son  and  sixth  child.  He  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
county.     At  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  left  homo 


and  went  to  Wayne  County,  Ohit),  where  he 
served  three  years'  apprenticeship  at  the 
shoe-maker's  trade  with  John  C.  Briggs.  He 
continued  working  at  his  trade  until  1850, 
when  he  began  farming,  thinking  it  would 
benefit  his  health,  which  had  become  im- 
paired by  his  working  too  steadily  at  his 
trade.  In  1856,  he  moved  to  Indiana  and 
located  in  Wabash  County,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1865,  when  he  returned  to 
Wayne  County,  Ohio,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1868  came  to  Illinois  and  located  on  his 
present  farm,  where  he  has  since  remained 
actively  engaged  in  farming.  When  he  first 
came  to  the  county,  he  lived  with  C.  S. 
Moore,  until  he  could  erect  a  house  and  make 
some  improvements  on  his  farm.  His  farm 
consists  of  120  acres  of  land,  located  in  Sec- 
tion 9,  Mound  Township.  In  1849,  in  Wayne 
County,  Ohio,  he  married  Miss  Kuflel,  who 
died  March  31,  l'S77.  She  was  the  mother 
of  twelve  children,  of  whom  ten  are  now 
living,  viz.,  Harriet  P.,  Henrietta,  William 
W.,  Rosa,Sarah  v.,  Jeunora.Chades  C.Mary 
A.,  Gertrude  and  Jesse  B.  His  second 
maiTiage  occurred  April  24,  1878,  in  Effing- 
ham County,  to  Mrs.  Margaret  Banister,  a 
native  of  New  York  City.  The  result  of  this 
union  is  two  children,  viz.,  Orla  Otis  and  an 
infant  not  named.  Mr.  Ruch  is  religously 
connected  with  the  Methodist  Church,  D.  G. 
M.  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and,  in  1878,  1879, 
1880  and  1881,  represented  his  lodge  at  Alta- 
mont  at  the  Grand  Lodge.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  order  for  thirty  years.  He  is 
a  Democrat,  and  cast  his  first  vote  for  Frank- 
lin Pierce. 

JOHN  C.  RUSSEL.  merchant,  Altamont, 
was  born  in  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio,  Octo- 
ber 3,  1S34.  When  about  four  years  old,  he 
moved  to  Belmont  County,  where  he  grew 
up,  until  the  age  of  fourteen,  on  a  farm,  and 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools.     His 


112 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


parents  then  moved  to  Morgan  County.  Ohio, 
where  our  subject  became  a  school  teacher  and 
taught  school  ten  terms  in  Morgan  County, 
Ohio,  and  one  term  in  Linn  County,  Iowa, 
whither  he  had  gone  on  a  visit  in  1S5G,  and 
there  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote,  in  1856, 
for  Gen.  Fremont.  He  taught  until  the  war 
broke  out.  He  enlisted,  in  the  summer  of 
1862,  as  a  recruit  for  the  Seventy-eighth 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  dismissing  his 
school,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war 
in  the  Department  of  Tennessee.  He  was 
first  at  the  battle  of  Eaymond,  Jackson, 
Miss.,  Champion  Hills,  where  subject  received 
a  flesh  wound  in  the  thigh  by  a  minieball, 
and  was  disabled  from  May  till  September, 
when  he  joined  his  command  at  Vicksburg, 
in  1863,  and  was  at  Marietta  and  the  great 
march  to  the  sea,  and  was  discharged  in  the 
summer  of  1865  and  came  direct  to  Effing- 
ham, where  he  opened  a  store,  and  tied  up 
the  first  goods  behind  his  own  counter,  open- 
ing in  September,  and  remained  there  until 
the  nest  March,  when  he  moved  back  to  Free- 
manton,  and  sold  goods  there  two  years,  with 
D.  Boyer,  and  later  with  Jesse  H.  Said,  to 
whom  he  sold  and  removed  to  Moccasin,  and 
opened  a  store  in  the  spring  of  1868,  and 
conducted  business  there  for  three  years. 
He  came  to  Altamont  in  April,  1871,  and, 
with  Mr.  Boyer,  engaged  in  selling  goods 
and  buying  grain  for  over  two  years.  He 
then  bought  out  the  stock  of  Will  Snook, 
and  conducted  business  alone  for  some  time. 
He  built  his  present  storeroom  in  1875,  and 
has  conducted  business  here  ever  since,  carry- 
ing a  general  stock  of  goods.  He  was  a 
charter  member  and  first  W.  M.  of  Freeman- 
ton  Lodge,  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  533,  which  is 
now  Altamont  Lodge.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Effingham  Royal  Arch  Chapter,  No.  87. 
In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican.  He  married 
the  only  daughter  of  D.   Boyer,  Lydia  A., 


March  17,  1859,  and  they  have  two  children 
living — Ai'delia  B.,  wife  of  E.  Fancher,  of 
■Chapman,  Kan.,  and  Daniel  C.  The  first 
marriage  that  was  celebrated  in  Altamont 
after  its  laying  out  was  at  the  residence  of 
our  subject,  on  Grove  street.  The  parties 
were  Sallie  E.  Russel,  sister  of  subject,  and 
Frank  Williams,  then  of  Hemy  County, 
Ind. ,  Rev.  J.  D.  Crum,  M.  E.  Church,  now  of 
California,   oflSciating. 

JOHN  M.  SCAIEFE,  liveryman,  Alta-. 
mont,  was  born  in  Clay  County,  111.,  Novem- 
ber 28,  1831.  Ho  came  with  his  parents  to 
this  county  when  about  three  years  old. 
They  settled  on  the  Wabash  in  what  is  now 
Jackson  Town.ship,  where  the  parents  lived 
aliout  five  years,  near  where  James  Tiu-ner 
now  lives,  and  the  father  died  while  working 
on  the  old  National  road,  about  1835.  The 
mother  moved  back  to  their  first  settlement, 
on  Crooked  Creek,  near  lola.  Clay  County, 
where  she  lived  until  her  death,  which  oc 
curred  about  three  years  after  her  husband's 
death.  This  left  sis  small  childi'en,  of  whom 
only  one  daughter  and  our  subject  are  living. 
She,  Luciuda,  is  the  widow  of  the  late  Charles 
Lee,  of  Idaho  Territory.  Our  subject  was  about 
seven  years  old  when  his  mother  died,  and 
he  then  went  to  live  with  his  uncle  Jesse 
Scaiefe,  of  Clay  County,  and  lived  with  him 
till  the  age  of  eighteen  years  old,  working  on 
the  farm  and  going  to  school  in  all  about  six 
months.  At  the  age  of  eighteen,  he  hired 
to  his  cousin.  Judge  J.  W.  P.  Davis,  at  the 
time  County  Clerk  of  Clay  County,  111.  He 
was  in  his  employ  at  $100  per  annum,  for 
about  three  years,  at  all  kinds  of  farm  work. 
July  20,  1851,  our  subject  married  Miss 
Bishop,  daughter  of  Jesse  and  Hannah 
(Thrash)  Bishop,  and  removed  to  Pike  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  where  he  only  lived  about  six  months, 
when  he  returned  to  Effingham  County  and 
settled  on  raw  prairie  land,  on  Fulfer  Creek, 


MOUND  TOWNSHIP. 


113 


in  West  Township,  and  made  a  crop  on  rented 
land.  He  took  a  contract  on  the  Eastern 
Branch  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  near 
Edgewood,  and  worked  on  it  about  one  year, 
when  he  went  to  his  farm  and  began  improv- 
ing it,  when  his  wife  took  sick  and  died,  in 
about  March,  1854.  Our  subject  went  into 
business  for  Presley  Funkhouser,  buying, 
collecting  and  feeding  cattle,  for  about  a 
year,  and  then  he  became  a  partner  in  the 
stock  business,  and  took  charge  of  the  Blue 
Point  farm  for  about  six  years.  In  1857,  he 
married  Harriet  C.  Kitehell,  of  this  county. 
In  February,  1862,  he  moved  onto  his  own 
land,  in  West  Township,  where  he  lived  un- 
til the  fall  of  1870,  and  put  250  acres  in 
cultivation.  He  moved  to  Vandalia  in  1870, 
and  went  into  the  livery  business,  in  which 
he  was  engaged  for  three  years,  and  was  Dep- 
uty Sheriff  of  Fayette  County  during  about 
two  years  of  that  time.  In  1873,  he  moved 
back  to  his  farm,  and  resided  there  until  July, 
1882,  when  he  moved  to  Altamont,  111. ,  and 
went  into  the  livery  business,  and  conducts 
the  only  livery  stable  in  the  city.  He  has  ten 
horses,  with  eight  good  vehicles.  His 
stable  has  a  capacity  for  twenty-five  horses. 
In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat  of  the  Jack- 
sonian  school,  and  has  filled  many  offices  of 
trust  in  his  township.  He  has  two  sons 
living  of  the  last  marriage — Rollin  Ray  and 
Lennon  Ellsworth.  His  parents,  William 
and  Nancy  (Cleary)  Scaiefe,  came  here  from 
Tennessee;  she  was  born  in  Virginia,  and 
the  father  in  North  Carolina.  They  were 
married  in  Smith  County,  Tenn. ,  and  came  to 
Clay  County,  111.,  in  about  1825. 

T.  J.  SCOTT,  express  and  railroad  agent, 
Altamont.  The  trustworthy  and  obliging 
agent  of  the  Wabash  &  St.  Louis  Railroad, 
also  of  the  Adams  and  Pacific  Express  Com- 
panies at  this  point  has  been  in  the  employ 
of  tMk  same    company    for   over   ten   years. 


Considering  the  changing  vicissitudes  inci- 
dent to  the  life  of  the  average  railroad  man, 
this  speaks  well  for  Mr.  Scott:  that  he  has 
been  found  true  to  the  trusts  and  responsi- 
bilities that  have  been  placed  upon  him.  He 
was  born  March  8,  1852,  in  Clermont  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  the  fourth  son  of  a  family  of  ten 
children.  His  parents  were  Thomas  D.  Scott 
and  Catharine  Griswold,  who  are  yet  resi- 
dents of  Ohio.  He  began  learning  telegraphy 
at  Martinsville,  Clinton  Co.,  Ohio,  before  he 
became  of  age,  and,  in  September,  1872,  he 
came  to  Lovington,  Moultrie  Coiinty,  this 
State,  where  he  took  charge  of  the  railroad 
office  and  express  business  of  that  place,  and 
continued  here  until  August,  1877,  when  he 
was  transferred  to  Altamont,  where  he  has 
since  had  charge  of  the  company's  business 
at  this  point.  He  was  married,  September 
1,  1875,  to  Sarah,  a  native  of  Blauchester, 
Ohio,  daughter  of  J.  C.  Constable.  He  has 
four  children — Musa  J.,  George  S.,  Arthur 
D.  and  Nina.  Is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O. 
F.  and  A.  L.  of  H.  of  this  place. 

DR.  G.  SCHLAGENSAUF,  Altamont, 
was  born  in  Stuttgart,  Germany,  April 
12,  18-19,  to  John  and  Mary  Sehlageuhauf, 
both  natives  of  Stuttgart.  Our  subject  was 
brought  to  America  by  his  father,  in  1854. 
who  located  in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  near 
Cincinnati,  where  the  father  died  when  om- 
subject  was  quite  young.  The  mother  died 
in  Europe  previous  to  the  emigration.  They 
had  only  four  children,  viz.,  John,  a  minis- 
ter at  Quincy,  III.,  formerly  of  St.  Louis; 
Anna,  living  at  the  old  homestead,  in  Hamil- 
ton County,  Ohio ;  Jacob,  an  M.  D. ,  of  Frank- 
lin County  Mo.,  and  George,  our  subject. 
After  the  death  of  his  father,  he  went  to  St. 
Louis  to  live,  with  hi?  brother  John,  and 
while  there  attended  the  common  and  high 
schools,  and  then  entered  the  Warrenton  Col- 
lege, in  Warren  County,  Mo. ,  where  he  grad- 

u 


114 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


uated,  after  a  three-years  covu-se,  in  1867; 
he  then  entered  the  Kohrer  College  at  St. 
Louis,  taking  a  commercial  course,  graduat- 
ing in  1868.  He  then  entered  the  St.  Louis 
Medical  College,  graduating  from  the  same 
March  12,  1874;  he  then  went  to  Missouri 
and  assisted  his  brother  in  his  profession  un- 
til the  fall  of  1874,  when  he  again  entered 
the  Medical  College,  and  took  a  post-graduate 
course.  On  September  1,  1876,  he  came  to 
Altamont  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of 
his  profession.  On  September  IG,  1880,  he 
associated  with  Drs.  Clark  and  Groves,  the 
firm  being  Clark,  Groves  &  Schlagenhauf. 
He  is  now  practicing  by  himself.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  State  Medical  Association. 

AUGUST  SCHROEDER,  farmer,  P.  O 
Altamont,  was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany, 
February  5,  1835,  to  Frederiek  and  Mena 
(Schroeder)  Schroeder.  His  father  was  in 
Prussia  December  12,  1812,  where  he  was 
educated  and  raised.  He  learned  the  tailor's 
trade  and  worked  at  the  same  the  most  of  his 
lifetime.  In  1835,  he  married,  and,  in  1844, 
with  his  wife  and  two  children,  emigrated 
to  America  by  sailing  vessel,  from  Hambui'g 
to  New  York,  being  eight  weeks  and  four 
days  en  roiite;  there  were  three  days'  storm, 
but  they  arrived  safe.  He  immediately  went 
West,  to  Buffalo,  and,  in  February,  1845, 
removed  to  Niagara  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
remained  until  he  died,  in  November,  1858. 
He  was  a  son  of  Samuel  Schroeder,  who  was 
killed  in  1827  by  falling  through  a  barn. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Prus- 
sia, Germany,  April  23,  1803,  and  died  in 
Effingham  County,  111.,  in  March,  1876;  she 
was  a  daughter  of  George  Schroeder,  who 
died  in  180S,  sixty  years  old.  He  was  a  farm- 
er in  Germany,  and  died  in  Prussia.  Sam- 
uel Schrceder  was  engaged  in  the  war  on  the 
French  side;  was  wounded  in  the  arm,  which 
caused  him  to  lose  the  use  of  his  elbow.      The 


parents  had  five  children,  of  whom  subject 
was  the  oldest  child;  two  died  in  Germany 
and  one  in  Illinois.  Fred  and  our  subject 
are  the  only  living  ones  in  the  family.  Au- 
gust was  edui'ated  from  the  Lutheran  schools 
of  Germany  and  America.  After  fourteen 
years  of  age,  he  commenced  working  on  a 
farm,  and  has  continued  the  same  till  the 
present  time,  with  the  exception  of  three 
years,  one  in  a  store  and  two  in  a  brick-yard. 
He  left  home  for  himself  at  twenty-one  years 
of  age.  He  came  to  Effingham  County  in 
1864,  September  1,  and  then  settled  on  his 
present  farm,  which  ho  has  improved.  He 
is  the  owner  of  seventy-seven  acres  of  good 
land.  In  Effingham  County,  in  May,  1866, 
he  married  Miss  Minnie  Wendt,  a  native  of 
New  York  State,  born  March  9,  1845;  she  is 
a  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Minnie  (Sholtz) 
Wendt,  both  living,  and  natives  of  Germany, 
who  came  to  America  in  1843,  and  to  Illinois 
in  1866.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schroeder  have  had 
eight  children,  of  whom  six  are  now  living, 
viz. ,  Samuel,  George,  Ernest,  Amanda,  Ed- 
ward, GustavuB  (Elizabeth  and  August  died). 
Himself  and  family  are  members  of  the  Lu- 
theran Church.  In  politics,  he  is  independ- 
ent. He  has  been  Road  Commissioner  three 
years,  and  Township  Assessor  one  year.  The 
grandmother  on  the  mother's  side  was  Char- 
lotte (Sprunck),  who  died  in  1870,  aged  eighty- 
nine  years,  in  Germanj.  Grandmother  on 
the  father's  side  was  Mary  (Rex),  died  in 
about  1867,  seventy-eight  years  of  age. 
Samuel  Schroeder' s  grandfather  had  a  small 
property  in  Germany,  worth  $1,000. 

CHARLES  SCHUMACHER,  grain-dealer, 
Altamont,  son  of  William  and  Sophia  (La- 
bahn)  Schumacher,  was  born  July  20,  1844^ 
in  the  village  of  Bassendorf,  Prussia.  He 
learned  the  trade  of  gardener  in  Prussia, 
serving  three  years.  In  1861,  he  came  with 
his  y)arents  to  the  United  States,  his  Ather 


MOUND  TOWNSHIP. 


115 


locating  in  Cook  County,  111.,  living,  until 

1865.  on  a  farm.  In  the  spring  of  1865,  they 
came  to  this  county,  and  settled  in  jNIound 
Township,  the  father  buying  land  in  Section 
10.  Subject  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm  un- 
til 1871,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  C.  F. 
Sillery,  and  worked  in  his  warehouse  for 
about  two  years.  He  worked  two  years  on  a 
farm,  and  afterward  worked  for  Jennings  & 
Minor,  for  about  live  years,  conducting  their 
entire  business  here  in  grain.  In  the  spring 
of  1881,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr. 
Snook,  and  built  the  present  warehouse  oper- 
ated by  Snook  &  Schumacher,  and  have  oper- 
ated with  good  success  since.  Our  subject 
started  in  this  county  without  any  capital 
whatever.     His  father  died  in  this  county  in 

1866,  leaving  three  stms  and  two  daughters 
living.  Our  subject  was  married,  in  1S69,  to 
Miss  Louisa  Sutter,  yf  this  county,  and  has 
six  children  living — Emma,  Mary,  William, 
Minnie,  Edward,  Frank. 

J.  W.  SEVERNS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Altamont, 
was  born  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  ^lay  30, 
1831,  to  Stephen  and  Mary  (Workman)  Sev- 
erns  He  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1810,  re- 
moved to  Knox  County,  Ohio,  with  his  par- 
ents when  a  boy,  where  he  remained  actively 
engaged  in  farming  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1874.  The  mother  of  our 
subject  was  born  in  Coshocton  County,  Ohio, 
in  1815,  and  died  in  1805.  They  were  the 
parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  sis  are  now 
living,  J.  W.  beintj  the  fourth  child.  His 
early  life  was  spent  at  home  in  receiving 
such  an  education  as  the  common  schools  of 
Knox  County  afforded,  and  assisting  in  till- 
ing the  soil  of  his  father's  farm.  In  1851, 
he  left  homo  and  embarked  on  his  career  in 
life  as  a  farmer  in  Effingham  County,  111.; 
and  settled  on  the  same  farm  where  he  is  now 
residing,  where  he  has  since  remained,  with 
the  e.\ception  of  six  months  spent  in  Faj'ette 


County.  He  is  now  the  owner  of  ninety-five 
acres  of  land  in  this  county  and  160  acres  in 
Iowa.  When  he  came  to  his  farm,  it  was  un- 
improved. In  1855,  in  Ohio,  he  married 
Catharine  Klein,  a  native  of  Herkimer  Coun- 
ty, N.  Y.,  born  in  1829,  November  21,  to 
Catharine  and  Peter  Klein,  natives  of  Europe. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Severns  have  had  eight  chil- 
dren, seven  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz.. 
Emma  E.,  wife  of  A.  Sproet,  a  farmer  in 
Nebraska;  L.  W. ;  Byron  L.,  married  and 
farming  in  Mound  Township;  Mary  Cathar- 
ine, Elizabeth  J.,  Sarah  A.,  John  Ellsworth. 
Our  subject  was  the  second  Assessor  after  the 
township  organization,  one  )'ear;  Constable 
for  foui"  years.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the 
M.  E.  Church.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat. 
He  is  the  owner  of  a  fine  stallion,  of  Normau 
Bill,  and  ho  makes  a  specialty  of  breeding 
stock. 

VALENTINE  SHAB,  deceased,  was  born 
in  Germany  July  9,  1833,  to  John  and  Cath- 
arine (Rice)  Shab,  both  natives  of  Germany. 
He  was  raised  on  a  farm,  and  brought  to 
America  by  his  parents  when  about  eleven 
years  of  age,  who  located  in  Holmes  County, 
Ohio,  where  he  received  a  common  school 
education.  Here  he  remained  at  home  until 
sixteen  years  of  age,  when  his  father  died, 
and  being  thrown  on  his  own  resources  he 
removed  to  Wooster,  Ohio,  and  apprenticed 
himself  at  the  carriage-maker's  trade,  serving 
three  years,  and  continuing  the  same  until 
the  breaking-out  of  the  war,  when  he  enlisted 
in  the  Sixth  Missom-i,  Company  B,  Cavalry, 
and  serving  three  years.  He  worked  the  first 
year  at  blacksmithing,  and  afterward  was 
forage  master.  After  the  close  of  the  war, 
he  came  directly  to  Effingham  County,  where  ' 
his  family  removed  the  previous  mouth. 
Here  he  remained,  actively  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  blacksmithing.  His  death  occurred 
I  January  29,  1875.     In  Wooster,  Ohio,  Octo- 


116 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ber  5,  1856,  he  was  married  to  Mary  M.  Wer- 
net,  a  native  of  Pittsburgh,  Penn.,  -born 
Januai-y  9,  1834.  to  Charles  F.  and  Catharine 
(Kome)  Wernet,  both  natives  of  Germany. 
He  was  a  farmer  and  died  in  August,  1872; 
she  died  in  Jauuary,  1879.  IMi-s.  Shab  is 
the  mother  of  eight  childi-en,  of  whom  six 
are  living,  viz.,  Charles  J.,  in  a  sugar  refinery 
at  St.  Louis;  John  L.,  attending  to  the 
home  farm;  Valentine  M.,  Lewis  P.,  Joseph 
W.,  Mary  A.;  Frances  H.  and  Matilda  L., 
dead,  lie  was  a  Republican,  and  cast  his 
tirst  vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln.  John 
was  man-ied,  in  Altamont,  November  13, 
1882,  to  Martha  E.  Dow,  a  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Sarah  (King)  Dow,  residents  of 
Fayette  County. 

WILLIAM  '  SHENEFIELD,  farmer,  P. 
O.  Altamont,  was  born  in  Mahoning  County, 
Ohio,  December  28,  1829,  to  John  and  Eliza- 
beth (Widdis)  Shenefield.  He  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania;  was  brought  to  Ohio  by  his 
parents  when  a  boy.  He  was  born  in  1791, 
and  is  the  only  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Ma- 
honing Coimty.  He  has  always  followed  the 
occupation  of  a  farmer.  He  is  the  owner  of 
230  acres  of  land.  He  ^vas  a  son  of  John,  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  near  Maryland.  He 
was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812;  he  served 
in  the  place  of  his  son.  The  motber  of  our 
subject  was  born  in  Ireland,  of  English  de- 
scent. She  died  in  1879,  September  27,  in 
her  eio-hty-sixth  year.  She  was  the  mother 
of  eight  children,  ot  whom  six  are  living, 
our  subject  being  the  youngest  son  and  the 
fifth  child.  He  was  raised  in  Mahoning 
County,  Ohio,  on  his  father's  farm.  He  at- 
tended the  common  schools,  but  received 
most  of  his  education  from  observation.' 
After  he  was  of  age,  he  took  the  management 
of  his  father's  farm,  and  just  before  the  war 
he  spent  one  year  in  the  South,  in  Davie 
County,  N.  C. ,  and  was  with  a  company  put- 


ting up  wheat-fans;  he  went  there  to  benefit 
his  health,  the  doctors  advising  him  to  go. 
and  returned  home  after  one  year.  In  1856, 
he  removed  to  Indiana  and  located  in  St.  Jo- 
seph County,  and  engaged  in  the  merchan- 
dising business,  but,  as  it  did  not  pay,  soon 
after  engaged  in  the  saw-mill  business  in  this 
county,  with  two  other  gentlemen,  and  con- 
tinued the  same  until  1867,  when  he  sold  his 
interest  in  the  mill  and  bought  a  farm,  but 
did  not  find  it  satisfactory,  so  he,  in  1868, 
removed  to  Illinois  and  located  in  EfBngham 
County.  He  first  bought  320  acres  with  his 
cousin,  but  was  obliged  to  keep  the  whole  of 
it.  He  sold  100  acres,  and  has  now  160 
acres  near  Altamont.  In  Indiana,  in  1859, 
he  married  Ruth  Craven,  wh'o  died  in  Feb- 
ruary, 187(\  She  was  the  mother  of  four 
children,  of  whom  two  are  now  living,  viz. 
Ollin  and  Steward.  In  1870,  he  married,  in 
EflSngham  County,  Mary  Ann  Oliver,  a  na- 
tive of  Pennsylvania.  She  is  the  mother  of 
four  children — Albert,  Martin,  Lotta  May  and 
an  infant.  In  Indiana,  was  two  terms 
Township  Treasurer.  He  is  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  1.  O.  U.  W.  Politically,  inde- 
pendent. 

WILLIAM  L.  SNOOK,  grain-dealer,  Al- 
tamont, son  of  William  H.  and  Sarah  B. 
(Robbins)  Snook,  was  raised  in  Greensburg, 
Ind.,  where  he  was  born,  November  2,  1843. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen,  he  enlisted  in  the 
Seventh  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
served  one  year,  in  the  regimental  band, 
when  all  such  bands  were  discharged.  Served 
two  years  as  engineer  in  a  floui-ing-mill  and 
manufacturing  house,  and  was  afterward  in 
the  stock  business  at  Greensburg,  Ind.  He 
came  to  Altamont  in  1871,  and  tirst  engaged 
in  the  furniture  and  hardware  business.  He 
opened  the  first  store  of  that  kind  in  Mr. 
Howers'  storeroom,  in  October,  1871.  He  con- 
tinued in  that  line  some  two  years,   when  he 


MOUXD  TOWNSHIP. 


117 


engaged  in  the  general  merchandise  line  for  a 
year.  In  about  1874,  he  engaged  in  the 
grain  and  stock  business,  and  became  a  part- 
ner of  H.  A.  Carter,  and  handled  grain  in 
the  house  occupied  by  Mr.  Ensign.  After, 
some  two  years  in  thetii-mof  Carter  &  Snook, 
and  after  a  time  subject  bought  out  Mr.  Car- 
ter's interest,  and  sold  it  to  John  Ensign  in 
1879.  For  a  time  Mr.  Snook  gave  his  entire 
attention  to  the  buying  and  shipping  of  stock, 
and  in  company  with  Mr.  Charles  Schumacher 
built  for  Clifton  Wells  their  present  ware- 
house, on  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  and  the 
Wabash  Raih-oads.  They  have  a  lease  of  the 
building  for  live  years  from  the  date  of  its 
building,  in  the  spring  of  1881.  It  has  the 
best  dump  and  elevator  ever  built  here,  hav- 
ing complete  machinery  for  dumping  and 
shelling  grain,  with  a  capacity  of  3,000  bush- 
els per  day,  and  is  the  only  elevator  in  town. 
The  dump  caused  a  great  interest  among  farm- 
ers, and  will  revolutionize  the  old  manner  of 
shoveling  grain  by  hand.  The  iirm  of  Snook 
&  Schumacher  also  buy  and  ship  all  kinds  of 
live  stock  for  Indianapolis,  St.  Louis  and 
Chicago  markets.  Mr.  Snook  was  maiTied, 
in  1868,  to  Miss  Emma  Elliott,  of  Jennings 
County,  Ind.,  and  has  one  daughter — Enola, 
living.  Our  subject's  father  was  born  in 
Warren  County,  Ohio,  and  came  to  Greens- 
bui'g,  Ind.,  about  1830,  where  he  married. 
His  wife  was  born  in  Decatur  County,  Ind. 
He  was  a  tailor  by  trade  and  afterward  was 
in  the  grocery  business;  both  parents  are  still 
living  at  Greensburg,  where  subject  has  one 
brother,  John  E.,  and  sistei-,  Mary  A.,  wife 
of  William  Rybolt. 

JACOB  L.  STAIR,  manufacturer,  Alta- 
mout,  was  born  in  Elldiart  County,  Ind., 
August  29,  1858.  At  the  age  of  five  years, 
his  parents  removed  to  Illinois,  settling  in 
EfQngham  County  aboiit  1863  on  a  farm, 
where  subject  lived  until  the  building  of  the 


Vandalia  Railroad.  At  the  age  of  seventeen, 
he  entered  the  telegraph  office  at  St.  Elmo, 
and  in  four  months  took  charge  of  the  office  of 
the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  Railroad,  being  night 
operator  for  nine  months.  He  then  resigned 
his  position  there  and  became  extra  operator, 
and  as  such  he  worked  at  various  offices  along 
the  line,  from  Indianapolis  to  St.  Louis,  until 
1878.  He  then  took  charge  of  the  day  office 
at  Altamont,  and  held  that  position  until 
1S80,  when  he  resigned  to  engage  in  the  re- 
tail furniture  business  for  about  one  year. 
March,  1881,  with  his  father,  Jacob  Stair, 
he  established  a  furniture  factory.  They 
leased  a  building  of  William  B.  Metham,  and 
continued  in  that  until  the  erection  of  the 
present  building,  in  September,  1882.  They 
first  started  with  ten  men,  but  have  increased 
the  number  and  facilities  for  the  manufacture 
of  bedsteads. 

MRS.  JULIA  TAPSON,  milliner,  Alta- 
mont. Of  the  various  enterprises  in  the 
town  of  Altamont  that  have  started  here 
within  the  last  decade  and  have  met  with 
more  than  unusual  success  is  the  millinery 
and  notion  department  of  Mrs.  Julia  Tapson, 
who  started  in  business  here  in  the  spring  of 
1875  in  a  small  room  in  her  own  house,  which 
she  subsequently  changed  for  a  larger  one, 
where  she  continued  until  this  proved  inade- 
quate to  the  demands  of  her  fast-growing 
trade,  when  she  built  the  building  she  now 
occupies,'  and  has  added  to  her  stock  of  mil- 
linery a  selection  of  queensware.  She  keeps 
a  well-selected  stock  of  everything  in  her  line, 
keeping  pace  with  the  style  and  fashions  of 
the  day,  and  placing  her  goods  at  fair  and 
reasonable  prices,  treating  all  with  eqiial 
fairness.  She  has  extended  her  trade  over  a 
large  extent  of  country,  and  has  built  up  a 
thriving  and  prosperous  trade.  She  was 
born  in  Perryviile,  Mo.  Her  parents  were 
natives  of  Switzerland,  and  were  among  the 


118 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


prominent  families  of  that  country.  Her 
father  died  in  1858;  her  mother  is  yet  living, 
and  resides  with  her. 

WILLIAM    D.    TROLLINGEE,   farmer, 
P.  O.  Altamont,  was  born  in  Knox  County, 
Ohio,  September  21,    1828,   to  George  and 
Nora  (Durbin)  Trollinger.     He  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  of   German   descent,  in   1800; 
he  was  a  farmer;  he  died  in  Ohio   in  1875; 
his  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.      The  mother  of  our  subieetwas  born  in 
Maryland,  in  ISOS,  and  died  in  Oliio  in  1854. 
He  was  killed  by  his  horse  that  he  was  riding 
falling  on  him,  causing  such  injuries  that  he 
died  in  a  few  days.     They  were  the  parents 
of   eight  children,  one  of  whom — William — 
was  the   fourth   child.      His   early   life   was 
spent  in  secm-ing  such  an   education  as  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  county  afforded, 
and  assisting  in  tilling  the  soil  of  his  father's 
farm.     When  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  he 
apprenticed  himself   at  the  carpenter's  trade, 
and  served  three  years,  and  worked   at  the 
same  until  1862,  and  then  did  his  last  work 
building  the  house  he  is  now  residing   in. 
He  came   to  Effingham   County  in  1851,  and 
bought  his   land  in  1857,  and  removed   to  it 
in  1859,  where  he  has  since  remained,  active- 
ly engaged  in  farming.     His  farm  now  con- 
tains ISO  acres  of  prairie  and  forty  of  timber. 
In  Effingham  County,  in  1857,  he  married 
Miss  Elizabeth  Sapp,  a  native  of   Ohio  and 
came  to  Effingham  County  when  she  was  a 
little  girl.     They  had  four  children,  three 
living — Hiram    D.,    Mary    C.    and  Mine    J. 
He  is  a  Democrat. 

LOUIS  VAUCLAIR,  miller,  Altamont, 
son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Vallet)  Vauelair, 
was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  June  1,  1854. 
He  was  raised  in  St.  Louis,  where,  at  the  age 
of  twelve  years,  he  entered  the  Carondelet 
City  Mills,  and  served  there  a  three-years' 
apprenticeship  and  worked  as  second  miller 


for  some  time,  when  he  became  first  miller, 
working  in  that  mill  in  all  about  ten  years. 
He  afterward  worked  in  the  Iron  Mountain, 
the  Atlantic  and  other  mills  in  the  West.  lu 
August,  1881,  he  took  charge  of  the  Farmers 
Mills,  at  Altamont,  111.,  where  he  has  since 
done  a  good  merchant  and  exchange  business. 
He  enlarged  the  capacity  of  the  mills  since 
he  came  to  fifty  barrels  per  day,  and  contem- 
plates other  still  more  important  improve- 
ments. It  has  three  run  of  buhrs  and  makes 
the  "  New  Process  "  ilour.  The  mill  is  three 
story,  with  basement,  and  is  operated  by  a 
thirty  horse-power  engine;  employs  three 
men  for  the  day  and  three  for  the  night. 
Our  subject  was  married,  in  St.  Louis,  in 
April,  1881,  to  Mjss  Pauline  Herbel,  of  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  daughter  of  Judge  A.  Herbel. 
The  parents  were  both  natives  of  France, 
where  they  were  married,  and  came  to  St. 
Louis  about  1849,  where  they  died. 

NELSON  WALLACE,  farmer.  P.  O.  Al- 
tamont, was  born  in  Jackson  County,  Ohio, 
Augiist  21,  1821,  to  John  and  Jane  (Nelson) 
Wallace.  His  father  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania in  1796,  was  brought  to  Ohio  by  his 
parents,  who  located  near  Zanesville;  that 
was  before  the  town  was  laid  oiit;  here  he 
was  raised  and  educated.  Arriving  at  his 
majority,  he  removed  to  Jackson  County, 
where  he  remained  until  1835,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Putnam  County,  Ind.,  and  in  1840, 
to  Morgan  County,  where  he  died  in  1843, 
November  19.  His  occupation  was  that  of  a 
farmer.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born 
in  Ohio  in  1801,  and  died  in  Putnam  County 
in  September,  1852.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Jonathan  R.  Nelson,  a  soldier  of  the  Black 
Hawk  war.  Parents  of  our  subject  had  eleven 
children,  of  whom  Nelson  was  the  oldest 
child.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm  in  Putnam 
and  Morgan  Counties,  where  he  received  such 
an  education  as  the   subscription  schools  of 


MOUND  TOWNSHIP. 


119 


his  day  afforded.     He  remained  with  his  par- 
ents until   he  was  twenty -two  years  of   age, 
when  he  embarked  on  his  own  career  in  life 
as  a  farmer,  continuing  the  same  until  1846, 
when  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  saddler  and 
harness-maker,  at  Green  Castle,  Ind.,  where 
he  worked  twelve  years.     In  October,  1858, 
he   came   to    Effingham    County;    he    di-ove 
across   the   country  in  a   lumber  wagon  and 
buggy  tied  on  behind,  and  shipped  his  goods 
to  Effingham.     He  bought  the  farm  then  con- 
taining forty  acres,  the  same  year,  and  added 
to  it  until  he  now  has   120  acres.      He  has, 
however,  sold  his  present  farm,  and  expects 
to  remove  to  near  Altamont.     Mr.  Wallace 
commenced  life  very  poor,  and  has  worked 
hard  to  earn  his  competency.      In  Morgan 
County.  Ind.,  in   1843,  in  February,  he  was 
married  to  Zillah  Mills,  a  native  of  Dearborn 
County,  Ind.,  born   in   1823,   April  6.     Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Wallace  are  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  of  whom   six   are  now  living,  viz., 
James  K.,  John  L.,  Benjamin  F.,  Hiram  E., 
Ellen  M.,  Susan  H.      He  is  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  order  of  the  A.,  F.  &  A,  M.,  at  Al- 
tamont. No.  533;  been  a  member  since  1852. 
,  Has  held  the  office  of  School  Director  ten  or 
twelve  years;  Town  Clerk  three  years;  Com- 
missioner of  Highways  for  seven  years.      Was 
elected  to   the  Township  Treasurer,  but  de- 
clined to  accept  it.     He  was  a  Democrat  and 
cast  his  first  vote  for  James  K.  Polk,  in  1814, 
and  since  1856  he  has  been  a  solid  Eepubli- 
can.     In  1873,  he  had  his  house  and  house- 
hold   goods    destroyed    by    fire.      Upon    the 
home  farm   is  an  orchard  that  Mr.*^Vallace 
set  out  twenty- two  yeai's  ago,  and  is  said  to 
be  the  best  orchard   in  the   township.      Two 
of  his  sons  were  in  the  late  war.     James  was 
wounded;  served  nearly    four  years.      John 
served  nearly  three  years,  and  both  enlisted, 
JAMES    K.     A\'ALLACE,    farmer,    P.   O. 
Altamont,   was   born   in   Green  Castle,  Ind., 


January    10,    1845,    to    Nelson    and    Zillah 
(Mills)   Wallace,   whose    history    appears    in 
another  part  of  this  work.      James  was  raised 
in  town  to  the  age  of  thirteen,  when  he  was 
brought  to  Effingham  County  by  his  parents. 
He  received  his  education  from  the  common 
schools  of  Green  Castle.     His  early  life  was 
spent  in   assisting   in  tilling  the  soil  of  his 
father's  farm.     At  eighteeen  years  of  age  he 
enlisted  in  the  late  rebellion,  serving  from 
August  12,  1862.  until  July  6,   1865,  when 
he    was    mustered   out.      He    served    in    the 
Ninety-eighth  Illinois  Volunteers,  under  Col. 
Funkhouser;    was   in  the  following  battles: 
Hoover's  Gaj),  Chickamauga.  Sherman  to  At- 
lanta, and  back  with  Thomas   to   Nashville; 
was  in  twenty-eight  battles  and  skirmishes, 
and    was    wounded   at   Selma,    Ala.;    was   in 
every  battle  the  regiment  was  in,  and   was 
never  wounded  until   the   last  battle,  by  five 
shots,  one  in  the  thigh,  one  in  the  right  arm, 
one  in  the  neck,  one  in   the  gi-oin  and  one  in 
the  mouth.      After  the  close  of  the  war,  he 
returned  to  the  hom'e  of  his  parents,  where 
he  remained  until  1872.     In  March,  1872,  he 
went    to   Missoui-i,    where   he    remained    sis 
months;  thence  to  Kansas,  for  two  months, 
and  then  to  Oregon,  where  he  remained  three 
and  one-half  years,  engaged  in  different  oc- 
cupations, on  canal,  on  a  fai'm  and  a  saw-mill. 
In  November,  1875,  he  returned  home,  and, 
in  January,  maiTied  and  removed  to  his  pres- 
ent farm,  where  he  has   since  remained,  en- 
gaged in  farming.      He  is  now  the  owner  of 
120    acres,    and    started    with    forty    acres. 
January  13,  1876,  he  married,  in  Effingham 
County,    Miss    Maggie   Baker,    a    native    of 
Effingham  County,  and  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  INIartha   Ann  (Powell)   Baker.     He  is  a 
native    of    Virginia   and  she  of    Tennessee. 
Mr.  and   Mrs.  Wallace  have  three  children, 
viz.,  Jacob, born  March  8,  1877;  Zillah  Maud, 
born  December  1,1878;  Mattie,  born  Novem- 


130 


BIOGEAPHICAL 


ber  9,  1881.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for  U.  S. 
Grant. 

F.  W.  WENDT,  grain  dealer,  Altamont, 
was  horn  September  19,  1853,  in  Martinsville, 
Niagara  Co.,  N.  Y.  He  is  a  son  of  Frederieh 
Wendt,  a  farmer,  who  was  born  near  Berlin, 
the  capital  of  the  German  Empire,  on  April 
25,  1828;  he  is  now  living  in  St.  Francis 
Township,  EfSngham  County.  The  maiden 
name  of  F.  W.  Wendt's  mother  was  Louisa 
Grimm,  born  in  1829,  near  Berlin,  Germany; 
she  is  now  living  in  Effingham  County. 
There  are  ten  children  in  the  family,  eight 
boys  and  two  girls.  Mr.  F.  W.  Wendt  was 
educated  mainly  in  Effingham,  111. ,  although 
bis  German  education  was  acquired  in  Mar- 
tinsville, N.  Y. ;  he  was  a  farmer  in  early 
life,  but  at  the  age  of  twenty,  he  commenced 
to  teach  school  in  the  winter  and  go  to  school 
in  the  summer;  he  taught  one  summer  in 
Montrose.  Mr.  Wendt  was  instrumental  in 
having  St.  Francis  Township  re-surveyed. 
This  was  in  1878;  in  the  fall  of  the  same 
year  he  came  to  Altamont,  where  he  became 
a  clerk  for  George  Hilleman;  he  stayed  with 
him  till  August  1,  18S2,  when  he  became  jun- 
ior partner  in  the  grain  business,  now  known 
under  the  title  of  Ensign  &  Wendt.  The 
tirm  buy  all  kinds  of  grain.  Mr.  Wendt  is 
identified  with  the  Republ  ican  party,  and  in 
religious  matters  he  adheres  to  the  Lutheran 
faith. 

FERDINAND  WOLFF,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Altamont,  is  a  native  of  Niagara  County,  N. 
Y.,  born  December  12,  1844.  His  father, 
Frederick  Wolflf,  was  a  native  of  Prussia, 
Germany,  born  October  31,  1806.  His  early 
life  was  spent  at  home  assisting  to  till  the 
soil  of  his  father's  farm,  and  receiving  such 
an  education  as  could  be  obtained  from  the 
Lutheran  schools.  Arriving  at  his  majority, 
he  engaged  in  farming,  and  remained  actively 


engaged  during  his  life.  In  1843,  he  bade 
hi?  native  country  farewell  and  took  passage 
in  a  sailing  vessel  from  Hamburg  to  New 
York.  Arriving  in  America,  he  immediately 
started  West,  and  located  in  New  York,  in 
Niagara  County,  Hearing  of  the  fertility  of 
the  soil  in  the  Western  States,  and  the  fort- 
unes that  were  to  be  made  by  those  who 
were  willing  and  strong  enough  to  brave  the 
struggles  of  a  pioneer  life,  he  was  induced  to 
remove  his  family  to  Illinois,  in  1865,  locat- 
ing in  Mound  Township,  Effiagham  County, 
where  he  succeeded  in  accumulating  a  good 
property,  and  during  the  latter  years  of  his 
life  he  was  surrounded  by  those  comforts  and 
enjoyed  those  pleasures  that  ever  result  from 
honesty,  industry  and  economy.  His  taking 
away  by  death,  February  26,  1872,  was 
mourned  by  a  large  number  of  friends.  His 
wife,  Louisa  Boening,  who  still  survives  him, 
was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  May  20,  1814; 
she  is  now  residing  with  her  soa,  our  sub- 
ject, who  was  the  oldest  child  born  to  her. 
He  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  received  a  thor- 
ougti  English  and  German  education  from 
the  schools  of  his  native  county.  He  was 
married,  on  the  5th  of  May,  1870,  to  Miss 
Henrietta  Wolff,  who  died  January  29,  1878, 
leaving  two  children  as  the  results  of  their 
union,  viz.,  Halda  and  Martin  G.  F.  He 
married  a  second  time,  October  28,  1880, 
Miss  Maria  Beccue,  a  native  of  New  York, 
born  March  18,  1862.  She  has  borne  him 
one  child,  William.  He  and  family  are  con- 
sistent members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
Church.  He  is  a  man  of  high  standing  in 
the  community  in  which  he  lives  and  bears  a 
name  and  reputation  which  is  beyond  re- 
proach. In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat:  has 
never  sought  office,  believing  it  to  be  more  in 
accord  with  his  views  to  stay  at  home  and 
give  his  attention  and  time  to  his  family  and 
farm.     He  is  one  of  the  most  practical  farm- 


MOUND  TOWNSHIP. 


131 


ers  in  the  township,  and  is  the  owner  of  180 
acres  of  well -improved  land. 

CHARLES  M.  WRIGHT,  banker,  Alta- 
mont,  whose  portrait  appears  in  this  work, 
was  born  in  New  Boston,  Mass.,  December 
8,  1834,  son  of  Philander  and  Almeda  (Bal- 
lard) Wright,  he  born  in  Hadley,  Mass.,  in 
1801),  and  died  in  1S72;  she,  a  native  of 
Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  born  in  1810,  and 
is  also  deceased.  They  were  farmers  and  the 
parents  of  two  childi'en.  The  ancestors  of 
oui'  subject  were  of  English  descent,  and 
Charles  Montague  settled  in  Hadley,  Mass., 
in  1662,  and  oui"  subject  bears  his  name. 
The  family  is  numerous.  Our  sabject  re- 
ceived a  thorough  common-school  education, 
and  afterward  commenced  his  medical  educa- 
tion, the  espenses  attending  which  he  de- 
frayed himself  by  teaching  school.  He  grad- 
uated in  medicine  at  the  Eclectic  Medical 
College,  Philadelphia,  Penn.,  in  185G,  and  in 
the  same  year  came  to  this  county  and  en- 
gaged in  the  j^ractice  of  his  profession,  liter- 
ally without  any  money.  He  has  practiced 
in  this  county  from  1856  to  1878,  dui-ing 
which  time  he  enjoyed  an  exceedingly  exten- 
sive practice,  out  of  which  he  made  his  for- 
tune. He  has  five  children  living — Florence, 
Ada.  Lotta,  Mabel  and  Charles  M.,  Jr.  Our 
subject  is  liberal  in  his  religious  views,  and 
in  politics  is  a  Democrat.  Upon  his  retire- 
ment from  the  medical  profession,  he  organ- 
ized the  present  bank,  under  the  firm  name 
of  C.  M.  Wright  &  Co.,  Mi-  Levi  Butler  be- 
ing the  junior  partner  and  cashier.  It  is  a 
private  bank,  with  guaranteed  assets  of  $100,- 
000,  and  the  enterprise  has  met  with  deserved 
success. 

JOSEPH  G.  WRIGHT,  teacher  and  min- 
ister, Altamont,  was  born  in  the  southern 
part  of  England  March  26,  1846.  He  was 
educated  in  Loudon,  where  his  father  kept  a 
boarding-school,     called      Sherboro      House 


School.  At  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  began 
teaching,  and  occupied  the  position  of  Class- 
ical Master  at  Stoke  Hall  School,  Ipswick, 
Guild  Hall,  Bury,  St.  Edmunds  and  Grammar 
School  Penrith.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1870,  and  began  teaching  in  the 
public  schools  of  Champaign  County,  111., 
and  continued  teaching  in  that  count}'  for 
about  ten  years.  He  was  Principal  of  the 
Ogden  Public  Schools  for  three  years  and  of 
the  Sadnrus  Schools  four  years.  In  the  fall 
of  1880,  he  came  to  Altamont,  and  is  tilling 
his  third  year  as  Principal  of  the  Altamont 
Schools.  He  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  1879, 
and  has  assisted  in  the  Champaign  Associate 
Mission  of  St.  Mary's,  Efiingham,  and  is  now 
connected  with  the  Grace  Church  Mission,  at 
Greenville,  111.  He  was  examined,  in  1875, 
by  the  State  Board  of  Examiners,  and  re- 
ceived a  State  certificate.  He  was  married, 
in  1873,  to  Miss  N.  J.  Padgett,  of  Sadorus, 
111.  The  Altamont  schools  have  three  depart- 
ments, and  an  average  attendance  of  140 
pupils,  and  its  course  of  study  includes  the 
branches  necessary  for  a  certificate  of  the 
first-class. 

JOSEPH  YATES,  farmer,  P.  O.  Altamont, 
was  born  in  Nicholas  County,  Ky.,  May  13, 
1838,  to  Joab  and  Mary  (Kennedy)  Yates, 
whose  history  appears  in  another  part  oE  this 
work.  He  was  removed  to  Putnam  County, 
Ind. ,  by  his  parents  when  two  years  of  age, 
where  he  spent  his  early  life  assisting  in  till- 
ing the  soil  of  his  father's  farm  and  receiving 
such  an  education  as  the  common  schools 
afforded.  He  came  to  Effingham  County, 
111.,  with  his  parents,  in  November,  1854;  he 
attended  school  here  two  winters.  At  twenty- 
one  years  of  age,  he  left  home  and  embarked 
on  his  carror  in  life  as  a  farmer,  upon  the 
same  farm  he  is  now  residing  on.  He  is  now 
the   owner   of  338  acres  of    land,  thirty  of 


122 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


which  is  timber.  He  is  managing  the  whole; 
he  alse  deals  considerably  in  stock.  In  1858, 
in  Effingham  County,  he  married  Miss  Mary 
Higgs,  daughter  of  George  Higgs.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Yates  have  six  cliildren,  viz.,  Eugene, 
Horace  G.,  John  A.,  Margaret,  Florence  and 
Joseph.  He  has  always  voted  the  Republi- 
can ticket,  and  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote 
for  Lincoln  for  his  tirst  term. 

JOHN  D.  YATES,  farmer,  P.  O.  Altamont, 
was  born  in  Putnam  County,  Ind.,  in  1841, 
November  24,  to  Joab  and  Mary  (Kennedy) 
Yates.  His  father  was  born  in  Nicholas 
County,  Ky. ,  November  19,  1807,  where  he 
was  raised  on  a  farm,  educated  from  the  sub- 
scription schools,  and  married  in  1827,  when 
he  engaged  in  farming  for  themselves,  with- 
out any  start,  as  he  said,  "  without  $50."  In 
1839,  he  removed  to  Putnam  County,  Ind., 
where  he  boiight  a  small  farm  of  eighty  acres, 
and,  on  April  17,  1854,  he  and  our  subject 
came  to  Illinois  and  located  in  Effingham 
County,  on  the  farm  of  our  subject,  where 
they  broke  prairie,  erected  a  log  house  and 
needed  improvements;  the  remainder  of  the 
family  came  in  November,  John  and  his  fa- 
ther returning  and  drove  across  the  country. 
Here  he  continued  to  work,  experiencing 
many  hardships  common  to  a  pioneer's  life, 
and  accumulated  over  1,000  acres,  which  he 
put  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He 
died  October  25,  1878.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  United  Brethren  Church.  Was  a  liberal 
contributor  to  schools,  churches  and  especial- 
ly to  the  poor.  He  never  took  interest  in 
politics,  more  than  to  vote  a  Republican  tick- 
et. His  father  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
Allegheny  County,  and  settled  in  Kentucky 
about  the  time  of  the  Indian  war.  He  was  a 
soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  Thin  fam 
ily  was  of  Scotch  and  Irish  descent.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Nicholas 
County,    Ky.,    June   8,    1806,   and   died    in 


Effingham  County  December  14,  1879.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Kennedy,  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania.  Once,  while  crossing  the 
Alleghany  Mountains  for  salt,  he  happened 
in  a  house  where  a  man  was  sick,  and,  as  it 
afterward  proved,  with  the  small-pox;  he  took 
the  disease  and  lost  his  eyesight.  He  re- 
moved to  Kentucky  in  an  early  day,  and  there 
reared  a  large  family  of  chikben,  but  never 
saw  only  one.  He  was  of  English  and  Irish 
descent.  The  parents  of  oiu-  subject  had 
eight  chil(h-en,  of  whom  thi'ee  are  now  living, 
viz.,  Joseph,  a  farmer,  of  Mound  Township; 
John,  oiu-  subject;  Elmira,  wife  of  William 
Eyestone,  of  Altamont.  John  was  raised  on 
a  farm,  and  received  such  an  education  as  the 
common  schools  of  Putnam  County,  Ind. ,  and 
Effingham  afforded.  He  was  brought  to  this 
county  when  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age. 
He  remained  with  his  father,  assisting  in 
tilling  the  soil  of  his  father's  farm  until 
1875,  when  he  removed  to  Altamont  and  en- 
gaged in  buying  grain,  the  first  year  in  the 
firm  of  Carter  &  Yates,  and  the  second  year 
by  himself.  After  two  years,  he  returned  to 
the  home  farm,  where  he  has  since  remained. 
In  August,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  Union 
army,  serving  in  the  Thirty-eighth  Illinois 
Volunteers,  under  the  command  of  Col.  Car- 
lin.  He  was  mustered  out  March,  1866,  be- 
ing kept  on  the  Rio  Grande  long  after  the 
war.  He  was  in  the  following  battles:  Per- 
ry ville,  Ky. ,  Stone  River,  Chickamauga, 
Chattanooga,  and  in  all  the  battles  up  to  the 
time  of  the  capture  of  Atlanta.  He  was  with 
Thomas  at  the  battle  of  Franklin  and  Nash- 
ville. He  received  several  slight  flesh 
wounds.  He  is  the  owner  of  330  acres  of 
land,  all  in  Mound  Township,  except  150  in 
West.  May  23,  1869,  he  married,  in  Effing- 
ham County,  Miss  Catharine  Sherart,  a  native 
of  Erie  County,  Ohio,  is  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
and   Elizabeth   (Bomhart)  Sherart.      He  is  a 


MOUND  TOWNSHIP. 


I2:i 


native  of  Pennsylvania.  She  is  of  Germany. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Yates  have  foui"  children,  viz., 
Emery  S.,  born  December  12,  1870;  James 
A.,  born  August  23,  1874;  Herbert,  Septem- 
ber 27.  1877;  Charles  E.,  April  22,  1882. 
Politically,  he  is  a  Republican.  Was  Super- 
visor of  township  two  terms,  ^\'hen  Mr. 
Yates  came  to  the  county,  west  of  his  present 
farm  the  nearest  house  was  eight  miles,  at 
Howai'd's  Point,  in  Fayette  County.  North 
was  in  Moccasin  Township,  ten  or  twelve 
miles.  East  was  several  houses  in  the  edge 
of  the  timber,  about  two  miles,  and  south 
about  ten  or  twelve  miles. 

SAMUEL  N.  YOUNG,  undertaker,  Alta- 
mont,  youngest  son  of  Thomas  1{.  and  Maiy 
(McCann)  Young,  was  born  in  Montgomery 
County,  Ky.,  March  19,  1829,  and  received 
his  education  in  the  county  schools  in  Ken- 
tucky. He  was  brought  by  his  parents  to 
Putnam  County,  Ind.,  in  1845,  and  was  raised 
on  a  farm.  He  lived  on  a  farm  near  Green 
Castle,  Ind.,  until  1855,  when  he  moved  to 
this  county;  settled  on  prairie  land,  on  what 
was  known  as  the  old  Hammond  farm.  Section 
12,  West  Township,  which  had  biit  insignili- 
cant  improvements.  He  lived  there  until 
July,  1878,  during  which  period  he  improved 
over  200  acres  of  land  and  put  up  comfortable 
and  substantial  buildings.  His  first  piur- 
chase  was  100  acres,  to  which  he  subsequently 
added  several  other  tracts.  He  was  a  suc- 
cessful stock  and  grain  raiser,  and  also 
bought  and  sold  stock  to  a  considerable  ex- 
tent. About  1870,  he  began  the  improve- 
ment of  his  stock  of  hogs,  beginning  with 
representatives  of  the  Chester  White,  and  af- 
terward the  Poland-China.  He  also  brought 
purebred  Cotswold  sheep  to  his  farm,  where 
they  still  remain.  He  has  given  some  atten- 
tion to  the  improvement  of  cattle,  breeding 
the  Short-Horn  species  with  good  success. 
He  came  to  Altamont  in  July,  1878,  and  en- 


gaged in  the  stock  and  grain  trade  for  eight- 
een months.  In  June,  1881,  he  opened  an 
undertaking  establishment,  on  Railroad  street, 
and  has  on  hand  a  full  line  of  undertaker's 
goods.  He  was  mawied,  the  fii-st  time,  Feb- 
ruary 1,  1849,  to  Miss  Mary  Jane  La  Follett, 
and  has  two  children  living  of  this  marriage 
— Lucretia,  wife  of  Charles  Kershaw,  of 
Montgomery  County,  Ind.;  Francis  Marion, 
farmer  in  Nodaway  County,  Mo.  Our  sub- 
ject's wife  died  in  Indiana  July  29,  1852, 
and  he  was  re-married,  to  Harriet  Yates, 
January  1,  1854.  She  died  June  14,  1868, 
leaving  five  children,  one  having  died  in  in- 
fancy. Those  living  are  Warren,  Mary  Jane, 
S.  A.,  Emma  and  Hattie.  Warren  is  married 
to  a  daughter  of  William  Hollis,  and  is  living 
in  Mound  Township.  Mary  Jane  is  the  wife 
of  F.  D.  Ensign,  Altamont.  S.  A.  is  prac- 
ticing medicine  in  Montgomery  County,  Ind., 
and  the  remaining  two  childi-en  are  at  home. 
Mr.  Young  was  married,  for  a  third  time, 
April  8,  1869,  to  Sarah  E.  Paugh,  of  this 
county. 

G.  W.  ZAHNOW,  harness,  saddles  and 
furniture,  Altamont.  Among  the  young 
business  men  of  Altamont  is  the  above-men- 
tioned gentleman,  who  started  business  here 
in  the  fall  of  1878,  in  company  with  F.  C. 
Herman,  in  the  manufacture  of  harness  and 
saddlery,  the  firm  name  being  Herman  & 
Zahnow,  which  continued  until  September, 
1880,  when  Herman  withdrew.  The  business 
was  continued  by  Mr.  Zahnow,  who  has  since 
conducted  the  same.  August,  1882,  he  start- 
ed in  the  furniture  business,  which  he  runs, 
in  connection  with  the  harness  department, 
both  carried  on  in  the  same  building — furni- 
ture below  and  harness  department  in  the 
upper  room.  By  attention  to  his  business 
and  studying  the  wants  and  demands  of  his 
customers,  he  has  built  up  an  excellent  busi- 
ness.    He  was  born  December  7,   1852,    in 


124 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Germany,  the  third  son  of  Charles  and  Attie 
(Lowe)  Zahnow,  with  whom  he  emigrated  to 
America  about  the  year  1854.  and  remained 
in  New  York  State,  near  Buflalo,  until  1862, 
when  they  all  came  West  to  this  county,  lo- 
cating in  Mound  Township,  where  his  parents 
now   reside,    and    are    engaged  in   farming. 


He  remained  with  them  until  he  attained  his 
majority,  when  he  began  for  himself.  He 
was  married,  November  23,  187U,  to  Anna 
Hei-mau,  a  native  of  Dixon,  this  State,  daugh- 
ter of  C.  Herman.  He  has  two  children — 
Benjamin  and  Franklin.  Is  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  and  Democratic  in  politics. 


LUCAS    T 

H.  W.  AGRUE,  farmer,  P.  0.  Eberle,  is  a 
man  of  intellectual  abilit}'  and  a  prominent 
citizen  and  farmer  of  Lucas  Township.  He  was 
born  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  March  12,  1817,  and 
was  taken  by  liis  parents  to  Ohio,  near  the  seat 
of  Cincinnati,  when  four  ^ears  old.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  New  York  State  and  his  moth- 
er of  Maine.  Our  subject's  father  was  a  tan- 
ner by  trade,  and  the  most  of  his  time  until  the 
beginning  of  the  Revolutionar}'  war  was  occu- 
pied in  New  York  City.  He  served  as  a  soldier 
under  Gen.  Greene,  and  during  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill  was  glanced  on  the  hip  by  a  cannon 
ball,  and  was  made  a  cripple  for  life.  After 
receiving  the  shot,  he  was  taken  into  Gen. 
Greene's  own  tent  and  kept  there  untilable  to 
travel,  when  he  went  into  the  service  again, 
and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  After 
the  close  of  the  war-,  he  and  two  comrades  were 
journeying  homeward,  were  taken  prisoners 
by  the  Indians.  They  managed  to  gain  the 
confidence  of  them  and  bj'  strategera  made 
their  escape.  They  were  pursued  to  the  Ohio 
River,  when  the  red  men  finding  that  they  had 
arri^'ed  in  a  country  inhabited  by  white  folks, 
gave  up  the  chase.  He  afterward  took  a  trip 
into  the  Eastern  States,  and  in  Maine  was 
married  to  Hannah  Wheeler,  by  whom  he  had 
one  child — John.  He  had  five  children  by  his 
first  marriage — Joseph,  Ellen,  Hannah,  Sarah, 
and  Henry,  our  subject.  Henry's  mother  died 
when  he  was  four  years  old,  in  Hamilton  County, 
K}-.,  1821.    from    that  time  he  was   raised  in 


OWNSHIP. 

Clermont  County,  Ohio.  The  education 
he  received  was  in  the  subscription  schools 
of  Clermont  County,  Ohio.  He  was  eco- 
nomical and  industrious  ;  would  work  and 
earn  a  little  money,  then  would  attend 
the  subscription  school  in  day  and  at 
night  would  attend  grammar  school.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen,  he  went  to  serve  as  an  ap- 
prentice ;  set  in  with  the  intention  of  serving 
three  j-ears,  but  the  foreman,  owing  to  the 
sickness  of  his  wife,  had  to  abandon  his  busi- 
ness after  Mr.  Agrue  had  served  eighteen 
months.  He  then  went  to  Cincinnati  to  finish 
his  trade  as  carpenter.  After  completing  iiis 
course,  went  to  diflerent  places  in  Ohio  and 
worked  as  journeyman  until  1841,  at  which 
time  he  left  Ohio  and  went  to  Kentucky, 
worlced  there,  and  in  January,  1842,  was  married 
to  Nancj'  Cummins,  a  native  of  Bracken  Coun- 
ty, Ky.  After  that,  he  followed  his  trade  suc- 
cessfully until  October,  1872,  at  which  time  he 
came  to  Effingham  County,  111.,  and  purchased  a 
farm  of  100  acres  of  land;  eighty  acres  is  prai- 
rie in  Section  32,  Lucas  Township  ;  twentj'  acres 
timber  in  Section  13,  Union  Township.  Now  his 
attention  is  turned  to  farming,  and  raises  prin- 
cipally grain — wheat,  corn  and  oats.  During 
the  war,  he  had  papers  sent  to  him  as  a  recruit- 
ing officer,  and  recruited  a  great  many  soldiers, 
about  200  in  all.  Mr.  Agrue  is  a  Democrat ;  is 
not  an  office  seeker,  but  at  times  becomes 
warmly  interested  in  political  matters.  Mr. 
Agrue  has  five  children  living — James  Allen, 


LUCAS  TOWjSTSHIP. 


125 


Melinda  Jane,  Sarah  Francis,  Emma  Adaline, 
Charley  Bruce,  and  two  dead — Mary  Ellen  and 
Henry  Bascom. 

GEORGE  W.  ALVI.S,  farmer,  P.  0.  Eberle, 
is  a  substantial  farmer  and  a  man  of  principle. 
He  was  born  in  Floyd  County,  Ind.,  April  29, 
1850.  His  father  is  a  native  of  Virginia,  born 
in  the  year  1818  ;  is  a  substantial  farmer,  liv- 
ing in  Washington  Count}-,  Ind.  Subject's 
mother  is  a  native  of  Indiana  ;•  was  born  about 
the  year  1821,  in  Orange  Count}-,  that  State, 
and  is  living  with  her  husband.  The}-  had 
thirteen  children,  namelj-  :  David  C,  living  in 
Orange  County,  Ind.,  James  W.,  living  in 
Washington  County,  Ind.;  Mary,  deceased  ; 
Sarah  A.,  wife  of  J.  L.  Chestnut,  living  in  Mis- 
souri ;  George  W.,  subject ;  Artimesia,  de" 
ceased  ;  Harvej-,  deceased  ;  John,  deceased  ; 
Margaret  M.,  wife  of  G.  31.  Morris,  living  in 
Washington  County,  Ind. ;  Hettie  B.,  deceased; 
Joseph  and  Florence  L.,  living  in  Washington 
County,  Ind.  ;  Catharine,  at  home  in  Washing- 
ton County,  Ind.  George  W.  Alvis  was  taken 
by  his  parents  to  Washington  County,  Ind.,  in 
1862,  when  twelve  years  old.  He  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  Floyd  and 
Washington  Counties,  by  working  for  his  fath- 
er in  summer  and  in  winter  would  attend 
school  about  three  months  in  the  3-ear.  He 
made  liis  home  at  his  father's  until  1873,  when 
at  twenty-three  years  of  age  he  was  married  to 
Seaphy  V.  Clark,  a  native  of  Washington 
County,  Ind.  She  was  born  about  184(3.  Her 
mother,  Susan  Clark,  was  a  native  of  Wash- 
ington County,  Ind.,  born  1823.  Her  father, 
Alexander  Clark,  was  a  native  of  Vermont  ; 
his  death  occurred  in  1857.  Our  subject  after 
marriage  removed  to  Orange  County,  Ind.,  and 
engaged  in  farming,  and  remained  there  three 
j-ears,  until  1876,  at  which  time  he  came  to 
Lucas  Town.ship,  and  engaged  in  farming.  He 
has  one  child  living — Mar}'  Edith  ;  two  are 
dead — Ezza,  and  the  other  died  in  infancy. 

IRA  B.  CAIU'HNTKR,  farmer,  P.  O.  Win- 
terrowd,    was    born    in    Jackson    Township, 


Effingham  County,  November  9,  1852.  He 
lived  with  his  father  in  Jackson  Township 
until  1870;  during  that  time  he  was  working 
on  the  farm  for  his  father  in  the  summer  and 
in  winter  attended  school  in  the  first  school 
house  that  was  built  in  Jackson  Towusliip.  It 
was  known  as  the  Carpenter  Schoolhouse. 
The  neighbors  volunteered  and  built  it.  They 
went  into  the  woods  and  hewed  out  the  logs, 
and  completed  it  about  the  year  1856.  In 
1870,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  he  went  to  the  lake 
regions  on  the  northern  and  eastern  line  of 
Minnesota,  and  engaged  in  lumbering  and  rail- 
roading; he  remained  there  until  the  latter  part 
of  1873.  In  the  winter  of  1874,  he  came  back 
to  his  home  in  Jackson  Township,  and  re- 
mained there  until  the  spring  of  1875,  then 
went  to  the  pine  regions  on  Black  River  in 
Wisconsin,  remained  there  until  about  the 
middle  of  July,  1875,  when  he  went  to  Min- 
nesota; he  remained  there  until  Christmas, 
1875,  then  came  back  to  Effingham  County, 
and  went  to  work  on  his  farm  in  Jackson  Town- 
ship, which  he  had  purchased  in  1870.  There 
were  forty  acres  in  the  tract,  twelve  acres  being 
cleared  when  he  bought  it;  he  afterward  cleared 
up  the  remainder  (with  the  exception  of  three 
acres)  and  put  it  in  cultivation.  He  lived  there 
on  his  farm  for  three  years,  the  first  year  he 
stayed  there  and  kept  bachelor's  hall;  and  on 
the  2Gth  day  of  February,  1S7G,  was  married 
to  Rosa  Ann  Price,  of  Effingham  County.  In 
1878,  he  sold  out  and  moved  to  Lucas  Town- 
ship, on  a  farm  of  160  acres  in  Section  35, 
which  he  had  purchased.  On  the  first  of  March, 
1882,  he  purchased  another  farm  of  240  acres 
in  Clay  County,  111.,  in  Section  1,  Bible  Grove 
Township;  about  200  acres  are  in  cultivation  aud 
the  remaining  forty  is  timber  land.  His  main 
productions  are  wheat,  corn  and  oats.  This 
season  he  has  raised  about  2,500  bushels  of 
wheat  and  oats,  and  about  2,000  bushels  corn. 
His  father,  John  B.  Carpenter,  was  born  in 
Licking  County,  Ohio,  in  1815,  is  a  farmer  and 


126 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


is  living  in  Arkansas.  His  mother,  Hannah 
Jane  Imes,  was  born  in  Licking  County,  Ohio, 
in  1817,  and  died  in  JIfBngham  County-,  Jack- 
son Township,  in  the  year  1854.  They-  had 
seven  children — Anna,  wife  of  James  Nokes, 
deceased,  she  is  living  in  Arkansas ;  Isaac 
Perry,  living  in  Effingham  County,  Jackson 
Township  ;  James,  living  in  Missouri ;  Oscar, 
deceased  at  eight  years  old  ;  John,  living  in 
Arkansas  ;  Victoria,  wife  of  E.  R.  Rinehart, 
living  in  Watson  Township,  Effingham  Co.,  111. 
JOSEPH  A.  DRAKE,  farmer,  P.  0.  Winter- 
rowd,  is  a  native  of  Indiana,  born  in  Shelb}" 
County,  that  State,  on  the  18th  of  March,  1829. 
He  worked  on  his  father's  farm  in  the  summer 
time,  and  attended  school  in  the  winter  about 
three  months  in  the  year.  When  fourteen  years 
old,  his  father  died  and  our  subject  lived  on 
the  farm  until  1853.  during  wliich  lime  he  was 
married  to  Catharine  Mow,  of  Shelby  County, 
Ind.  In  the  same  year  (1853),  he  removed  to 
Hancock  County,  111.,  and  lived  there  three 
years  when  his  wife  died,  and  he  returned  to 
Shelby  County,  Ind.,  and  went  to  clerking  in  a 
drj'  goods  store  for  George  Dibert,  clerked 
there  for  about  eighteen  months,  then  clerked 
for  William  P.  Winterrowd  about  the  same 
length  of  time.  During  this  time,  he  was  mar- 
ried again  to  Rachel  Hodson,  of  Shelby  Coun- 
ty, Ind.  In  the  spring  of  1859,  he  removed  to 
Jasper  County,  111.,  and  purchased  a  farm  of 
forty  acres  in  South  Muddy  Township,  about 
ten  acres  of  it  being  cultivated  laud.  He 
planted  a  good  orchard  and  commenced  to 
improve  it;  and  in  the  spring  of  1863  came  to 
Effingham  County,  and  bought  eighty  acres  of 
railroad  land  in  Section  36,  Lucas  Township. 
Since  that  time,  he  has  bought  forty  acres,  ad- 
joining it  on  the  south.  He  is  an  energetic 
and  industrious  farmer,  and  raises  extensively 
wheat,  corn  and  oats.  He  is  also  a  natural 
mechanic,  and  has  worked  considerably  at  the 
carpenter's  trade  since  he  came  to  the  State. 
He  built  the  first  dwelling  that  was  in  Winter- 


rowd town,  for  Wash  Winterrowd,  after  whom 
the  town  took  its  name,  and  he  has  built  about 
eighteen  grist  mills,  barns  and  other  build- 
ings. He  has  eleven  children  living  and  two 
dead  :  Ithamar,  Laura,  Isaac,  Shelby.  Frank, 
Emma,  Thomas,  George,  Henry,  May  and  Ota. 
Charles  deceased  and  Era  deceased.  Our  sub- 
ject's father,  Isaac  Drake,  was  born  in  Ohio 
about  the  year  1799.  He  removed  to  Shelby 
County,  Ind.,  and  there  erected  the  first  grist 
and  saw  mill  that  was  on  Flat  Rock  River,  and 
also  built  a  linseed  oil  mill.  He  also  owned 
a  farm  and  he  kept  the  mill  and  fitrra  going 
until  1840,  at  which  time  he  went  to  practicing 
medicine,  of  which  he  had  made  a  sppcial 
study  before.  He  practiced  until  his  death 
which  occurred  in  1843.  His  wife,  Prudence, 
was  born  in  Virginia  in  1798,  and  died  in  Han- 
cock County.  111.  They  had  eight  children — 
William  Edwin,  Ithamar,  Isaac  Newton, 
Amanda,  Joseph  A.  subject,  Henrj-,  Prudence 
Rachel  and  Charles. 

THOMAS  J.  DUNN,  ,M.  D.,  Elliottstown, 
was  born  in  Bracken  County,  Ky.,  in  1845;  was 
brought  by  his  parents  to  Effingham  County, 
Lucas  Township,  in  1853;  he  received  his  prim- 
ary education  in  an  old  log  schoolhouse  south 
of  Elliottstown,  it  being  the  first  school  house 
that  was  in  Lucas  Township;  he  attended  after- 
ward the  community  schools  of  the  neighbor- 
hood. He  attended  school  about  two  or  three 
months  in  winter  and  the  rest  of  the  time 
helped  his  father  on  the  farm  up  to  1864;  he 
then  enlisted  in  Company  II,  One  Hundred  and 
Fifty-fourth  Illinois  Volunteer:  was  Sergeant, 
and  promoted  to  rank  of  Second  Lieutenant, 
and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war;  he  was 
mustered  out  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  September 
18, 1865;  he  then  came  home  and  taught  school 
until  1875,  when  he  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine;  received  his  degree  at  Rush  Bledical 
College,  Chicago,  111.,  February  22,  1881,  and 
is  still  faithfully  pursuing  his  profession,  and 
has  quite  an  extensive  practice  in  the  vicinity 


LUCAS  TOWNSHIP. 


127 


of  Elliottstown.  He  was  married,  October  4, 
1866,  to  Mary  F.  Field,  of  Elliottstown.  They 
have  six  children — Louis  Oscar,  living,  fourteen 
years  old;  Elijah  Andrew,  died  when  one  year 
old;  Sarah  F.,  died  when  eighteen  months  old; 
Marj'  Elizabeth,  living,  seven  years  old;  Ada 
Bell,  deceased,  one  year  old;  John  William,  liv- 
ing, seven  months.  Mr.  Dunn  is  a  Republican, 
and  has  served  in  various  township  ottices.  He 
is,  at  present.  Chairman  of  the  Republican  Cen- 
tral Committee  in  Lucas  Township;  he  has  also 
served  as  Town  Clerk  of  Bishop  Township  as 
much  as  four  3-ears;  be  also  belongs  to  Delia 
Lodge,  No.  525,  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  was  Wor- 
shipful Master  for  six  years,  up  to  1882  ;  his 
father,  Andrew  Dunn,  was  born  in  Bracken 
Count}-,  Kj\,  in  1813;  he  was  a  farmer  from  his 
youth  up,  and  also  dealt  some  in  stock;  he 
moved  here  in  Lucas  Township  in  185.'?,  and 
settled  on  the  farm  which  bears  his  name.  He 
enlisted  in  the  fall  of  1861,  in  Company  I, 
Fifty-fourth  Illinois  Infantry  ;  discharged  on 
the  13th  day  of  March,  1803,  for  disability;  he 
arose  to  the  rank  of  Sergeant;  he  came  back  to 
Lucas  Township  and  went  to  farming,  and  died 
in  Teutopolis  January  6, 1871.  He  went  there 
on  business,  and  was  stricken  with  apoplexy, 
and  died  in  twelve  hours.  Deceased  was 
a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  also  of 
the  Masonic  order.  Deceased  had  six  children 
— John  W.,  physician  in  Barton  County,  Mo.; 
.Mary  E.,  wife  of  Samuel  L.  Parks;  Martha  F. 
(deceased),  wife  of  J.  R.  Merry;  Thomas  J.,  sub- 
ject; Elijah  S.,  died  in  Barton  Count}-,  Mo.,  in 
1868;  Sarah  Belle,  wife  of  Silvester  Harlan, 
lives  adjoining  the  old  farm.  Their  mother  is 
living  on  the  old  larm  with  Mr.  Harlan;  she 
was  born  in  Bracken  County,  Ky.,  in  the  year 
1812. 

J.  W.  ELLIS,  traveling  salesman,  Elliotts- 
town, was  born  in  Wabash  County,  111.,  Septem- 
ber 22,  1846.  His  father,  Charles  C.  Ellis, 
was  born  in  Crawford  County,  Ind.,  December 
2,  1814,  was  a  farmer,   and  died  February  22. 


1879,  in  Greenwood  County,  Kan.  Our  sul)- 
ject's  mother,  Hannah  Phar,  was  born  in  Ten- 
nessee in  1820,  and  died  in  1854,  in  Wayne 
Count}',  111.  The}'  had  five  children,  all  are 
living,  namely  :  Henry  C,  railroading  in  Texas; 
Joseph  W.,  subject ;  Thomas  J.,  is  a  brick 
mason  by  trade,  and  is  living  in  Brownsville, 
Neb.;  Charles  C.  is  farming  in  Greenwood 
County,  Kan.;  Sarah  E.,  wife  of  Edward  T. 
Wines,  living  in  St.  Louis.  Subject  removed 
with  his  parents  from  Wabash  County  to 
Wayne  County,  111.,  in  1852;  they  remained 
there  four  years,  and,  in  the  spring  of  1857. went 
back  to  Wabash  County,  111.  They  remained 
there  until  the  spring  of  1858,  at  which  time 
they  removed  to  Gentry  County,  Mo.,  where 
they  remained  until  February,  1801,  when  they 
removed  to  LTnion  County,  Iowa.  They  re- 
mained in  Union  County  until  October  of  the 
same  .year,  when  they  went  to  Fulton  County, 
111.  Our  subject  remained  in  Fulton  County 
until  January  20,  1865,  at  whicii  time  he  en- 
listed in  Company  B,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- 
first  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served 
one  year.  He  was  in  several  skirmishes,  but 
in  no  regular  battles.  He  was  mustered  in  at 
Quincy,  111.,  and  was  mustered  out  at  Colum- 
bus, Ga.,  February  15,  1805,  when  he  returned 
to  Fulton  County,  111.,  and  remained  there 
three  months,  and  then  went  to  Summerfield, 
St.  Clair  Co.,  111.,  and  was  engaged  in  the 
nui'sery  business  until  September,  1866,  at 
which  time  he  removed  to  Mt.  Erie,  Wayne 
Co.,  111.,  and  attended  a  district  school  three 
months,  afterward  attending  a  graded  school 
until  September,  1867 ;  he  then  engaged  in 
teaching,  and,  about  this  time,  he  was  married 
to  Hariet  A.  McCoy,  of  Wayne  County,  111.; 
she  was  born  in  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio,  No- 
vember 2,  1840.  At  the  close  of  the  six 
months'  school,  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Wayne 
County,  and,  in  the  fall  of  1869,  sold  out  and 
came  to  Lucas  Township,  Effingham  County, 
where  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Section   10   and 


128 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


commenced  farming,  and  also  raising  and  deal- 
ing in  stock.  He  relinquished  his  stock  dealing 
in  June,  1882,  on  account  of  ill  health.  He 
sold  a  portion  of  his  farm  and  all  his-  surplus 
stock,  and  engaged  with  a  wholesale  hat  and 
cap  house  of  Indianapolis,  as  traveling  sales- 
man, at  which  business  he  is  still  engaged. 
His  Tamil}-  lives  on  the  reserved  portion  of  his 
farm.  He  has  always  been  a  Republican,  and 
has  served  as  Collector  of  his  township  three 
terms.  He  has  four  children  living  and  one 
dead,  namely  :  John  L.,  Charles  M.,  Olive  May, 
Joseph  Olin,  are  living;  Oscar  Walter  died 
April  3,  1882.  He  was  born  September  25, 
1868.  Subject's  wife's  father  was  a  native  of 
Bedford  County,  Penn.,  born  in  the  j-ear  1806, 
and  died  in  Wayne  County,  111.,  about  the  year 
1863.  Her  mother,  Mary  George,  was  a  native 
of  Jefferson  County,  Ohio,  born  in  the  year 
1812,  and  died  in  Wayne  County.  111.,  in  the 
spring  of  1878. 

HIRAM  R.  EVANS,  farmer,  P.  0.  Eberle. 
He  is  a  young  man  of  industrious  habits.  He 
was  born  in  Effingham  County  May  IS,  1849,- 
and  was  reared  here.  His  father,  Stephen  Y., 
was  a  native  of  Indiana.  He  was  born  August 
22,  1822.  He  came  to  Effingham  County,  111., 
in  1836,  and  died  here  May  11,  1861.  Our 
subject's  mother,  Mary  (Witchman),  is  a  native 
of  Indiana,  born  November  3,  1824,  aud  is  liv- 
ing with  our  subject.  She  was  twice  married, 
her  second  husband  being  Daniel  iMerry,  who 
is  also  dead.  Our  subject  was  about  twelve 
years  old  when  his  father  died. 

HENRY  PRITCHLEY,  farmer,  P.  0.  Wiii- 
terrowd,  is  an  industrious  and  substantial 
farmer  of  Lucas- Township.  Was  born  in  Rich- 
land County,  111.,  December  20,  1848.  His 
father  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  was  born 
about  the  year  1814,  has  always  been  a  farmer, 
and  is  living  in  Richland  County,  111.  Our  sub- 
ject's mother,  Lydia  Stafa,  wa.s  a  native  of 
Ohio,  and  is  dead.  They  had  nine  children — 
John  lives  in  Clement  Township,  Richland  Co.; 


Sarah  Ann,  wife  of  Isaiah  Louis,  living  iu 
Richland  County  ;  Jeremiah  lives  in  Jasper 
County,  111.;  Isaac  in  Richland  County,  Clem- 
ent Township  ;  Sophia,  wife  of  John  Carver, 
deceased  ;  Heniy,  subject  ;  Louisa,  wife  of 
James  Lynch,  lives  in  Richland  Count}',  Clem- 
ent Township;  David,  Richland  County;  Mar- 
garet, wife  of  Absalom  Milliman,  lives  in  Rich- 
land County.  Their  father  was  married  again 
to  Elizabeth  Smith,  of  Ohio,  and  has  five  chil- 
dren living  and  one  dead — Susanna,  living; 
Mary  M.,  wife  of  Oliver  Madden,  lives  in  Rich- 
land County ;  George,  Martin,  William  Louis 
(deceased).  Henry  Fritchley  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm,  and  received  his  education  by 
helping  his  father  in  summer,  and  would  at- 
tend school  about  four  months  in  winter.  When 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  was  married  to 
Margaret  Snyder  of  Richland  County.  She 
was  born  May  26.  1849.  Henry  farmed  in 
Richland  County  one  season,  1870;  then  sold 
out  and  weut  to  the  northwestern  part  of  Mis- 
souri, Lynn  County,  remained  there  about  two 
j-ears,  until  1872,  at  which  time  he  came  back 
to  Richland  Count}-,  and  remained  there  until 
1874,  when  he  came  to  Lucas  Township,  Effing- 
ham County,  and  purchased  a  farm  of  120  acres 
of  Willi  land  in  Section  28.  Now  he  has  the  most 
of  it  in  cultivation,  and  raises  grain — princi- 
pally wheat,  corn  and  oats.  He  has  two  charm- 
ing little  girls  and  a  little  boy — Lucinda 
Blanche,  Lulu  Grace  and  Edward  Oliver. 
Margaret  Pritchley's  father  was  Morris  Brad}- 
Suyder,  born  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  in  1800.  He 
was  a  prominent  man  and  a  Methodist  Episco- 
pal minister.  He  began  preaching  when  a 
young  man.  and  preached  as  circuit  rider  until 
too  old  for  service,  at  which  time  he  retired  on 
a  farm,  and  remained  on  the  farm  about  tw.o 
years,  at  which  time  he  was  elected  Circuit 
Clerk  of  Richland  County.  He  was  the  first 
Clerk  of  the  county,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
old  Whig  party.  He  was  elected  for  his  fourth 
term,  and  died  January  31,  1861,  before  he  had 


LUCAS   TOWNSHIP. 


129 


served  it  out.  Her  mother,  Eliza  Cottrell,  was 
a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  May  12,  1812, 
and  died  in  Soutli  Muddy  Townsliip,  Jasper 
County,  May  10,  1877.  They  had  eleven  chil- 
dren; six  are  living:  Mary  Jane,  wife  of  Jacob 
Cook,  living  in  Jasper  County,  111.;  Alfred,  liv- 
ing in  Jasper  County  ;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Jesse 
Cook,  living  in  Jasper  County  ;  John,  in  Jasper 
County  ;  Lucinda,  wife  of  Jeremiah  Fritchlej-, 
living  in  Jasper  County,  111.;  Margaret,  our  sub- 
ject ;  live  are  dead — Caroline,  Samuel,  Martha, 
Morris,  George. 

JOSEPH  GOSSMAN,  wagon-maker,  Winter- 
rowd,was  born  in  German}-,  January  23,  1852. 
His  father,  Andrew,  was  also  born  in  Germanj', 
in  the  Province  of  Baden,  and  came  to  this  coun- 
trj-  in  185G,  and  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  March  4, 
of  that  5-ear.  He  was  a  natural  mechanic.  It 
was  said  of  him  that  to  let  him  see  how  any- 
thing was  done,  even  the  most  difficult  piece  of 
mechanism,  he  could  take  hold  and  perform 
the  work  readilj'.  About  four  weeks  after  land- 
ing here  in  this  country,  he  was  working  on  a 
mill,  and  was  sunstrnck,  which  resulted  in  his 
death.  Our  subject's  mother  was  also  a  native 
of  Germany,  born  in  the  Province  of  Baden. 
Our  subject  was  one  of  a  family  of  seven 
children,  of  whom  three  are  living  :  Engel- 
berth,  living  in  Effingham  ;  Andrew,  deceased, 
died  in  Chicago  ;  Bennard,  living  on  the  old 
farm  in  Lucas  Township,  and  Adolph,  died  at 
Winterrowd,  January  17,  1882  ;  Rosa,  de- 
ceased, died  at  Cincinnati  ;  Joseph,  our  sub- 
ject ;  Freileric,  died  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  Both 
Rosa  and  Frederic  died  within  six  weeks  after 
landing  at  Cincinnati,  so  that  left  five  children, 
of  whom  three  were  large  enough  to  earn  S2 
per  week  in  a  tobacco  fiictory,  and  after  the}- 
bad  worked  for  one  year  their  wages  were  in- 
creased. Our  young  friend  Joseph,  when  old 
enough,  commenced  work  in  the  same  house. 
Their  earnings  supported  the  family.  They 
worked  there  in  that  house  for  about  five  years, 
and   in   18G1    they  removed  to  Perry  County. 


Ohio,  and  rented  a  farm  for  three  years,  and 
by  economy  and  industry  saved  enough  at  the 
end  of  three  years  to  purchase  a  farm  of  forty 
acres  in  the  same  county.     When  they   moved 
to  the  farm  Joseph  began  again  al  his  trade  of 
cigar  making  ;  he  worked  at  it  for  two  years, 
up  to  1860.     He  then  learned  the  blacksmith 
trade,  at  Oakfleld,  Perry  Co.,  Ohio.    He  served 
as  an  apprentice  for  about  two  years.     During 
this  time  his  mother  and  family  removed  to 
Aurora,  111.     He  then  quit  >t»lacksmithing  and 
went  to  his  mothers  place,  and  remained  there 
one  month,  and  then   went  to   Ciiicago,  where 
he  worked  for  his  brother  in  a  tobacco  factory 
for  about  six    months.      He   also  worked    at 
Niles,  Mich.,  until  18(iS,  at  which  time  he  re- 
moved to  Chicago  and  started  a  cigar  and  to- 
bacco factory  of   his  own.      He  resided  there 
until  September,  1871,  when  he  sold  his  retail 
goods,  and  the  wholesale  goods  were  put  in  a 
commission    house    for    sale,    and    wei;,e    all 
destroj^ed  in  the  great  fire  of  Chicago.     Loss 
about  S600.     In  the  spring  of  1871,  he  and 
his  biothercame  to  Lucas  Township,  Effingham 
County,  and  bought  120  acres  of  unimproved 
land  in  Section  28.     They  then   went  back  to 
Chicago,  and,  in  September  of  the  same  year, 
the  family  moved  on  the  farm.     He  remained 
on  the  farm  until  the  summer  of  1873,  at  which 
time  he  went  to  Winterrowd  and  opened  up  a 
blacksmith  shop,  selling  out  in  September  of 
same  year,  and  went  to  farming.     In  1877,  he 
came  bat'k  to  Winterrowd,  and  purchased  the 
shop  owned  by  Jack  Scott,  and  went  to  smith- 
ing, and  since  that  time  he  has  made  additional 
improvements  by  establishing  a  wagon  shop, 
where  "wagons  and  buggies  are  made  to  order." 
At  the  time  of  purchasing,  the  tools  and  mate- 
rial were  invoiced  at  $280,  and  the  shop  and 
grounds  were  valued  at  $30.     All  he  liad  when 
he  came  there  was  his  household  furniture  and 
$30   in   money.      Now  his  tools,  ground   and 
material  are  valued  at  81,500.  He  was  married 
in   August,   1873,  to   Sarah  Allen,  a  native  of 


130 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


Indiana.     They  have  two  children,  Rosa  and 
Franklin. 

SYLVESTER    HARLAN,    farmer,    P.    0. 
Elliottstown,    is     a    reliable   and    substantial 
farmer  of  Lucas  Township.     He  was   born   in 
Parke  County,  lad.,  February   12,  1850.     His 
father,  Alfred  Harlan,  was  a  native  of  Indiana, 
born  in  the  year   1822  ;  he  followed   farming 
for  a  livelihood  and  died    in    Boone    County, 
Ind.,    May    8,    1874.       Our   subject's    mother. 
Caroline  Clark,  is  a  native  of  Ohio  and  is  living 
in  Boone  County,  Ind.     They  have  seven  chil- 
dren living — Oliver,  living  in  Boone    County, 
Ind.;    Sylvester,    our    subject;    Nancy    Jane, 
wife  of  Marshal  T.   Billings,    living  in    Boone 
County;  Jacob,  Noah,  Alfred,  are  also    living 
in  Boone  County,  Ind.;  Amanda  Frances,  wife 
of  Morris   Harlan,   living    in  Boone    County, 
Ind.,  and  three  are  dead,  Martin,  Daniel,  James. 
Sylvester  was  taken  by  his  parents  to   Rush 
County,  Ind.,  in    1853,  when  three  years   old, 
and  remained  there   until    1861,  at  which  time 
he  and  his  parents  removed  to  Boone  County, 
Ind.     He  received   his   education    by    helping 
his  father  on  the  farm  in  summer  and  in  winter 
would  attend  school  about  six  months   in  the 
year  until  eighteen  years  old.  when  in  the  fall 
of  1868  he  came  to  Lucas  Township  to  look  at 
the  country  and  also  to  inspect  the  land  owned 
by    his  father  in    Lucas    Township.      He  re- 
mained there  and    attended    school  until   the 
summer  of  1869,  which  time   he  returned  to 
Boone  County,  and  in   the  fall  of  1870,  came 
back  to  Lucas  Township  and  purchased  ninety 
acres   of  raw  prairie   land    in  Section  9,   and 
commenced  to  improve  it.     On  the  22d  day 
of  January,   1871,  he  shouldered   his  ax  and 
went  to  the  woods  to  chop,  it  being  the  first 
day's    work    he  ever  did   for    himself     After 
fencing  fifty  acres  and  plowing  twenty,  he  re- 
turned to  Boone   Count}-,  and  remained   there 
throughout   harvest,   when    he   came  back   to 
Lucas  Township  and  finished  plowing  his  land. 
Now  he  has  a  well-improved  farm.     Mr.  Har- 


lan is  and  always  has  been  a  Republican,  and 
has  served  in  various  township  ofHces.  In  the 
spring  of  1871,  he  was  elected  Collector  of  the 
township  and  served  two'  terms.  He  has 
served  as  School  Trustee  and  Commissioner  of 
Highways.  In  the  spring  of  1882,  he  was 
elected  Town  Clerk,  which  office  he  now  holds. 
Sylvester  and  his  brother  Noah,  and  his  two 
sisters  belong  to  the  M.  E.  Church.  Our  sub- 
ject was  married  November  25,  1872,  to  Sarah 
Belle  Dunn,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  Feb- 
ruary 7,  1853.  They  have  had  two  children- 
John  Oliver,  living,  and  Sarah  Olive,  de- 
ceased. 

WILLIAM  J.  JAYNE,  physician,  Winter- 
rowd.  Although  a  j'oung  man.  Dr.  Jaync  has 
had  such  advantages  for  advancement  in  his 
chosen  profession  as  are  afforded  to  few:  He 
was  born  in  Pendleton  County,  Ky.,  August  22, 
1855.  His  fathci-,  Alexander  Jayne,  was  a 
native  of  Kentuckj'.  He  was  born  there  April 
11,  1819  ;  his  parents  were  of  English  descent. 
Subject's  mother,  Sophrona  (Highfill)  Jayne, 
was  also  a  native  of  Kentucky.  She  was 
born  there  January  21,  1825,  of  Irish  and 
German  parents.  No  man  could  have  made 
more  out  of  the  advantages  afforded  him  than 
has  Dr.  Jayne.  He  is  a  man  of  very  great 
energy  and  "  push,"  working  with  all  his  might 
on  whatever  matter  he  may  have  on  hand.  He 
began  business  by  teaching  school.  Taught  for 
three  winters  in  succession  and  at  nights 
studied  medicine.  He  attended  two  terms  of 
school  at  a  seminary  located  at  Sullivan,  Moul- 
trie County,  111.,  and  two  terms  in  a  medical 
schoof.  First  term  at  the  Vanderbilt  Univer- 
sity, located  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  graduated 
at  Keokuk,  Iowa.  Februarj-  25,  1879,^nd  en- 
tered into  the  practice  of  medicine;  located  in 
Jasper  County,  111.,  and  practiced  there  one 
year,  at  which  time  he  removed  to  Winterrowd, 
his  present  place  of  business,  and  by  energy 
and  go-ahead  stands  high  in  the  rank  of  phj'si- 
cians.     He  has  quite  an  extensive  practice  all 


I.UCAS'  TOWNSHir. 


181 


over  the  southern  and  eastern  part  of  Effing- 
ham County. 

JAMES  II.  KELLAR,  farmer,  P.  O.  Kberle, 
is  a  substantial  farmer  of  Lucas  Township. 
He  was  born  in  Mason  Township,  Effingham 
County,  November  14,  1840.  He  lived  in 
Mason  Township  with  his  brother  until  1875, 
during  this  time  he  was  helping  him  in  summer 
and  in  winter  would  attend  school  about  three 
months  in  the  year.  His  father  was  a  native 
of  Indiana  and  his  motiier  was  a  native  of 
Kentucky.  His  father  was  killed. in  the  battle 
of  Cape  Girardeau,  Mo.  They  liad  three  chil- 
dren, all  living,  namely  :  John  H.,  Sarah  J. 
and  James  Harvey,  subject.  Our  subject 
was  married  in  1870,  to  Angeline  Blunt,  of 
Effingham  County,  111.;  she  was  born  August 
7,  1852.  They  have  one  child,  Harvy  Edward. 
Mrs.  Kellar's  father,  John  Blunt,  was  a  native 
of  Illinois,  and  her  mother,  Catharine,  of  Ken- 
tuc'ky. 

W.  Mc.  MERRY,  farmer  and  merchant,  Elli- 
ottstown,  was  born  in  Barren  County,  K3'., 
March  19,  1827.  His  father  moved  from  there 
when  subject  was  three  j^ears  old,  and  settled 
in  Madison  County,  HI.  There  our  subject 
was  raised  on  a  farm,  and  received  his  early 
education  in  the  subscription  schools.  He 
came  with  his  wife  and  two  children  to  this 
county  in  1851,  and  settled  in  Section  17,  Lucas 
Township,  where  he  lived  till  1881.  In  August, 
1862,  he  enlisted  in  the  Ninety-eighth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  until  the  close 
of  the  war,  being  after  tiie  first  eight  months  in 
the  mounted  infantry.  He  belonged  to  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  was  engaged  in 
the  battles  of  Chickamauga,  Mission  Ridge, 
Selma  and  several  others,  being  with  Wilson's 
Cavalry  as  far  south  as  the  latter  place.  He 
was  mustered  out  at  Chattanooga,  Tonn.,  in 
1805,  and  received  his  discharge  at  Springfield, 
111.,  July  3,  of  the  same  j-ear.  He  returned  to 
the  farm,  and,  as  before  stated,  lived  there  until 
1881,  when  he  moved  to  EUiottstown,  and  be- 


came a  partner  of  F.  B.  Schooley,  and  under 
the  firm  name  of  Schooley  &  Merry  kept  a 
general  store  until  JIarch,  1882,  when  partner- 
ship was  dissolved,  and  our  subject  continued 
the  business  with  his  son,  O.  T.  .Merry,  and 
they  carr3-  a  general  stock.  Our  subject  was 
married  in  Bond  County,  this  State,  in  1848,  to 
Miss  Savage,  and  by  her  has  thirteen  children, 
seven  of  whom  are  living — ^Owen  T.,  Noah, 
James,  Sarah  L.,  Richard,  Eliza  and  Lonan. 
The  other  children,  with  one  exception,  died 
when  young.  Mrs.  Merry  died  in  July,  1874, 
and  our  subject  was  married  the  following  year 
to  Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Austin.  Mr.  Merry  has 
alwaj's  been  a  Republican  in  political  matters, 
has  been.  Supervisor,  and  at  one  time  made  a 
race  as  the  Independent  candidato-for  County 
Treasurer.  He  still  owns  320  acres  of  fiirm 
land. 

JAMES  R.  MERRY,  farming,  P.  O.  Elliotts- 
town,  was  born  in  Madison  County,  111.,  June 
29,  1833.  He  was  brought  by  his  father  to 
Effingham  County  when  one  year  old.  He 
worked  on  his  father's  farm  in  summer,  and  in 
winter,  when  there  was  school,  he  attended  it. 
All  the  education  he  received  was  in  Lucas 
Townsiiip.  He  helped  to  build  several  school- 
houses  before  he  could  go  to  school.  He  first 
located  on  a  farm  of  forty  acres  in  Union  Town- 
ship, which  Ura  Stroud  now  lives  on ;  lived 
there  awhile,  then  moved  to  Lucas  Township, 
on  the  farm  that  Samuel  Stroud  now  lives  on. 
In  1862,  August  9,  he  enlisted  in  the  Ninety- 
eighth  Illinois  Infantry.  Was  mustered  out  at 
Springfield,  111.,  about  the  1st  of  July,  1865. 
He  was  in  the  battles  of  Frankfort,  Ky.,  Ver- 
sailles, Ky.,  Stone  River,  Tenn.,  Hoover's  Gap, 
Tenn.,  Dalton,  Ga.,  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  Kenc- 
saw  Mountain,  Tenn.,  Chickamauga,  Tenn.,  At- 
lanta, Ga.  After  the  battle  at  Atlanta,  they 
came  back  to  Louisville  and  re-mounted;  the 
next  raid  was  to  Selma,  Ala.;  went  from  there 
to  Macon,  Ga.,  and  many  other  skirmishes. 
After  the  war,  he  came  back  and  settled  on  the 


132 


UIOGRAPHICAL: 


farm  where  he  now  lives.     He  bought  forty 
acres  in  1863,  fort}'  acres  in  1868  and  twenty 
acres  in  the  year  1870.       The  piece  ho  first 
settled  on  was  unimproved  land  ;  the  only  close 
neighbor  he  had  was  Andrew  Dunn.     Now  he 
has  about  ninety  acres  under  cultivation,  and 
raises  grain  principally.     When  he  first  came 
back,  he  thought  he  would  raise  grain  in  large 
quantities.     He  put  in  about  thirty-five  acres 
of  corn  and  raised  a  good  crop,  but  could  not 
find  any  market  for  it.     So  he  kept  it  over 
winter,  and  in  the  spring  sold  it  for  10  cents 
per  bushel.     He  had  to  go  to  mill  down  below 
Mason ;  it  was  owned  by  Uncle  Elijah  Henry. 
A  3-oke  of  oxen  and  sled,  and  a  sack  of  corn 
would  constitute  the  outfit,  and  right  there  and 
then,  he  said  were  the  happiest  days  he  ever 
saw.     He  was  married  in  the  3-ear  1855,  to  Miss 
Blunt,   of  Effingham    County.      She   died    in 
1856.    He  married  again,  in  1857,  a  Miss  Dunn. 
She  died  a  short  time  after  marriage.     He  was 
married  again,  January  1,  1880,  to  Miss  Bar- 
cus.      He  has  five  children — John,  Henrietta, 
Ida  Ann,  Angeline  and  Charley.     His  father, 
G.  R.  Merry,  was  born  in  Bourbon  County,  Ky., 
in  the  year  1802,  and  died  in  EflSngham  Coun- 
ty, 1866;  he  followed  farming  all  his  life.     His 
wife,  Jane  Hubbard,  was  born  1807,  in  Virginia, 
and  died  in  1859.     They  had  eight  children — 
Henry  (deceased),  died  at  Watson,  Effingham 
Co.,  Ill;  Sarah,  wife  of  William  Green,  lives 
in  Effingham;  Thomas  (deceased);  J.  R.  Merry, 
subject;  Daniel,  living  in  Kansas;  Nancy,  de- 
ceased  wife   of  Anderson   Elliott ;    Elizabeth 
(deceased);  Louisa,  deceased  wife  of  William 
Trapp;  George,  living  in  Arkansas.     Our  sub- 
ject has  served  in  various  township  offices.     He 
has  served  as  School  Director  for  about  eighteen 
years,  and  as   Commissioner  of  Highvv.ays  for 
about  six  years.     He  belongs  to  the  A.,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  and  has  held  some  office  in  the  lodge  ever 
since  lie  became  a  member. 

JOHN  E.    MERRY,  farmer,    P.  0.  Eberle, 
was  born  in  Effingham   Count}-,  Lucas  Town- 


ship, January  18,  1849.  His  father,  Daniel 
Merry,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  in  the 
year  1818.  He  was  taken  by  his  parents  to 
Madison  County  when  eleven  years  old,  and 
from  there  he  came  to  Effingham  County,  Lu- 
cas Township,  and  settled  on  the  farm  now 
occupied  b}'  his  children,  George  and  John. 
His  death  occurred  in  the  year  1874.  Subject's 
mother,  Eliza  Davis,  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
and  came  to  Bond  County,  111.,  when  eighteen 
years  old,  and  died  January  2,  1872.  The  par- 
ents had  six  children,  of  whom  two  are  living 
— George  and  John  ;  Owen,  deceased  ;  Will- 
iam, deceased  ;  Waymack  died  in  the  army, 
and  James,  deceased.  Our  subject  lived  with 
his  father  until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and 
during  this  time  assisted  him  in  the  summer 
season,  and  in  the  winter  would  attend  school 
about  four  months.  When  twenty-one  years 
of  age  his  father  gave  him  his  present  farm,  of 
230  acres,  of  which  160  was  in  cultivation  and 
fifty  acres  in  timber  land.  He  raises  grain 
principally,  but  to  some  extent  deals  in  stock. 
Mr.  Merry  has  always  been  a  Republican,  and 
has  served  as  Town  Clerk  one  term,  in  the  year 
1881.  His  father  was  the  first  one  who  settled 
in  the  neighborhood  where  his  boys  now  reside. 
The  ne,irest  market  place  was  at  St.  Louis.  In 
those  days  they  used  to  make  a  great  deal  of 
maple  sugar,  and  would  take  as  much  as  three 
or  four  hundred  pounds  at  one  time  to  market, 
and  would  bring  back  groceries  and  such 
things  that  he  needed.  He  would  make  a  trip 
about  once  a  year.  Our  subject  was  married 
February  20,  1870,  to  Minerva  Woody,  of 
Union  Township.  She  was  born  May  9,  1851. 
They  have  two  children  living — Oley  A.  and 
Rufus,  and  Weby,  deceased.  Mrs.  Merry's 
father  and -mother,  John  Woody  and  CharlotvJ, 
are  natives  of  Lidiaua. 

GEORGE  M.  MERRY,  farmer,  P.  0.  Eberle, 
is  one  of  Lucas  Township's  enterprising  and 
substantial  farmers.  He  was  born  in  Effing- 
ham County,  Lucas  Township,   September  29, 


LUCAS  TOWNSHIP. 


133 


1850.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
born  in  the  year  1818,  was  a  farmer,  and  died 
in  Lucas  Township  in  1874.  Our  subject's 
mother,  Eliza  Davis,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
and  died  January  2,  1872.  The  parents  had 
six  children,  of  whom  the  two  youngest  are 
living — George  and  John  ;  Owen,  William, 
Waymack  and  James  are  dead.  Subject  lived 
with  his  father  until  twenty  j-ears  of  age,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  was  working  for  his  father 
in  summer,  and  in  the  winter  attended  school 
about  four  mouths.  When  twenty  j-ears  of  age 
his  father  gave  him  140  acres  of  land,  since 
that  by  inheritance  he  has  obtained  110  acres, 
and  in  all  has  250  acres.  He  has  it  all  in  cul- 
tivation but  fortj'  acres.  His  main  productions 
are  grain  and  hay.  Mr.  Merry  has  always  been 
a  Republican,  and  is  serving  his  second  term 
as  Commissioner  of  Highways.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  April,  1870.  to  Jane  Simmerman,  of 
Lucas  Township,  Effingham  County.  They 
have  three  children,  namely,  Druie  Zilla,  Fan- 
nie E.  and  Crooker  E. 

NOAH  MERRY,  farmer,  F.  0.  EUiottstown, 
a  substantial  farmer  of  Lucas  Township,  was 
born  in  Bond  County,  111.,  October  4,  1851.  He 
was  brought  by  his  parents,  Waymack  and 
Matilda  Merry,  to  Effingham  County,  Lucas 
Township,  in  1851,  when  four  weeks  old. 
They  settled  on  a  piece  of  land.  Section  17.  He 
was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  would  at- 
tend school  about  five  months  in  the  j^ear.  In 
1876,  when  tweatj'-four  years  old,  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  from  his  father  in  Section  9,  Lucas 
Township.  In  the  spring  of  1880,  he  removed 
to  his  father's  f:\rm,  and  is  residing  there  at 
the  present  time.  His  father  removed  to  EUi- 
ottstown and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  trade. 
Si  jject  was  married  in  the  spring  of  1875,  to 
Lucy  J.  Dye,  a  native  of  Indiana  ;  born  1855. 
Three  children  are  the  result  of  their  marriage, 
namelj'  :  John  Waymack,  William  Orville, 
Joyce  Ethel  ;  all  are  living.  Mr.  Merry  has 
always  been  a  Republican  ;  was  elected  School 


Trustee  of  township  in  the  spring  of  1881, 
which  office  he  now  holds.  Mr.  Merry  is  one 
of  a  family-  of  eleven  children,  namely  :  Owen, 
Susan,  Noah  (subject),  Richard,  Mary,  Sarah 
Lucinda,  Eliza  Ann,  Louan,  Druscilla,  John, 
Narcissa.  Mr.  Merry's  wife's  father,  John  Dye, 
and  her  mother,  Elizabeth,  are  natives  of  In- 
diana, and  .are  living  in  Bishop  Township,  Ef- 
fingham County. 

JAMES  A.  McCORKLE,  is  a  merchant  in 
Winterrowd  and  keeps  on  hand  a  selected  stock 
of  dry  goods  and  groceries,  etc.,  and  has  quite  an 
extensive  trade  throughout  that  neighborhood. 
He  was  born  in  Washington  Co.,  Penn.,  April  3, 
1855.  His  father,  A.  B.  McCorkle,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Penns^-lvania,  Washington  County  ; 
born  in  February,  1820,  was  a  farmer,  and  died 
December  2(5,  1881.  Our  subject's  mother, 
Sarah  M.  Scott,  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  is  liv- 
ing in  Lucas  Township.  Nine  children  were 
the  result  of  their  marriage,  namel}'  :  Robert^ 
deceased  ;  Albert,  deceased  ;  Nellie,  deceased  ; 
James  A.,  subject ;  William,  Scott,  Curtis,  An- 
drew, Letitia,  are  dead.  Our  subject  lived 
with  his  parents  in  Washington  County  until 
18G6.  at  which  time  they  removed  to  Effing- 
ham County,  Lucas  Township,  and  settled  on  a 
farm  in  Section  2G.  The  farm  consisted  of  100 
acres,  with  a  small  frame  house  ou  it,  and 
about  twelve  acres  were  in  cultivation.  Our 
subject  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  in  the  neighborhood  of  Winterrowd. 
He  would  attend  school  about  eight  months  in 
the  year,  and  the  remainder  of  the  time  would 
help  his  father  on  the  farm.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one  he  went  to  California  and  went  to 
working  on  a  farm,  being  thus  engaged  for 
about  one  year,  afterward  working  for  a  com- 
pany in  a  gold  mine  the  same  length  of  time. 
In  the  latter  part  of  1876,  he  came  back  to  Lu- 
cas Township,  and  engaged  in  farming  for 
about  two  years.  In  1878,  he  bought  an  inter- 
est in  the  dr^'  goods  and  grocorj-  store  owned 
by  J.  W.  Scott,  at  Winterrowd,  and  continued 


134 


BIOGRAPHICAJ.: 


in  that  business  until  1880,  at  wliicli  time  he 
sold  out  to  his  partner,  and  went  to  farming 
until  1881,  when  he  purchased  the  entire  stock 
of  ilry  goods"  and  groceries  owned  by  J.  W. 
Scott,  and  his  present  stock  is  invoiced  at 
$3,000.  He  is  a  member  of  the  A.,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  Mayo  Lodge,  No.  664.  He  was 
was  married  December  25,  1878,  to  Malvina 
Robertson,  a  native  of  Kentucky.  She  was 
born  September  7,  1861.  They  have  one  child 
not  named. 

SAMUEL    L.   PARKS,  farmer   and    stock- 
dealer,     P.     0.     Elliottstown,    was    born     in 
Lincoln   County,  Tenn.,    July  15,    1837.      He 
was   three   years  old  when  his  father  moved 
to     Shelby     County,     111.,     where     be    pur-' 
chased  land  and  engaged    in  farming.     Sam 
uel  worked  on  the  farm  and  attended  school 
until  he  was  twenty-seven  years  old,  when  he 
purchased  one-third  interest  in  a  saw  mill  in 
Richmond  Township,  Shelby  County,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  business  about  two  years.     In 
the  fall  of  1866,  he  came  to  Effingham  County, 
and  engaged  in  buying,  driving  and  shipping 
live  stock   for  the  Chicago,  Indianapolis  and 
Cincinnati  markets.     For  two  years  he  lived 
on   a   farm   in    Summit    Township,   where    he 
farmed  aud  dealt  in  stock.     Afterward  moved 
to  Jackson  Township,  thence  back  to  Summit, 
and  again  to  Effingham.     In  1878,  he  moved 
to  his  present  farm  in  Lucas  Township,  where 
he  is  engaged  in   farming  and  buying  stock. 
He  also  buys  grain  at  Dieterich,  on  the  S.  E. 
&   S.  B.  R.  R.     He   was    married   in   Shelby 
County,  111.,  in  1859,   to  Miss  Emeline  Ellis. 
Of  this  marriage  he   has  four  daughters  and 
three  sons  living.    The  daughters  are  Henrietta 
B.,  Viola,  Margaret  J.  and  Mary  E.     His  wife 
died  in  1876.    He  married  second  time,  in  1878, 
to   Mrs.  Mary  E.  Merry,  of  Lucas  Township. 
WILLIAM     H.     POYNTER,     Postmaster, 
Eberle,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  September  (?. 
1835  ;  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Madison 
County,  111.,  where  they  lived  before  moving  to 


Effingham  County,  Lucas  Township.  He  worked 
for  his  father  on  the  farm  until  twenty-one  years 
of  age.  After  that  he  went  to  working  out  on  the 
farm  by  the  month  ;  worked  in  different  places 
until  twenty-five  years  of  age.  In  the  fall  of  1859, 
he    was    married    to    Narcissa  Jett,  of    Bond 
County,  111.     They    liave   five  children   living, 
and  two  dead.     The  names  of  the  liviug  are 
Francis   E.,  James   S.,  Mary   Alice,  Noah  and 
Nora.     Those  deceased  are  John  W.   and  Al- 
mira.      Our  subject  purchased   forty  acres  of 
land  in  Lucas   Township,  aud  went  to  farming 
aud  has  since  bought  seventy-four  acres,  all  in 
cultivation  but  twenty-nine  acres.     His  main 
productions  are  grain.     He  received  his  educa- 
tion principally  in  the  common  schools  of  Lucas 
Township.     He  has  always  been  a  Republican, 
and    has   served    in  various   township  offices. 
He  served  Qrst  as  School  Director,  and  next  as 
School   Trustee.     In   1871,  he  was   appointed 
Township   School   Treasurer,   which  office    he 
now  holds.     During  this  time,  he  was  elected 
Assessor   of    the    township,  which     he    held 
for  five  years,  and  since  that  has  served  as  Col- 
lector of  Lucas  Township.     Now  he  is  serving 
as  Postmaster  of  Eberle.     He  and  his  wife  be- 
long to  the  New  Light   Church.     He  also  be- 
longs to  the  Delia  Lodge,  No.  525,  A.,  F.  &  A. 
M.     His  father,  Elijah  Poynter,  was  born  in 
Barren  County,  Ky.     He  followed  shoe-making 
in  Kentucky  principally,  but  when  he  came  to 
this  State  devoted  most  of  his  time  to  farming. 
Subject's  mother,  Elizabeth  Davis,  was  born  in 
Kentucky,  and  died  about  the  year  1842.    They 
had  nine  children — Catharine,  deceased  wife  of 
James   Watt,  Jonathan    Blunt  and  W.   Hill  ; 
John,  deceased  ;  Eliza,  deceased  wife  of  Will- 
Jam  Blunt  ;  Judia,  wife  of  Hiram  Witchman 
Sarah,  wife  of  John  Carter  ;  William,  subject 
Frances,   deceased   wife   of  Henry    Shumard 
James,   living ;    Permelia,    wife    of    Newman 
Laws.     Subjects   wife's  father,    Francis    Jett, 
was  boi-n  in  Virginia,  in  the  year  1791.     Her 
mother,  Elizabeth  Wood,  was  born  in  Virginia, 


LUCAS  TOWNSHIP. 


135 


1796.  They  had  nine  children — Gabriel  Jett, 
deceased  ;  John  Jett,  living  in  Bond  County, 
111.  ;  Martha  Ann  Teasley,  living  in  Kansas  ; 
Eliza  Jett,  wife  of  Washington  Jett,  living  in 
Wisconsin  ;  Mary  Elizabeth,  wife  of  John 
Scoggin,  living  in  Iowa ;  James,  deceased ; 
William,  deceased  ;  Fermelia,  deceased  ;  Al- 
mira,  deceased. 

JAMES  T.  POYNTER, former,  P.O.  Eberle, 
is  a  native  of  Barren  Count}',  Kj-.,  born  Febru- 
ary 11,  1839,  and  now  is  one  of  Lucas  Town- 
ship's enterprising  and  reliable  farmers.  He 
was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Madison  County, 
111.;  remained  there  about  four  years.  He  and 
his  father  came  to  Lucas  Township,  and  settled 
on  a  piece  of  land,  now  owned  by  Waj'mac 
Merry;  there  the  mother  died.  His  father  was 
a  native  of  Kentucky;  born  in  1805.  The  par- 
ents removed  to  different  places  in  the  town- 
ship and  to  Flensburg,  and  rented  a  mill  there 
for  one  year.  In  1853,  they  came  back  to 
Lucas  Townsiiip,  and  settled  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Daniel  Blunt;  it  was  wild  land;  they 
improved  it,  and  his  father  remained  there  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1870.  Our  sub- 
ject's mother,  Elizabeth  Davis,  was  native  of 
Kentucky,  and  died  in  1845  in  Lucas  Town- 
ship, His  father  married  again  in  1849,  to 
Martha  L.  Adamson,  of  Jasper  County.  The 
children  by  his  flr.st  marriage  are,  namely  : 
Catiiarine,  Eliza,  John,  Judia,  Sarah,  William, 
Francis  Jane,  James  T.,  Permelia  D.;  bj' 
second  marriage,  Martha  E.,  Adelia,  Henri- 
etta, deceased,  Matilda.  Edward,  Narcissa,  de- 
ceased. James  was  fourteen  3'ears  old  when 
his  father  came  back  to  Lucas  Township,  and 
our  subject  remained  with  his  father  helping 
him  on  the  farm  in  summer,  and  in  winter 
went  to  school  about  four  months  in  the  year. 
In  November,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  D, 
Fiftj-fourth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry;  was 
in  several  eng.agements,  namely:  Siege  of  Vicks- 
burg,  capture  of  Little  Rock,  Ark,;  battle  of 
Clarendon;     was    taken     prisoner    at     Jones 


Station.  In  eight  or  ten  days  were  •  paroled 
about  400  of  them,  and  went  to  the  parole 
barracks  at  St  Louis,  and  were  exchanged, 
from  there  went  to  Hickory  Station  in  Ar- 
kansas, after  leaving  there  went  to  Fort  Smith 
into  the  Indian  nation  and  remained  there  dur- 
ing the  treaty  with  the  Indians,  and  then  were 
ordered  back  to  Little  Rock,  Ark,,  and  was 
mustered  out  October  16,  1865.  He  enlisted 
as  a  private,  was  elected  Fourth  Corporal,  re- 
ceived promotion  to  duty  Sergeant,  from  that 
to  Orderly  Sergeant.  He  served  as  Orderly 
about  three  months,  when  received  a  promo- 
tion to  First  Lieutenant  and  held  that  promo- 
tion until  discharged.  He  came  to  his  father's 
in  Lucas  Township,  rented  a  farm  and  went  to 
farming.  In  1867,  Julv  26,  he  was  married  to 
Nancy  Merry,  of  Lucas  Township.  Her  death 
occurring  November  6,  1868.  He  lived  a 
widower  until  1871,  married  again  to  Nancy 
McCoUough,  of  Union  Township.  Our  subject 
was  a  renter  until  May,  1881,  at  which  time  he 
purchased  eight}-  acres  of  wild  land,  now  he 
has  it  mostl}'  in  cultivation.  He  has  one  child 
by  first  marriage — Waymack  E. ;  four  by  second 
marriage,  namely  :  William  Albert,  Marj'  Etta, 
Thomas  Z.  and  Leota.  Mr.  Poynter  has  always 
been  a  Republican,  and  has  served  as  School 
Trustee,  Constable  and  Town  Clerk.  He  first 
filled  a  vacancy  as  clerk  for  Erwin  Lown,  and 
then  served  for  three  successive  terms.  He 
belongs  to  the  Masonic  order.  A.,  F,  &  A.  M., 
to  the  Grange  and  to  the  G,  A.  R,,  organized 
at  EUiottstown. 

JOHN  W.  RICHARDS,  farmer,  P.  0.  Win- 
terrowd,  is  an  enterprising  farmer  of  Lucas 
Township.  He  was  born  in  Brown  Count}-, 
Ind.,  June  13.  1845,  His  father,  David  Rich- 
ards, was  also  a  native  of  Brown  County,  Ind,, 
and  the  mother  was  a  native  of  the  same  coun- 
ty. They  had  ten  children — John  W.  (subject), 
Mary  Jane  (living),  Anna  (deceased),  Charity 
(living),  Sarah  C.  (living),  Sarah  Margaret  (liv- 
ing), Martha  (deceased),  Julia  (living),  Bethania 


136 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


(deceased),  Andrew  Jackson  (living).  John  W. 
(was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Jasper  County, 
111.,  in  March,  1849.  He  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm,  and  for  some  time  no  school  ex- 
isted in  the  neighborhood,  and  the  first  school 
he  attended  was  a  subscription  school  at  the 
age  of  ten  years.  His  parents  first  settled  on 
a  farm  in  Smallwood  Township,  and  there  our 
subject  went  to  school  one  winter.  His  father 
next  removed  to  South  Muddy  Township,  and 
remained  there  two  years  until  1857,  at  which 
time  they  removed  to  North  Muddy  Township, 
where  subject  and  there  attended  school  in  win- 
ter until  he  went  into  the  army.  He  enlisted  on 
the  14th  day  of  August,  1862,  in  Company  I, 
Ninty-eighth  Illinois  Mounted  Infantry.  He 
was  in  several  skirmishes  in  Kentucky,  and 
the  northwestern  part  of  Tennessee,  at  Murfrees- 
boro,  Lebanon  and  McMinnville,  Hoover's 
Gap,  February,  186.3;  Chickamauga,  September 
12,  1863;  Farmington,  1863,  where  they  capt- 
ured Wheeler's  cavalry.  They  followed  Wheeler 
twenty-one  days  and  nights  without  draw- 
ing, a  bile  from  the  Government,  and  were 
nearly  exhausted  when  they  captured  him. 
From  Farmington,  they  were  ordered  back  to 
Chattanooga  by  the  way  of  Bridgeport,  from 
there  they  were  sent  to  Cleveland,  East  Tenn., 
and  beyond  there  captured  quite  a  num- 
ber of  mules,  cattle  and  hogs,  and  started 
back  to  Cleveland,  but  were  overtaken  by  the 
rebels  and  completely  routed,  their  plunder 
being  taken  away  from  them.  They  then  re- 
treated to  Chattanooga,  and  came  right  back 
to  Cleveland,  and  with  more  force  recaptured 
their  stores  with  about  400  prisoners.  The 
next  battle  of  any  importance  was  at  Buzzard 
Roost,  Ga.;  from  there  they  returned  to  Cleve- 
land, Tenn.  And  the  next  movement  was  the 
forward  move  of  the  whole  command  on 
Atlanta.  He  was  in  the  battle  of  Jonesboro; 
was  taken  prisoner  there  in  companj'  with  300 
on  the  6th  of  September,  1864.  They  were 
taken  to  the  first  prison  at  Macon,  Ga.;  were 


kept  there  thirty-two  days;  then  were  removed 
to  Millen,  Ga.  They  were  put  in  prison  there 
with  about  9,000  other  prisoners,  and  were 
kept  there  thirty  days,  then  were  removed  to 
Savannah,  Ga.,  and  were  kept  there  three 
days;  then  were  sent  to  Blackshire;  put  in 
prison  there  and  kept  there  seven  days; 
then  were  taken  out  and  started  for  Savannah, 
Ga.,  and  escaped  by  jumping  off  the  train,  but 
was  captured  and  sent  to  Thomasville,  and 
there  made  his  final  escape  and  returned  to 
Sherman's  army  at  Savannah,  Ga.  He  got 
transportation  from  there  by  the  way  of  New 
York,  Cleveland,  Indianapolis,  Louisville  and 
on  to  Nashville;  from  there  got  transportation 
on  a  boat  down  to  the  mouth  of  Tennessee 
River,  and  from  there  up  to  Eastport,  Miss., 
and  went  on  foot  from  there  to  Gravel  Springs, 
Ala.  Found  his  regiment  there,  and  remained 
there  until  Wilson  made  his  raid  through 
Georgia;  then  moved  with  the  command  on 
through  to  Macon,  Ga.  And  in  that  time  was 
in  the  battles  near  Columbus,  Ga.,  and  Selma, 
Ala.  After  the  battle  at  Selma,  he  and 
eleven  scouts  went  to  Cohobby's  Prison,  and 
by  their  good  management  and  fast  shooting 
succeeded  in  releasing  about  400  Union  men; 
then  returned  to  Selma,  Ala.,  and  from  there 
went  to  Macon,  Ga.,  and  was  in  the  battle  of 
Macon,  Ga.,  in  1865.  They  remained  there 
several  days,  and  then  were  ordered  back  to 
to  Chattanooga,  then  on  to  Nashville.  They  re- 
mained there  a  few  days,  and  on  the  27th  of 
June,  1865,  was  mustered  out  and  returned  to 
Springfield  to  be  discharged  and  paid  July 
5,  1865.  He  then  returned  home  to  his  father. 
During  the  war,  he  sent  home  money  and  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  of  raw  prairie  land,  and  in 
the  winter  of  1865  went  to  school;  after  that  he 
engaged  in  farming  in  North  Muddy  Township 
until  the  fall  of  1869,  at  which  time  he  sold  out 
and  came  to  Elliottstown;  that  winter  he  pur- 
chased the  farm  where  Samuel  Stroud  now 
lives;  sold  that  farm   and  purchased  the  farm 


LUCAS  TOWNSHIP. 


137 


where  he  now  resides.  He  came  there  and 
kept  bachelor's  hall  until  October  30,  1870, 
which  time  he  was  married  to  Letitia  Scott,  of 
Lucas  Township.  They  have  two  children 
living  and  one  dead  :  Francis  Marion  and 
Frances  Rebecca  are  living ;  John  S.  (de- 
ceased). 

WILLIAM  N.  RICHESON.  farmer,  P.  0. 
Klliottstown.  He  was  born  in  Greene  County, 
Ind.,  on  the  18th  of  September,  1858.  He  was 
brought  by  his  parents  to  Effingham  County 
in  the  fall  of  1859.  They  settled  in  Lucas 
Township  on  a  piece  of  uncultivated  laud  of 
eighty  acres,  in  Section  10.  Our  subject  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
Lucas  Township.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm, 
and  in  the  summer  he  would  help  his  father 
on  the  farm  and  in  the  winter  would  attend 
school.  He  would  attend  school  about  four 
months  in  the  year.  He  was  married  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  years  to  Mary  A.  Burk.  She 
was  born  in  Indiana  August  29,  1859.  Our 
subject,  after  marriage,  engaged  in  farming. 
He  farmed  in  different  places  in'Effingiiam  and 
Jasper  Counties  until  the  spring  of  1879,  at 
which  time  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Lucas 
Township.  His  farm  is  situated  in  Section 
12,  one-eighth  section  of  which,  fifteen  acres, 
was  in  cultivation  when  he  bought  it.  His 
main  productions  are  grain — -wheat,  corn  and 
oats.  They  have  three  children,  namely^ 
Gibson  W.,  Mildred  and  Carroll  C.  He  re- 
mained with  his  step-father  in  Union  Township 
and  helped  him  until  seventeen  years  of  age. 
Our  subject  was  married  in  1872  to  Amanda 
Davis,  of  Effingham  County,  at  which  time  he 
removed  to  the  farm  which  he  had  purchased  of 
his  step-father,  in  Section  21,  Lucas  Township, 
of  eighty  acres.  It  was  all  raw  prairie  land 
when  he  bought  it.  He  has  it  all  in  cultiva- 
tion but  tea  acres,  and  is  successfully  engaged 
in  the  rajsing  of  grain — wheat,  corn  and  oats. 
He  has  two  children,  namely,  Walter  E.  and 
Meoma  A. 


GEORGE  STRONG,  farmer,  P.   0.  Eborle, 
is   one   of  the   substantial    farmers  of   Lucas 
Township.     His  parents  were  natives   of  Ver- 
mont, where  his  father,  Emory  F.,  was  born  in 
1811,  and  his   mother,  Harriet,  in   1807.     Our 
subject  was  born  in  York  State  November  24, 
1837.     Here  he  resided  until  eight  years  old. 
In  1845,  ills  father  removed  to  Michigan,  where 
he  resided  until   1858,  in    which   year  he   re- 
moved to  Bureau  County,  111.     In  the  fall  of 
1861,  returned  to  Michigan,  where  he  remained 
until  the  fall  of  1874,  at  which  time  he  moved 
to  the  place  he  now  occupies.     He  bought  a 
farm  of  100  acres,  fifty  of  which  had  been  cul- 
tivated.    Here  he  has  industriously  labored  un- 
til his  farm  is  now  one  of  the  best  in  the  town- 
ship.    He  is  a  man  of  good   education  and  of 
most  excellent  social  qualities,  and  is  full  of 
original    thought   and    intelligence.      This    is 
shown  in    his  thoroughgoing   business   habits 
as  well    as   in  his  social  relations.     Whether 
among  the  hills  of  his  native   State%the    log- 
ings  of  Michigan,  the  classic  shades  of  Cleve- 
land School,  or  the  prairie  of  Illinois,  he  has 
ever   been    the   same    free-thinking,    generous 
man,  hail  fellow  well  met,  to  all  who  use  com- 
mon politeness.     The   writer  has  known   him 
for  years,  and  bears  cheerful  testimony   to  his 
integrity  and  true  manliness.     His  education 
though  liberal,  far  above  that  which  is  ordin- 
ary, was  obtained  under  many  embarrassments. 
He  worked  on    his  father's  farm    during  the 
summers  and  attended  school    in  winter  until 
he  attained  his   majority.     After  that  he   at- 
tended the  Graded  School  at  Plainfleld,  Mich., 
the  High  School  at  Grand   Rapids,  Mich.,  and 
the   High  School  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  in  all  of 
which  he  sustained  a  good  standing.     He  was 
a  teacher  for  several  years,  but  quit  that  for 
his  chosen   work,  farming,  which  he   has   fol- 
lowed the  greater  part  of  his  life.     He  usually 
handles  considerable  stock  and  thus  finding  use 
for  his  coarse  grain  and   other  farm  products 
that  are  unmarketable,  and  thus  receives  hand- 


138 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


some  returns.  In  1859,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Martha  M.  Beach,  of  Kent  County,  Mich., 
They  have  four  fine,  healthy  children — Hattie, 
a  teacher  ;  Miua,  now  married  to  Mr.  H.  Barron, 
so  that  Mr.  Strong  is  already  a  grandfather 
though  but  in  the  prime  of  life  ;  Junia  and 
Georgia,  the  baby  and  papa's  pet.  Benjamin 
Beach  and  wife,  the  parents  of  Mrs.  Strong,  are 
still  living  in  Kent  County,  Mich.  Mr.  Strong 
was  one  of  a  family  of  six  children,  three  of 
whom  are  living — Phila,  deceased;  Return,  liv- 
ing Jerome,  deceased;  George,  subject;  Laura, 
living;  Horace,  deceased.  Mr.  Strong,  blessed 
with  health,  a  good  farm,  a  fine  family,  bright 
prospects  and  much  mental  vigor,  is  one  our 
representative  men. 

NBR  STROUD,  farmer,  P.  0.  EUiottstown, 
was  born  in  Orange  Count}-,  lud.,  July  4,  1840. 
Was  brought  by  his  parents  to  this  count}' 
when  one  year  old.  They  settled  on  the  farm 
where  James  Adams  now  lives  in  Section  3, 
Lucas  T#vnship.  His  father  settled  on  wild 
prairie  land,  which  he  entered  about  1848. 
Subject  was  raised  on  a  farm,  and  for  several 
years  no  school  existed  in  that  part  of  the 
township,  and  the  first  school  he  attended  he 
was  about  the  age  of  eight  years,  in  an  old  log 
schoolliouse  about  one  mile  and  a  half  south  of 
EUiottstown,  and  for  several  winters  went  there 
until  he  learned  the  three  "R's."  In  June,  1861, 
he  enlisted  at  the  first  call  for  three  years'  men 
in  Company  L,  of  Fifth  Illinois  Cavalry,  and 
served  until  October,  1865,  in  the  same  regi- 
ment and  company.  The  last  three  years  he 
served  as  Quartermaster  Sergeant,  and  was 
always  on  dut}',  and  was  in  forty  battles  and 
skirmishes,  the  principal  of  which  were  :  Cot- 
ton Plant,  July  6,  1862;  Rock  Roe,  Ark.,  Aug. 
16,  1862;  McAlpiu's  farm,  October  22,  1862; 
siege  and  capture  of  Vicksburg,  which  lasted 
forty-three  days,  ending  July  4,  1863;  Clinton, 
Miss.,  July  8,  1863  ;  Canton,  Miss.,  July  12, 
1863 — city  taken  by  Fifth  Cavalry;  Coldwater, 
Miss.,  August  20,  1863;  Robinson's  Mills,  Oc- 


tober 17,  1863,  and  near  there  on  the  18th  day 
of  October  occurred  an  all-day  fight ;  in  the 
rear  of  infantry,  they  fought  back  to  Clinton, 
Miss.;  in  rear  of  Natchez,  Miss.,  December  8, 
1863;  Champion  and  Dalton,  Miss.,  February 

4,  1864;  Clinton  and  Jackson,  Miss.,  February 

5.  1864,  and  eight  miles  north  of  Jackson,  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1864;  .Morton,  Miss.,  February  8,  1864; 
Februar}'  11,  1864,  skirmished  and  drove  the 
enemy  all  day;  Decatur,  Miss.,  February  12, 
1864 ;  Meridian,  Miss.,  February  14,  1864  ; 
Black  River,  Miss.,  May  12,  1864;  Port  Gibson, 
Miss.,  September  30,  1864;  city  of  Monroe,  La., 
February  12,  1865;  city  of  Harrisburg,  La., 
February  16,  1865.  The  company  was  organ- 
ized at  Effingham,  Ills.,  September,  1861,  bj' 
Capt.  H.  I).  Caldwell,  and  mustered  out  at 
Camp  Butler,  in  October,  1865.  After  the  war 
he  came  home,  and  November  5,  1865,  was 
married  to  Mary  F.  Merry,  of  Decatur,  111. 
The}'  have  four  children — Eliza,  Hattie,  Pretty- 
man,  W.  Mc.  and  William  Ura.  He  purchased 
his  present  farm  in  the  fall  of  1865,  Situated  in 
Section  1,  Luca^  Township,  where  he  owns  200 
acres.  It  was  unbroken  when  he  bought  it; 
now  he  has  it  all  under  cultivation  and  raises 
grain,  principally  corn,  oats  and  wheat;  he 
plows  about  one  hundred  acres  per  year.  Mr. 
Stroud  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served  in  va- 
rious township  offices,  being  at  present  Super- 
visor of  Lucas  Township;  he  is  serving  his 
second  year.  His  father,  Thomas  Stroud,  was 
born  in  South  Carolina;  came  with  his  parents 
to  Orange  Count}',  Ind.,  in  boyhood,  and  there 
married  Eliza  Aston,  a  native  of  North  Caro- 
lina, and  after  marriage,  engaged  in  farming 
until  1840,  when  he  moved  to  different  points 
in  Kentucky,  Arkansas  and  Missouri  until  1841, 
when  he  settled  in  Lucas  Township,  where  he 
lived  until  1860,  when  he  moved  to  Union 
Township,  Effingham  County,  and  there  died  in 
1874.  He  had  fifteen  children,  of  which  thir- 
teen grew  up — names  are:  Joseph,  deceased; 
Ura,  lives  in  Union  Township;  Eliza,   married 


LUCAS  TOWNSHIP. 


139 


N.  B.  Tilton,  of  Iowa;  Lucretia,  wife  of  James 
Cooper,  of  Qiiincy,  111.;  Lj'dia  M.,  deceased; 
Siduej',  deceased;  Ner,  subject;  Samuel  J., 
farmer,  of  Lucas  Township;  Ephraim  Joy,  re- 
sides in  Kansas;  Nathaniel  S.,  killed  in  battle 
of  Brownsville,  Ark.;  Richard  Nails,  farmer  in 
Union  Township;  Austin  R.,  lives  in  Wash- 
ington Territory.  Subject's  father  married  a 
second  wife  and  have  two  daughters  living  of 
last  marriage,  names  are  Helena  and  Angeline; 
they  reside  in  Union  Township. 

WILLIAM  TATE,  farmer,  P.  O.  Winter- 
rowd,  was  bora  in  County  Down,  Ireland,  Jan- 
uary 10,  1828;  he  lived  tliere  with  his  parents 
until  twenty-four  years  of  age.  On  the  10th  of 
April,  1852.  he  embarked  for  this  country,  was 
twenty-one  days  on  the  water,  and  had  a  most 
pleasant  trip.  He  arrived  at  New  York  May 
1,  1S52.  He  went  to  work  in  a  lnmber-3-ard, 
remaining  there  until  the  spring  of  185-t;  he 
then  went  to  Canada  and  engaged  in  farming, 
and  in  the  spring  of  185G,  came  back  to  New 
York  State,  where  he  remained  until  the  fall  of 
1857,  when  he  went  back  to  Canada  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  the  spring  of  18G4;  he 
then  went  to  Wisconsin,  and  remained  there 
until  the  fall  of  1874,  when  he  moved  to  Lucas 
Township,  Effingham  County,  and  settled  on  a 
farm  in  Section  36  of  240  acres,  the  greater 
part  of  which  was  uncultivated  land.  Now  he 
has  about  200  acres  in  cultivation,  his  main 
productions  being  <vheat,  corn  and  oats.  This 
year  he  has  raised  about  500  bushels  of  wheat, 
2,000  bushels  of  corn,  and  about  2,000  bushels 
of  oats,  lie  received  his  education  in  his  na- 
tiv(!  count3%  and  was  married  in  the  year  1857, 
to  Susanna  Sweazey,  a  native  of  Canada.  Thej' 
have  three  children — Andrew  R.,  Maggie  Jane 
and  Robert  Henry.  Our  subject's  father,  Robert 
Tate,  was  born  in  Count}'  Down,  Ireland,  in  the 
year  1801,  and  was  a  farmer.  He  died  in  Au- 
gust, 1846.  Margaret  McElroy,  his  wife,  was 
born  in  the  same  place  and  year,  as  her  hus- 
band, and    is    now    living  in   Albany,   N.   Y. 


They  had  eight  children — William,  Robert, 
living  in  Michigan;  Margaret,  living  in  Al- 
bany, N.  Y.;  Jane,  deceased  wife  of  llob(!rt 
McHafy;  Mary,  (deceased);  Bessie,  wife  of 
Joseph  Doran,  living  in  Albany,  N.  Y.;  Anna, 
wife  of  James  Doran,  living  also  in  Albany,  N. 
Y.,  and  John,  died  when  seven  years  old. 
Our  subject's  wife's  father,  Andrew  Sweazey, 
was  born  in  New  Jersey  about  the  year  1795, 
and  died  Canada,  1878.  His  wife,  Hannah 
Dennis,  was  also  born  in  New  Jersey.  Tliey 
have  five  children — John,  William,  Andrew, 
Susan  and  Joel. 

JACOB  WINTERROWD,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Winterrowd,  one  of  the  enterprising  farmers  of 
Lucas  Township,  was  born  in  Shelby  County, 
Ind.,  September  14,  18.32.  His  f-vther  was  a 
native  of  Washington  County,  Penn.,  born  in 
the  year  1802.  He  was  taken  by  his  parents 
to  Warren  County,  Ohio,  when  two  months  old; 
I'esided  there  about  twenty-five  years  up  to 
1827.  In  the  same  year  he  removed  to  Shelby 
County,  Ind.,  and  resided  there  until  the  fall  of 
1860,  when  he  removed  to  Jasper  County,  III., 
and  bought  a  farm  two  miles  from  Newton,  and 
there  died  in  1869.  Our  subject's  mother  was 
'  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  Warren  County,  of 
1  that  State,  and  died  in  Shelby  County,  Ind., 
j  February  2,  1836.  Our  subject  is  one  of  a 
family  of  five  children,  of  which  four  are  liv- 
ing— Washington,  living  in  Ellis  County,  Texas; 
Nancy,  living  with  Jacob  Winterrowd,  in  Lucas 
Township;  Kirkwood,  died  in  Shelby  County, 
Ind.,  when  thirteen  months  old;  Jacob,  subject; 
S.  J.  WinterrowH,  living  in  Livingston  County, , 
Mo.  His  father  was  married  again  on  the  8tli 
day  of  June,  1835,  to  Dorathy  Cookson,  a  na- 
tive of  Shelby  County,  Ind.  Tliey  had  five 
children  also— S.  F.,  living  in  Ellis  County, 
Texas;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  B.  F.  Moulden,  liv- 
ing in  Newton,  Jasper  Co.,  Ill;  J.  Z.,  lives  on 
the  old  farm,  two  miles  from  Newton;  M.  F., 
died  in  Shelby  County,  Ind.,  when  seventeen 
months  old,    and    the  other   died  in    infancy. 


140 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Jacob  Wititerrowd  received  his  education  in 
tlic  siibscriptioa  schools  of  Slielby  County,  Ind., 
although  in  the  latter  part  of  his  school  years 
he  attended  free  schools,  which  had  then  been 
organized.  He  began  life  as  a  farmer;  he  was 
around  looking  for  a  location,  and  came  to 
Effingham  County,  111.,  on  the  23d  of  March, 
1859,  but  not  purchasing  a  farm,  he  returned 
to  Indiana  in  June,  the  same  year,  well  pleased 
with  the  country,  and  came  back  on  September 
14,  1859,  and  j'et  did  not  make  a  permanent 
location,  and  went  back  to  Indiana  November 
29,  1859.  He  remained  there  until  Februarj' 
2,  1860,  at  which  time  he  removed  to  Jasper 
County,  111.  He  lived  there  until  April  9th  of 
the  same  year,  then  he  resolved  to  come  to 
Effingham  County,  which  he  did,  and  settled  on 
a  farm  of  eight}-  acres  in  Lucas  Township 
where  he  is  now  living.  When  he  came  here 
it  was  all  wild  land,  with  no  improvements 
whatever,  but  by  his  diligence  and  energj'  he 
has  made  (juite  extensive  improvements,  and 
put  it  all  in  cultivation.  He  added  eighty  acres 
to  It  in  1875;  it  was  also  wild  land,  but  now 
has  it  all  in  cultivation,  and  raises  wheat,  corn, 
oats  and  rye.  He  also  takes  a  great  deal  of 
interest  in  the  raising  of  thoroughbred  cattle, 
of  which  he  has  several  on  his  farm.  He  was 
married,  in   the  latter  part  of  1853,  to  Avis 


Goodwin,  a  native  of  Shelby  County,  Ind.,  and 
on  Januar}'  30,  1881,  his  beloved  wife  was 
called  home  to  the  better  world,  leaving  him 
with  four  little  children  —  Millard  P.,  W. 
N.,  Ida  .  C.  and  Lily  E.;  Matia  and  Dora 
deceased.  He  was  married  again,  on  the  18th 
of  October,  1881,  to  Sarah  Thomas,  of  Jasper 
County,  111.  They  have  one  charming  little 
girl,  Nancy. 

GRANVILLE  G.  WOODY,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Eberle.  Mr.  Woody  is  one  of  Lucas  Town- 
ship's most  respected  and  enterprising  young 
farmers.  He  was  born  in  Indiana  March  13, 
1853;  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Union 
Township  in  the  fall  of  1862,  and  settled  on  a 
farm  there.  He  received  his  education  in  Union 
Township,  by  helping  his  father  on  the  farm  in 
summer  and  in  winter,  attending  school  until 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  was  married,  on 
the  4th  of  July,  1873,  to  Lucy  Merry,  of  Lucas 
Township.  She  was  born  October  30,  1856. 
After  he  was  married,  he  settled  on  a  farm  of 
160  acres,  about  seventj^-flve  acres  being  in 
cultivation,  and  the  remaining  eighty-five  acres 
was  raw  laud;  his  main  productions  are  wheat, 
corn  and  oats.  They  have  four  blooming  chil- 
dren living  and  one  dead  ;  Alva  Eldridge,  de- 
ceased ;  Dencie  p]lieu,  Charles,  Kearney  and 
Burgess,  living. 


TEUTOPOLI 

HERMAN  D.  ELLMANN,  shoemaker,  Teu- 
topolis,  was  born  in  the  precinct  of  Tenstedte, 
Parish  of  Cappeln,  in  County  of  Cloppenburg, 
Dukedom  of  Aldenburg,  January  15,  1815. 
He  commenced  learning  the  trade  of  shoemaker 
with  his  father,  D.  Henry  Ellmann,  in  his  native 
place  in  his  sixteenth  year.  He  worked  with  him 
until  he  was  twenty-five  years  old.  In  1840,  he 
married  Catharine  Elizabeth  Angelbeke,  and 
after  his  marriage  started  a  shoe  shop  of  his 
own  in  township  of   Dinklage,   in  a  country 


S  TOWNSHIP. 

place  called  Wulfenuau,  [and  run  it  for  five 
j'ears  with  fair  success.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1845,  landing  at  New  Orleans  in  De- 
cember, came  via  river  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
where  he  worked  one  j'ear  as  a  journeyman, 
when  he  came  to  Teutopolis,  III.  He  only  re- 
members five  settlers  here  in  the  town  when  he 
came.  He  bought  two  lots,  where  he  now  lives, 
of  John  F.  Waschefort,  and  bought  a  partly 
finished  house  of  Mr.  Waschefort  for  $120;  as 
soon  as   he  finished  a  room,  opened  shop  and 


TEUTOPOLIS  TOWNSHIP. 


141 


became  the  first  regular  shoe-maker  in  the  place, 
and  has  worked  at  his  trade  since  the  winter  of 
1846^7,  setting  on  his  bench  from  early 
morning  until  12,  1  and  2  o'clock  at  night  for 
many  years.  For  some  3-ears  he  was  the  only 
shoe-maker  here.  He  went  in  debt  for  his 
house  and  lot,  and  soon  paid  all  his  indebted- 
ness, although  mone}'  was  very  scarce,  and  bar- 
ter was  jiaid  for  work,  so  that  it  was  difficult  to 
get  money  enough  to  buy  leather.  He  kept 
one  journeyman  for  man\'  years.  He  can  still 
put  in  a  full  day's  work.  His  first  wife  died 
August  21,  1852,  leaving  no  children.  In 
March,  1853,  he  married  to  Bernandina  Cath- 
arine Pundsack,  she  was  boru  in  Vcchta,  Olden- 
burg, in  October,  1832,  and  came  to  this  coun- 
try in  about  1841  with  her  parents.  They  have 
one  daughter  living,  Marj-  Anna  Ellmann,  born 
November  18,  1869.  One  son  died  in  infancy. 
DR.  FRANCIS  F.  BVERSMAN,  physician, 
Teutopolis.  Francis  Frederic  Eversman,  M. 
D.,  was  born  October  20,  1807,  at  Osnabruck 
in  the  Province  of  Hanover  (now  Prussia). 
Here,  also,  he  received  the  first  rudiments  of 
liis  education.  In  1837.  he  came  to  Baltimore, 
where  he  finished  his  education,  He  then  went 
to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  attended  the  medical 
college  there.  During  his  collegiate  course  he 
worked  in  the  drug  department  of  a  commer- 
cial hospital.  At  the  end  of  three  j-ears,  in 
1850,  he  i-eceived  the  degree  of  doctor  of  medi- 
cine. In  184S),  at  the  breaking-out  of  the 
cholera,  though  not  as  yet  a  licensed  physician, 
he  had  volunteered  his  services,  and  was  thus 
prematurely  initiated  into  the  practice  of  med- 
icine. But,  in  the  following  year,  1850,  having 
received  his  degrees  he  entered  on  the  regular 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
wiierc  he  remained  three  j-ears.  From  Cincin 
nati  he  came  directly  to  Teutopolis  (1853), 
here  he  continued  to  practice  his  profession. 
In  1865,  in  addition  to  his  professional  labors 
as  a  ph3sician,  he  opened  a  drug  store.  His 
son,  Charles  Eversman,  has  relieved  him  of  the 


care  of  the  drug  store,  but  he  still  continues 
his  professional  labors  at  the  advanced  age  of 
seventy-five  (1882).  Subject  is  connected  with 
the  Cincinnati  Medical  Society.  He  married 
Charlotta  Fier,  and  had  three  sons — Henry 
John  and  Charles. 

CHARLES  EVERSMANN,  druggist,  Teu- 
topolis, was  born  in  Alfhausen,  near  Osna- 
bruck, Hanover,  Germany,  August  31,  1843. 
He  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents 
in  1845.  They  settled  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  re- 
maining in  that  city  seven  years.  In  1852,  the 
parents  came  to  Teutopolis,  this  county,  where 
our  subject  has  lived  ever  since.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  St.  Joseph's  College,  and  spent  two 
years  in  the  college  of  Notre  Dame,  at  South 
Bend,  Ind.  He  left  school  in  1865.  At  eight- 
een, he  went  to  work  on  the  farm,  and  conduct- 
ed it  for  three  years.  In  1 866,  his  father  went 
into  the  drug  business  here,  and  he  assisted 
his  father  in  the  store  for  ten  years,  and  in  1876 
he  became  tlie  proprietor,  and  has  since  con- 
ducted the  drug  store  with  good  success.  He 
has  also  been  Assistant  Postmaster  for  twelve 
years.  He  has  been  Justice  of  the  Peace  for 
eight  years,  also  Supervisor  throe  years,  and 
Town  Clerk.  He  takes  a  deep  interest  in  both 
county  and  State  politics.  He  was  married  in 
October,  1871,  to  Miss  Catherine  Basse,  daugh- 
ter of  George  Busse,  of  Teutopolis  Townsliip, 
and  has  four  children — Frank,  Leo,  Dorothea 
and  Katie. 

JUDGE  HERMAN  II.  HUELS,  farmer, 
P.  O.  Effingham,  was  born  near  the  city 
of  Osnabruck,  Hanover,  January  30,  1824. 
He  left  the  college  of  his  native  place  and 
went  to  Paris,  France,  where  he  remained 
for  two  and  a  half  j'ears  in  tlie  Le  Sem- 
inaire,  Du  Saint  Esprit,  where  he  studied 
rhetoric  and  philosophy,  and  then  went  to  Ita- 
ly, and  visited  in  Genoa,  Milan,  Florence,  Rome 
and  Naples.  This  was  during  the  reign  of  Pope 
Gregory  XVI.  Spent  six  months  in  Italy,  for 
the    most   part   in    Rome,   intending  tu  study 


142 


BIO(JRAPHICAL: 


for  the  pi'iesthood.  From  there  he  went 
with  an  English  family  to  Bedfordshire,  Eog- 
land,  where  he  taught  the  French,  German, 
Latin  and  Greek  languages  in  an  academy  be- 
longing to  the  Baptist  Church,  for  two  and  a 
half  years.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1846,  and  became  Professor  of  Languages  in 
the  seminary  at  the  Barrens,  near  Perryville, 
Mo.,  a  small  institution  established  there  by 
the  followers  of  St.  Vincent  De  Paul,  where 
young  men  were  prepared  for  the  priesthood. 
He  remained  there  about  one  year,  and  in 
Washington,  Mo.,  married  in  1848,  to  3Iiss 
Clara  Schwegmau,  and  afterward  was  clerk  in 
the  law  office  of  Thomas  Allen,  then  President 
of  the  Pacific  Railroad,  now  President  of  Iron 
Mountain  Railroad.  He  was  a  large  landed 
proprietor  in  St.  Louis.  Subject  had  charge  of 
his  real  estate  and  general  business  until  com- 
ing here  in  1851.  He  became  a  teacher  of  the 
parochial  school  at  Teutopolis,  this  county, 
where  he  remained  until  elected  Justice  of  the 
Peace  in  the  fall  of  1853.  when  he  gave  up 
teaching.  He  served  as  Justice  and  Associate 
Judge  of  the  county  until  they  adopted  town- 
ship organization.  He  is  still  Justice  of  the 
Peace.  He  lived  in  Teutopolis  until  ISfil, 
when  he  moved  to  his  present  place  near 
Bfflngham,  where  he  owns  about  200  acres  of 
farm  lands,  and  has  since  engaged  in  fiirming. 
For  many  years  he  did  a  large  amount  of  pub- 
lic business  for  the  people  of  Teutopolis.  He 
also  bought  and  sold  considerable  real  estate. 
He  had  two  children,  both  deceased. 

FERDINAND  KOLLMEYER,  farmer, 
P.  0.  Teutopolis,  was  born  in  January, 
1830,  in  Goldenstedt,  Amt  Pechte,  Grand 
Duchess  of  Oldenburg,  Germany.  He  is  a 
son  of  Bernhard  Kollmeyer,  born  and  died 
in  tlie  same  place.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation. The  maiden  name  of  Mr.  Ferdinand's 
mother  was  Maria  Grave,  who  was  born  in 
Oldenburg,  Germany,  where  she  died,  leaving 
three  boys  and  two  girls.     Our  subject  went  to 


school  in  EUenstedt,  Germany,  and  in  1850  he 
came  to  the  United  States,  via  New  Orleans 
and  St.  Louis,  and  settled  near  Teutopolis, 
Bfflngham  Co.,  111.,  in  which  village  he  was 
married  October  28,  1856,  to  Miss  Josephine 
Puntsack,  who  was  born  in  1830,  near  Fechte, 
Oldenburg,  Germany.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
Anthon  and  Mary  Anna  Puntsack,  who  were 
born  in  Germam-,  but  who  died  in  Teutopolis 
Township.  Mr.  Kollmever  has  three  children, 
two  boys  and  one  girl.  The  names  of  the  boys 
are  Frank  and  John,  who  have  attended  the 
college  at  Teutopolis.  Mr.  Kollmeyer  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Democratic  party.  Through  his 
economy  and  industry  he  has  acquired  a  nice 
farm  of  200  acres.  Is  the  artificer  of  his  own 
fortune,  having  labored  hard  for  the  means  by 
which  to  defraj'  the  expense  of  his  passage 
across  the  restless,  billowy  sea.  Is  a  Catholic. 
FATHER  P.  MICHAEL  RICHARDT,  O.  S. 
F.,  rector  St.  Joseph's  Diocesan  College,  Teu- 
topolis, was  born  in  the  province  of  Saxony, 
Prussia,  September  25. 1844.  He  was  educated 
in  the  Gj'mnasium  Heiligenstadt,  which  he  leftat 
the  age  of  seventeen,  and  joined  the  Franciscan 
Order  in  Westphalia,  and  studied  philosophy 
at  Duesseldorf  on  the  Rhine,  spending  six 
yeai-s  at  the  two  places.  He  spent  his  novi- 
tiate of  one  year  at  Warendorf,  Westphalia. 
He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1867,  and  en- 
tered the  Franciscan  monastery  at  Teutopolis, 
where  he  pursued  the  study  of  theology  two 
years,  and  was  ordained  priest  at  St.  Louis,  by 
Bishop  Kenrick,  and  after  his  ordination  he 
was  Professorof  Classics  and  Modern  Languages 
in  St.  Joseph's  College  for  two  and  a  half  years, 
and  was  at  the  same  time  sub-rector  or  Vice 
President  of  college.  He  was  then  transferred 
to  same  position  in  St.  Francis  Solauus  Col- 
lege at  Quincy,  111.,  for  five  years.  He  then 
conducted  the  department  of  philosophy  in  the 
monastery  for  four  years  at  Quincy,  111.  He 
was  made  President  or  rector  of  this  col- 
lege in    July,  1882.     He  was  working  in    the 


TEUTOPOLIS  TOWNSHIP. 


143 


ministry  during  all  of  his  collegiate  work,  hav- 
ing been  pastor  ot  three  churches. 

JOHN  H.  RUNDE,  merchant  tailor,  Teu- 
topolis,  was  born  in  the  kingdom  of  Hanover, 
village  Lathen,  county  of  Ashendorf,  x\ugust 
18,  1826.  He  left  school  at  fifteen  to  learn 
tailoring  in  his  native  town,  serving  a  three 
years'  apprenticeship,  and  worked  three  3-ears 
as  a  hand  and  went  to  Bremen,  and  sailed  for 
New  York  City  May  3,  1849,  and  arrived  June 
18,  and  worked  in  New  York  City  about  one 
and  a  half  years,  and  in  the  fall  of  1850,  came 
to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  worked  at  his  trade 
there  until  1854,  on  custom  work.  He  was 
married  in  May,  1851,  to  Anna  Margarettha 
Brinker.  She  was  born  in  Oldenburg  in  1822; 
came  to  the  United  States  in  the  fall  ot  1818, 
coming  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  In  April,  1854, 
our  subject  came  to  Teutopolis  with  his  fam- 
ily. He  worked  about  two  years  for  John  F. 
Waschefort.  Then  formed  a  partnership  with  J. 
F.  Waschefort  &  Co.,  which  lasted  one  year 
in  the  merchant  tailoring  business.  At  the 
end  of  a  year,  Mr.  llunde  bought  the  stock  of 
his  partners,  and  on  April  1,  1857,  he  opened 
a  merchant  tailoring  establishment  on  the  same 
site  he  now  occupies  and  has  done  business  for 
a  quarter  of  a  century.  He  bought  a  fresh 
stock  of  piece  goods  from  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
His  was  at  this  time  the  onl3'  merchant  tailor- 
ing house  in  the  county,  and  he  made  four  suits 
for  parties  who  bet  on  the  Buchanan  and  Fre- 
mont election.  He  did  a  good  business  before 
the  war,  and  kept  at  times  four  hands.  He 
drew  his  custom  from  a  long  distance  in  every 
direction.  He  held  this  large  custom  for  man}' 
years,  and  still  docs  a  good  business  in  mer- 
chant tailoring,  clothing,  and  furnishing  goods. 
He  takes  an  active  part  in  politics  and  religion, 
and  has  been  Town  and  Church  Trustee.  He 
is  Democrat  of  the  old  t^-pe.  Mr.  Runde  has 
one  son  living,  John  L.  Runde,  born  in  Teutopo- 
lis August  13,  1861,  and  five  children  dead, 
the  oldest  dying  in  his  eighth  year. 


JOHN  G.  SCHUBTTE,  teacher  and  physican, 
Teutopolis,  was  born  at  Mettingen,  in  the 
Province  of  Westphalia,  on  the  23d  of  May, 
1847.  He  attended  school  at  Mettingen  till 
the  age  of  thirteen.  He  next  went  to  the 
Gymnasium  of  Rheine,  where  lie  graduated  in 
1868.  After  graduating,  he  went  successively 
to  the  universities  of  Wurzburg,  Marburg  and 
Greifswold.  He  studied  medicine  for  two 
j'ears,  while  pursuing  his  philosophical  course. 
After  finishing  his  course  in  1872,  he  served  a 
a  short  while  in  the  Prussian  Armj-  during  the 
Franco- Prussian  war.  Sulyect  came  to  America 
in  1872.  He  landed  at  New  York  and  came 
almost  directly  to  Teutopolis.  He  there 
studied  English  for  a  year  and  a  half,  and  ob- 
tained (1873)  a  position  as  Professor  of  Lan- 
guages and  Mathematics  at  St.  Joseph's  Col- 
lege. He  has  taught  there  ever  since.  He 
married  Catharine,  daughter  of  Mathias  Mette, 
of  Effingham.  His  wife  died  in  1877.  Sub- 
ject is  a  Roman  Catholic  ;  politically,  he  is  a 
Democrat. 

REV,  P.  PAULUS  TEROERDE,  priest, 
Teutopolis,  is  a  native  of  the  Bishop  seat  of 
Paderborn,  in  the  Province  of  Westphalia. 
While  quite  young  he  removed  to  Bocholt, 
where  he  commenced  his  education.  He  after- 
ward went  to  Miinster,  the  capital  of  West- 
phalia, to  pursue  his  studies,  and  then  to 
Warendorf,  where,  in  1869,  he  joined  the  Order 
of  Franciscans.  He  here  finished  his  novitiate. 
In  1870,  he  removed  to  Wiedenbruck,  and 
soon  after  to  Dusseldorf,  At  both  these  places 
he  studied  philosophy,  and  on  the  completion 
of  his  course  in  that  science,  he  returned  to 
Paderborn,  where,  for  the  next  two  years  of 
his  life,  he  was  engaged  in  the  study  of  the- 
ology. At  this  time,  the  Franciscans  being 
expelled  from  Germany,  the  Rev.  Father  went 
to  the  seat  of  the  Franco-Prussian  war,  just 
then  breaking  out.  During  the  early  part  of 
this  war,  he  followed  the  contending  armies, 
bearing    Christian     succor    to   the    sick,    the 


144 


BIOGKAPHICAL: 


wounded  and  the  dying.  But  sickness  forced 
him  to  relinquish  this  hazardous  tasli.  In  1875, 
he  left  Germany  and  came  to  Teutopolis.  He 
remained  in  this  township  but  two  days  when 
he  left  for  St.  Louis  to  tinisli  his  studies  tliere. 
He  spent  a  year  and  a  half  at  St.  Louis,  at 
the  expiration  of  which  time,  having  com- 
pleted his  theological  course,  he  came  back  to 
Teutopolis  to  attend  a  mission.  He  was  shortly 
afterward  appointed  Guardian  of  St.  Francis 
Convent  and  Director  of  the  St.  Francis  Con- 
gregation, which  joint  offices  he  still  fills. 

WILLIAM  TOLCH,  harness-maker,  Teu- 
topolis, was  born  on  the  27th  of  November,  1823, 
at  Strelitz-Mecklenburg,  in  North  Germany- 
Here  he  attended  school  and  learned  the  trade 
of  harness  and  saddle  maker.  Emigrating  to 
America  in  1851,  he  worked  at  his  trade  for  a 
short  while  in  New  Jersey.  He  then  went  to 
St.  Louis  and  fiaallj-  came  to  Teutopolis  (1852). 
He  settled  on  the  National  road,  at  the  place 
where  his  harness  and  saddle  shop  now 
stands.  He  married  on  the  28th  of  April, 
1856,  Rebecca,  daughter  of  John  McLiney. 
Subject  is  an  Evangelical  Lutheran.  He  is  a 
Democrat,  but  takes  no  interest  in  politics  be- 
yond exercising  the  right  of  suffrage.  Has 
nine  children  living — John  Henry,  Charles  Will- 
liam,  Samuel  Frederic,  Mary  Catharine,  Nancy 
Emilia,  Lizzie,  Caroline  Jane,  Rebecca  Ann, 
Alice  Clery. 

CLEMENS  UPTMOR,  Sr.,  merchant,  Teu- 
topolis. Awaj'  back  in  Fatherland,  now  nearly 
seventy-seven  years  ago,  on  the  19th  day  of 
January,  1806,  Clemens  TJptmor,  Sr.,  was  born 
in  the  Dukedom  of  Oldenburg,  in  the  village  of 
Lohme.  His  parents  were  in  the  middle  class- 
es, neither  rich  nor  pinched  with  poverty,  3'et 
the  childhood  of  the  boy  practically  ended 
when  he  was  ten  years  of  age,  as  he  then  went 
as  sailor  boy  on  a  fishing  vessel  on  which  his 
father  was  mate.  These  expeditions  for  her- 
ring were  made  into  the  North  Sea,  and  to  Am- 
sterdam and  other  points.   In  the  winters,  when 


his  father's  vessel  could  not  sail  for  fish,  the 
boy  went  to  the  parochial  schools  of  his  native 
village.  He  thus  got  a  fair  education,  and  a 
good  knowledge  of  sailing  the  waters,  as  well  as 
the  geography  of  Europe.  When  old  enough 
he  was  drafted  into  the  arm}-,  and  here  he 
served  five  years  in  the  infantry  command. 

In  company  with  his  brother,  and  a  few  of 
his  neighbors,  he  sailed  for  America,  and  in 
September,  1834,  landed  in  Cincinnati.  Here, 
for  the  next  five  j'ears,  he  worked  early  and 
late  at  his  trade  of  carpentering — having  re- 
ceived instructions  in  the  old  coa.intry  as  ship 
carpenter.  He  prospered  at  his  work  in  Cin- 
cinnati, but  it  was  slow,  and,  in  connection 
with  two  or  three  others,  looked  up  the  subject 
of  the  great  West,  the  land  of  rich  soil  and 
cheap  homes,  and  this  trio  of  humble  workmen 
conceived  the  great  idea  of  forming  a  colony 
and  emigrating  West.  Did  they,  any  of  them, 
think  you,  in  their  warmest  fancies,  ever  pro- 
long the  vision  to  this  day,  and  in  the  emigra- 
tion foresee  the  present  flourishing  town  of 
Teutopolis,  with  its  happ3'  population,  its  mag- 
nificent manufactories,  its  stupendous  church, 
college,  convent,  its  many  houses,  from  its 
grand  mansions  to  its  many  neat  and  tasty 
cottages,  and  all  surrounded  by  elegant  farms 
and  improved  highways  ?  One  of  the  nine  and 
chief  movers  that  brought  us  all  this  Valuable 
population,  including  the  entire  town  of  Teu- 
topolis and  the  rich  farming  country  surround- 
ing it,  together  with  many  others  throughout 
the  whole  county,  was  Clemens  Uptmor,  Sr. 

So  great  and  far  reaching  in  its  good  effects 
to  its  beneliciaries,  and  of  so  much  value  was 
it  to  the  county  of  Effingham  that  we  feel  it 
just  and  proper  to  repeat  in  outline  this  coloni- 
zation scheme  : 

It  was  organized  in  Cincinnati,  and  at  first 
only  nine  members  ;  it  soon  grew  to  a  society 
of  one  hundred  and  fort3'-two.  Each  member 
paid  $50,  and  this  entitled  him  to  forty  acres  of 
land  ;  he  paid  also  $10  toward  the  society  ex- 


TEUTOPOLIS  TOWKSHIP. 


145 


penses,  and  this  entitled  him  to  four  town  lots. 
Messrs.  Uptmor  and  Waschefort,  in  the  interest 
and  for  the  societj-,  made  an  extended  tour  of 
observation,  entering  the  State  near  Vincennes, 
passing  through  into  Missouri  to  near  Jefferson 
City,  but  seeing  slavery  there,  they  returned 
and  again  entered  Illinois  at  Quincy,  and  from 
Quincy  to  Vandalia,  the  land  office,  was  their 
general  route.  At  Vandalia  they  examined  the 
land  books,  and  rode  many  miles  in  all  direc- 
tions, and  finally  settled  upon  the  spot  where 
Teutopolis  now  stands  as  the  chosen  one  for 
their  colony.  When  this  conclusion  was  ar- 
rived at,  Mr.  Upmor  returned  to  Cincinnati  and 
called  the  society  together  and  reported  fully 
what  he  had  done.  Everything  was  told  ex- 
cept the  place  selected.  He  then  asked  the 
society  to  appoint  a  committee  and  he  would 
take  them  to  tlie  place  and  they  could  enter  the 
land.  This  was  done,  and  Thomas  Bergfelt, 
George  Meyer  and  Henrj-  Roenbaum  were  added 
to  Waschefort  and  Uptmor,  and  were  appointed 
to  accompany  Mr.  Uptmor.  and  $16,000  was 
placed  in  their  hands  to  invest  for  the  society. 
These  committeemen  did  not  know  even  to 
what  State  they  were  going  until  they  were 
well  on  the  way  to  Illinois.  This  secrecy  was 
observed  in  order  that  the  strictest  justice 
might  be  done  to  all  members,  and  further,  to 
prevent  any  member  from  taking  advantage  of 
his  knowledge  and  slipping  away  and  making  a 
choice  entry  of  land  in  the  very  heart  of  the 
colony's  location.  They  came  on  to  Vandalia, 
entered  the  land,  and  laid  off  the  town  of  Teu- 
topolis, and  returned  to  Cincinnati,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1838,  in  the  old  engine  house,  between 
Sixth  and  Seventh  streets,  the  land  and  town 
lots  were  distributed  bj-  a  dravving  among  the 
members,  each  one  taking  the  land»  and  lots 
marked  on  the  slip  he  drew  out  of  the  hat. 

Such  was  the  outline  of  this  wise  and  just 
scheme,  and  the  result  stands  there  to-day,  the 
proudest  monument  to  the  integrity,  far-sight- 
edness and  faithfulness  of  its  founders  of  anv 


similar  instance  in  modern  times.  The  minds 
that  mapped  out  and  carried  through,  from  be- 
ginning to  completion,  this  beneficent  scheme — 
a  scheme  ever  growing  in  the  good,  the  liberty, 
the  happy  prosperous  homes  of  so  many  people, 
that  transcends  in  importance  all  the  battles  of 
Napoleon,  or  the  Csesars,  should  not  be  left  to 
careless  neglect,  nor  shall  they  be,  for 
'■  The  past  U  but  a  base  whereon 
These  ashlars,  well  hewu,  may  be  laid." 

In  September,  1839,  Mr.  Uptmor  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  Elizabeth  Niehaus,  of  Cincinnati. 
This  wedding  occurred  on  one  of  his  three  dif- 
ferent trips  between  the  new  colony  settlement 
and  Cincinnati ;  one  of  these  trips  he  made 
wholly  on  foot  and  another  one  chiefly  so,  as 
his  horse  was  taken  sick  in  Vincennes,  and  he 
pushed  on  without  it.  Immediately  after  the 
marriage,  preparations  to  move  to  the  new 
home  commenced,  and  December  21,  1839, 
they  landed  at  Teutopolis,  and  occupied  a  lit- 
tle log  hut  built  by  J.  Henry  Uptmor,  one 
room,  sixteen  feet  square.  The  next  year  he 
built  a  frame,  16x26,  on  the  corner  lot  where  his 
present  large  brick  residence  stands.  Here  he 
opened  a  little  store,  his  stock  of  goods  amount- 
ing to  about  $100,  and  from  this  little  beginning 
has  grown  his  present  large  and  extensive  es- 
tablishment. At  the  same  time  he  farmed,  did 
carpenter  work,  and  found  time  to  build  an  im- 
mense wind  grist  mill,  which  was  completed  in 
1842.  In  its  day  it  was  a  tremendous  event  in 
the  count}'.  It  was  a  big  venture  to  make  at 
that  time,  but  it,  like  everything  else  he  touched, 
brought  him  success  and  the  bread  of  life  for 
the  whole  county  around,  in  fact,  extending  in- 
to the  surrounding  counties.  More  curious  and 
glad  people  visited  this  wonder  of  its  day,  by 
far,  than  do  now  go  to  see  the  magnificent  four 
stor}'  grist  mill — the  finest  structure  and  ma- 
chinery in  the  State  perhaps,  as  it  contains  all 
the  very  latest  improvements  and  invention  in 
milling  known,  and  is  capable  of  turning  out 
150  barrels  of  perfect  flour  daily.     This  mill  is 


146 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


the  most  valuable  improvement  yet  erected  in 
our  count}'.  It  is  estimated  that  it  will  require 
all  the  wheat  that  can  be  raised  on  a  territory 
of  nearly  the  entire  county  to  supply  it  during 
any  year  that  it  is  run  to    its   full    capacity. 

In  the  erection  of  the  college,  the  female 
convent,  the  extensive  Franciscan  monaster}', 
and  the  magnificent  church,  one  of  the  largest 
and  containing  the  finest  organ  in  Southern 
Illinois,  were  all  aided  and  much  assisted  by 
the  good  sense  and  liberal  purse  of  Mr.  Uptmor 
at  the  time  of  building. 

In  1865,  he  built  his  present  fine  brick  store, 
where  he  has  since  kept  a  large  general  stock 
of  dry  goods  and  groceries,  in  the  name  of  the 
firm  of  C.  Uptmor  &  Sou.  In  the  same  year,  he 
commenced  his  pork -packing  establishment ; 
the  first  year  he  slaughtered  over  1,800  liogs. 
The  partnership,  constituting  the  proprietors 
of  the  new  grist  mill,  was  formed  in  1882,  and 
consists  of  his  son,  Clemens,  and  Joseph  Sie- 
mer,  and  its  title  is  Uptmor  &  Siemer. 

For  more  than  twenty  j-ears  he  was  Post- 
master of  Teutopolis,  entering  upon  the  duties 
of  the  office  in  1842,  and  continuing  without 
interruption  during  all  these  years  and  without 
an  official  error  or  a  complaint  from  an}-  source. 
Mr.  Uptmor  is  the  father  of  fcjoirteen  children, 
eight  of  whom  are  living. 

This  is  the  briefest  outline  of  the  life  work  of 
Clemens  Uptmor,  Sr.  Certainly  one  of  the 
brightest  examples  in  our  country's  whole  his- 
tory of  what  is  possible  for  one  man  to  do  for 
himself  and  his  fellow-man.  A  man  born  to 
command,  control,  guide  and  provide  for  his 
fellow-man,  and  has  filled  that  grand  mission 
of  life  so  abl}'  and  so  well,  and  that,  too,  with- 
out the  aid  of  wealth,  titles,  or  great  and  pow- 
erful friends  at  court ;  indeed,  without  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  language  of  his  adopted  country, 
until  past  middle  life,  is  a  great  consummation 
— pleasant  to  see,  profitable  to  behold. 

SISTER  VEREN A,  D.  N.  D.,  of  Notre  Dame 
Convent,  Teutopolis,  111.,  is  a  native  of  Her- 


zogen  Aurach,  in  the  province  of  Bavaria,  being 
bora  in  that  city  on  the  28th  of  November, 
1841.  At  the  age  of  three  years,  she  was  taken 
from  her  native  countrj'  and  brought  to  Balti- 
more. She  there  attended  the  St.  James'  Sis- 
ters' School  till  the  age  of  seventeen.  In  1859, 
she  was  sent  to  Milwaukee,  where  she  became 
a  candidatej  for  admission  into  the  Order  of 
Notre  Dame.  In  the  following  year,  1860,  she 
became  a  member  of  the  order.  She  taught 
school  for  one  year  after  her  admission,  in  the 
city  of  Milwaukee.  She  then  went  to  Roches- 
ter, N.  Y.,  where  she  also  taught  in  the  St. 
Joseph's  Sisters'  School.  She  remained  there 
seven  years  (to  1868).  Having  returned  to 
Milwaukee  for  a  few  weeks,  she  then  went  to 
Kenosha,  Wis.,  where  she  taught  for  six  years, 
till  1874.  She  also  taught  three  years  in  Chi- 
cago. In  1877,  she  came  to  Teutopolis,  where 
she  was  appointed  Sister  Superior  of  the  Con- 
vent of  Notre  Dame,  which  position  she  is  now 
filling. 

JOHN  F.  WASCHEFORT  (deceased),  was 
born  in  Essen,  Oldenburg,  Germany.  He  emi- 
grated to  America  in  1832.  After  prospecting 
for  some  months  over  various  parts  of  Ohio,  he 
finally  located  at  Cincinnati.  He  devoted  him- 
self to  learning  the  trade  of  rope  and  twine 
making,  and  in  1835,  formed  a  partnership  with 
John  H.  Hakman  and  George  Venneman,  for 
the  purpose  of  manufacturing  rope  and  cord- 
age. Soon  this  young  firm  began  to  prosper, 
their  business  assuming  larger  proportions  from 
day  to  day.  A  few  years  of  success  at  Cin- 
cinnati induced  them  to  establish  two  branch 
houses;  one  at  Evausville,  Ind.,  under  the 
management  of  George  Venneman,  which,  in 
addition  to  a  well-selected  stock  of  ropes  and 
twines,  h«id  a  large  stock  of  groceries  added, 
which,  in  a  few  years  after  its  establishment, 
ranked  as  one  of  the  largest  jobbing  houses  of 
that  cit}-.  The  other  house  was  established  at 
Teutopolis,  111.,  under  the  control  of  J.  F. 
Waschefort.     The  original  partnership,  formed 


TEUTOPOLIS  TOWNSHIP. 


147 


in  1835,  continued  until  1857,  wlion  the  same 
was  dissolved  hy  mutual  eonsent.  During  the 
existence  of  this  partnership,  which  continued 
during  twentj'-two  years,  Mr.  Hakman  managed 
the  Cincinnati  house,  Mr.  Venneman  the  Evans- 
ville  branch,  and  Mr.  Waschefort  the  one  at 
Teutopolis.  At  the  final  dissolution  and  in  the 
division  of  property,  each  partner  retained  the 
business  under  his  respective  management.  To 
the  Teutopolis  house  Mr.  W.  lent  all  his  energy 
and  business  ability,  starting  with  a  small  stock 
of  goods  usually  kept  in  country  stores,  he  soon 
enlarged  the  same  and  made  it  the  trading  place 
of  the  surrounding  country.  He  soon  added 
the  pork  packing  business,  making  a  market 
for  fat  hogs.  The  product  was  in  those  early 
days  transported  by  wagon  to  Evansville  and 
St.  Louis,  finding  a  market  at  New  Orleans.  In 
1856,  he  built  at  Teutopolis  a  large  steam  flour- 
ing mill,  to  which  he  added  a  complete  saw-mill. 
In  1860,  he  opened  a  branch  store  at  Effingham, 
that  city  having  been  made  the  county  seat.  All 
these  various  enterprises,  which  tended  so 
much  to  develop  this  neighborhood,  were  kept 
under  his  immediate  supervisons  up  to  the  time 
of  death,  which  occurred  in  January,  1879,  he 
then  being  sixty-eight  years  of  age.  He  was 
of  a  quiet  and  reserved  disposition,  assisted  the 
needy,  and  to  all  who  were  willing  to  work  he 
extended  a  helping  hand.  Man}-  remember 
him  as  having  received  through  his  generous 
assistance  their  first  start  in  life.  His  wife, 
Mary,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  1839,  was 
a  noble-hearted  lad3-.  She  died  in  Januar}-, 
1873.  The  have  four  children  now  living — two 
daughters  residing  at  Cincinnati,  one  daughter 
lives  at  Teutopolis,  the  wife  of  Dr.  H.  Eversman; 
and  an  only  son,  Ferdinand,  who  succeeded  his 
father's  business  at  the  old  homestead.  Mr. 
W.,  being  one  of  the  original  organizers  of  the 
colony  of  Germans  who  settled  at  Teutopolis, 
was  intimately'  associated  with  its  development 
and  progress.  All  public  enterprises  received 
from  him  substantial  support  and  aid.     Their 


fine  brick  church,  large  college  for  higher  edu- 
cation, a  fine  sisters'  academy  and  parochial 
school  attest  the  regard  he  paid  to  education 
in  that  small  village. 

JOHN  F.  WASCHEFORT,  Jr.,  Teutopolis 
son  of  John  F,  Waschefort,  was  born  in  Teu- 
topolis Township,  March  4,  1857,  here  he  was 
also  raised  and  educated,  attending  suct'essively 
the  Notre  Dame  Sisters'  School  and  St.  Joseph's 
College,  At  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  left  college 
and  engaged  in  business,  helping'  his  father  in 
the  flour  mill  and  general  store  keeping.  In 
1879,  on  the  death  of  his  father,  he  succeeded  him 
in  the  same  business,  which  he  still  carries  on 
quite  successfully.  The  fatherof  subject  was  born 
in  Oldenburg,  Germany,  about  1810.  He  came 
alone  to  America  when  he  was  not  more  than 
sixteen  years  old.  After  stopping  at  various 
places,  he  reached  Cincinnati  in  1832.  In  1841 
he  came  to  Teutopolis,  where  ho  opened  a  o-en- 
eral  country  store,  dealing,  also,  in  live-stock, 
and  conducting,  at  the  same  time,  a  large  farm. 
He  started  a  combined  flour  and  saw-mill  in 
1856.  This  was  afterward  converted  into  a 
flour  mill.     He  died  in  January,  1879. 

JOHN  H.  WEKNSING.  Sr.,  Justice  of 
the  Peace,  Teutopolis,  was  born  in  the 
old  Kingdom  of  Hanover  (now  Prussia)  in 
the  year  1832.  In  1840,  he  came  to  America 
with  his  parents,  being  only  eight  years  old. 
They  settled  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  John 
attended  a  "  common  school."  Subject  after- 
ward went  to  Indiana  where  he  received  in- 
structions in  the  higher  branches,  from  Prof. 
Thomas  Smith.  Leaving  Indiana,  he  went 
back  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  learned  the  trade 
of  "  coach  and  car  ornamentation."  tlavin"- 
finished  his  apprenticeship,  he  was  engaged  as 
a  foreman  in  a  coach  and  car  manufactory  for 
fifteen  years.  Forced  to  leave  Cincinnati  on 
account  of  sickness,  he  came  to  Teutopolis  in 
1865,  where  he  has  since  resided.  For  the  last 
fourteen  years,  he  has  exercised  the  office  of 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  for  the  last  six  years 


us 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


the  additional  office  of  Notary  Public.  Soon 
after  his  arrival  at  Teutopolis,  he  tooli  charge 
of  John  F.  Waschefort's  combined  steam  flour 
and  saw  mill.  Subject  has  alwa^vs  taken  an 
active  part  in  politics.  He  has  been,  succes- 
sively, member  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors, 
member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  Collector  of 
Taxes  (for  the  last  three  years),  and  is  at  pres- 
ent Justice  of  the  Peace  and  Notary  Public. 
Subject  was  twice  married.  First  wife — Mary, 
daughter  of  John  Wessel,  a  native  of  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  among  the  first  settlers  of  that 
place.  Second  wife — Catharine,  daughter  of 
Henry  Lepper.  Subject  bad  by  his  first  wife, 
tliree  sons  and  two  daughters — Henry,  Benja- 
min, Edward,  Mary  and  Catharine.  By  his 
second  wife  he  had  two  sous  and  three  daugh- 
ters— Frank,  Joseph,  Theresa,  Elizabeth  and 
Anna. 


JOHN  H.WERNSING,  Jr.,  dealer  in  liquors, 
Teutopolis,  son  of  John  H.  Wernsing,  Sr.,  was 
born  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  November  29,  1852. 
He  attended  a  Catholic  Brothers'  school  till  the 
age  of  twelve,  when  he  left  Cincinnati  and 
came  to  Teutopolis.  At  Teutopolis  he  attended 
St.  Joseph's  College  for  two  years.  Leaving 
school  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  he  worked  as  a 
farm  hand  for  the  next  three  years  of  his  life. 
He  then  undertook  to  learn  the  blacksmith's 
trade,  which  he  abandoned  at  the  end  of  three 
months.  After  this  he  made  a  livelihood  by 
painting,  which  he  continued  doing  till  the 
year  1879.  He  then  opened  a  saloon  on  the 
National  road,  which  he  still  keeps.  He  is  a 
Democrat,  and  has  occupied  the  position  of 
Village  Clerk.  He  married  Kate,  daughter  of 
H.  B.  Bruver.  Has  two  children — John  Henry 
and  Mathilda. 


MASON    T 

THOMAS  A.  ANDREWS,  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  Mason,  was  born  in  Macon,  Tenn.,  Sep- 
tember 7,  1829.  He  was  married  April  3,  1851, 
to  Miss  Arena  Jackson,  daughter  of  Irwin 
Jackson,  of  Marion  County,  111.  Our  sub- 
ject located  in  Effingham  County,  111.,  and 
followed  the  avocation  of  farming,  at  which  he 
met  with  good  success.  Purchased  and  paid 
for  120  acres  of  laud  in  Mason  Township.  In 
1857,  he  purchased  a  store  in  Brownsburg,  of 
this  county,  and  embarked  in  merchandising. 
This  proving  rather  disastrous,  he  continued 
the  business  little  over  one  year,  sold  out  on 
credit,  and  never  received  the  promised  stipula- 
tion. He  then  returned  to  farming  with  good 
success,  paid  the  debts  contracted  in  the  store 
business,  and  gained  considerable  property.  lu 
1877,  he  removed  to  Mason,  and  worked  for 
some  time  in  a  stave  fiictory.  Politically,  Mr. 
Andrews  is  a  stanch  Democrat.  He  has  re- 
peatedly held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace, 


OWNSHIP. 

a  position  he  at  present  fills.  Has  a  family  of 
seven  children  living — John  W.,  born  iu  1854  ; 
Sarah  E.,  born  in  1858  ;  Mary  T.,  wife  of  Har- 
vey Leatherman,  was  born  in  1860  ;  Thomas  N., 
born  in  1862  ;  Charles  F.,  born  in  1871  ;  Jesse 
A.,  born  in  1869  ;  and  two  dead — Miss  Emma 
Andrews  was  born  in  1864,  and  died  in  1881  ; 
William  F.,  was  born  in  1856,  and  died  in 
1858.  The  subject's  father,  Drewry  Andrews, 
was  born  in  Chatham  County,  N.  C,  February 
14,  1783,  and  resided  there  till  1805,  when  he 
went  with  his  parents  to  Smith  County,  Tenn. 
Soon  after  his  arrival  there  he  was  married  to 
Rebecca  Parker,  and  settled  in  that  county. 
In  1811,  his  wife  died,  mother  of  three  chil- 
dren, who  survived  her — John,  born  in  1806, 
is  a  resident  of  Macon  County,  Tenn.;  Callen 
W.,  born  in  1808  ;  Mrs.  Martha  Young,  who 
removed  in  1838  to  Macon  Township.  After 
the  death  of  his  wife,  went  into  the  Indian  war, 
which  was  raging  at  that  time,  and  served  two 


MASON  TOWNSHIP. 


149 


j'ears.  Returned  from  the  war,  and  soon  after 
married  a  young  lady  by  name  of  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Gammon.  In  ISSS,  they  removed  to 
Fayette  County,  III.,  and  located  at  farming 
about  nine  miles  west  of  Vandalia.  Mr.  An- 
drews was  a  farmer,  a  tanner  and  a  shoemaker, 
farming  during  the  summer.  He  tanned  and 
dressed  his  leather  during  fall,  and  worked  it 
into  shoes  in  winter.  By  his  last  wife  he 
raised  a  family  of  nine  children,  as  follows  : 
Mary,  born  in  1816,  wife  of  John  Barton,  the 
well-known  Baptist  minister  of  this  county; 
he  died  February  25,  1865  ;  Susan,  wife  of 
John  Minton  ;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Richard 
Jones  ;  Nancy,  wife  of  William  Dodsou  ;  the 
next  is  the  subject  of  our  sketch.  There  were 
three  younger  daughters,  who  married  and 
raised  families.  The  first  five  of  this  family 
between  the  year  1838  and  1840,  removed  with 
their  families  to  EtBngham  County.  Drewry 
Andrews  died  December  3,  1845.  In  1850, 
his  widow,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Andrews,  was  mar- 
ried to  Benjamin  Campbell,  with  whom  she 
lived  till  May  20,  1856,  when  she  died. 

A.  BARBKE,  tavern,  Edgewood,  was  born 
in  Wilson  County,  Tenn.,  October  12,  1828,  and 
removed  with  his  parents  to  Franklin  Count}', 
111.,  in  1842.  He  remained  there  till  of  age, 
and  was  married  in  that  county  in  1850.  For 
some  time  after,  he  engaged  in  running  a  saw 
and  grist  mill;  afterward  ran  a  flour  mill  in 
Jefferson  Count}',  and,  later,  a  flour  and  saw 
mill  combined,  in  Franklin  County,  and  then  a 
flouring  mill  in  !McLeansboro,  111.  He  removed 
to  Effingham  County  in  1867,  and  settled  a  half 
mile  west  of  Edgewood  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, which  he  followed  till  1879,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Edgewood  and  began  tavern-keeping, 
his  present  avocation.  He  has  a  family  of  eight 
children— W.  F.,  W.'T.,  H.  W.,  Jlrs.  Ezora  Ro- 
bottom,  Mrs.  Luella  Jackaway,  Schuyler,  Em- 
ma and  Dora.  Subject  is  a  member  of  the 
Odd  Fellow  fraternity,  and  politically  is  a  Re- 
publican. 


JOHN  BARTON,  farmer,  P.  0.  Edgewood, 
son  of  Solomon  Barton,  was  born  in  England 
in  1825.  He  came  to  America  in  1857,  and 
settled  in  Kane  County,  111.,  and  engaged  in 
farming.  In  1860,  he  removed  to  Effingham 
County,  111.,  and  bought  a  farm  of  eighty  acres. 
It  was  all  wild  prairie,  but  Mr.  Barton  fenced 
and  put  it  under  cultivation.  Politically,  he  is 
a  Republican.  He  was  married,  in  1866,  in 
Chicago,  to  Miss  Maria  Hills,  of  England.  She 
died  about  three  years  afterward,  leaving  one 
child— Hattie  Maria  Barton.  Mr.  Barton  was 
married  in  1873  to  Miss  Rachel  Wilson,  of 
England.  Mr.  Barton  removed  to  Chicago  in 
1867,  and  engaged  in  gardening  business.  He 
purchased  ten  acres  just  outside  the  city  lim- 
its, which  he  still  owns. 

OLIVER  BEARE,  farmer,  P.  0.  Edgewood, 
was  born  in  Perry  County,  Ohio,  May  7,  1852  ; 
removed  with  his  parents  when  quite  young  to 
this  county.  On  the  death  of  his  father,  he 
took  charge  of  the  farm,  which  he  has  contin- 
ued to  run  since.  3Ir.  Beare  is  a  good  business 
man,  a  hard-working  and  enterprising  farmer, 
and  an  estimable  citizen.  He  owns  farming 
lands  to  the  extent  of  524  acres.  Subject's 
father,  Jacob  Beare,  was  born  in  Lancaster 
County,  Penn.,  August  9,  1809.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Perry  County,  Ohio,  October  30,  1836, 
to  Miss  Mary  Strawn,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Strawn.  Remained  in  that  county  till  1854, 
when  he  removed  to  Effingham  County,  111., 
locating  on  a  tract  of  207  acres  of  wild  land 
near  Edgewood,  and  began  the  work  of  open- 
ing up  a  farm.  Long  before  he  came  to  this 
county,  in  the  year  1836,  he  met  a  great  mis- 
fortune in  the  loss  of  his  eyesight,  occasioned 
by  a  mishap  in  blasting  in  a  limestone  quarry. 
Notwithstanding  this  disadvantage,  he  was 
persevering,  enterprising  and  successful.  He 
not  only  succeeded  in  making  a  farm,  but  add- 
ed to  his  first  purchase  a  considerable 
amount  of  land.  He  was  a  great  worker  even 
after   lie    became   blind,    being  able   to  work 


150 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


in  the  harvest  fickl.  He  woukl  cut  down 
trees,  cut  oft"  saw-logs,  load  them,  and 
drive  to  the  saw-mill,  without  any  assistance 
or  company  whatever.  He  died  April  16, 
1878,  leaving  a  large  amount  of  propertj-,  and 
a  family  of  seven  children,  uamel}' :  Mrs.  Sa- 
rah Broraley,  Mrs.  Amanda  Goodnight,  David 
Bearc,  Mrs.  Catharine  Lewis,  Charles  Beare, 
Oliver  Beare,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and 
Joseph  Beare — all  useful  and  enterprising  citi- 
zens. 'The  mother,  widow  of  Jacob  Beare,  still 
remains  on  the  home  tarm  and  is  quite  aged. 

WILLIAM  E.  BEAIRD,  merchant,  Edge- 
wood.  William  E.  Beaird,  son  of  Jacob  Beaird, 
was  born  January  4,  1846,  in  Nashville, 
Ohio.  In  1855,  he  removed  to  Olney,  111.  He 
had  good  educational  opportunities.  He  at- 
tended the  Bvansville,  lud.,  Commercial  Col- 
lege, in  1867.  Subject  was  married  in  March 
1873,  to  Miss  Flora  Johns,  of  Olney,  Richland, 
Co.,  III.;  kept  tavern  about  two  j'ears,  and  was 
then  engaged  as  traveling  salesman  by  a  whole- 
sale grocery  firm  by  name  of  Dyas,  Hewitt  & 
Stone,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.  He  worked  as  trav- 
eling salesman  for  said  firm  about  two  years, 
when  he  engaged  in  mercantile  business  in 
Cleremont,  Richland  Co.,  111.,  continuing  un- 
til 1879,  when  he  closed  out  and  moved  to 
Edgewood,  Effingham  Co.,  111.,  put  up  a  store — 
dry  goods  and  groceries,  and  general  merchan- 
dising. Subject  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  and  politically  he  is  a  Republican. 
Has  a  familj-  of  two  children — Robert  and 
William. 

R.  R.  BILLINGSLY,  grocer,  Mason.  R.  R. 
Billingsly  was  born  November  16|  1842,  in  Ohio 
Count3-,  Ind.,  where  he  remained  until  he  was 
nineteen  j'ears  old,  when  he  enlisted  in  the 
war  in  1862,  Company  D,  Fifty-second  Indiana 
Infantry,  and  was  assigned  to  the  Sixteenth 
Army  Corps  for  a  term  of  three  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  re-enlisted  till  the  close 
of  the  war  ;  was  in  Fort  Donelson,  Nashville, 
at  Spanish  Fort  near  Mobile,  Fort  Blakely  and 


at  siege  of  Corinth,  Tupelo,  and  many  other 
battles;  was  discharged  from  the  array  in  1865, 
at  the  close  of  the  war,  after  a  service  of  four 
j-ears  and  seven  months.  Returned  home 
soon  after;  settled  at  Mason,  III.,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  a  short  time.  Mr.  Bill- 
ingsly engaged  in  running  a  grocery  store,  at 
the  same  time  ran  an  establishment  of  the  same 
kind  at  Kdgewood,  also  purchased  a  livery  sta- 
ble at  Kinmundy,  which  soon  after  burned, 
horses  and  all  being  lost  in  the  fire.  He  is  now 
engaged  in  running  a  grocerj-  store;  has  a  fam- 
ily of  two  children — Jessie  May  and  James  R. 

GEORGE  BOLTON,  merchant,  Edgewood, 
was  Ijorn  in  Dublin  in  1832;  came  to  New  York 
Citj-  in  1854.  Subject  was  compositor  for  the 
Brooklj'n  and  New  York  Journal  company, 
Albion  Inquirer  and  other  offices  of  rank. 
April  21,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  war.  He 
was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  and 
taken  prisoner,  and  forwarded  to  Libby  Prison; 
was  exchanged  June,  1862;  re-enlisted  in  Sep- 
tember, 1862.  He  was  married  in  Pittsburgh, 
Pean.,  in  1864,  to  Miss  Angelina  Johnson. 
After  several  years'  emploj-ment  at  his  profes- 
sion, he  embarked  in  mercantile  business  in 
1875  in  Edgewood,  III. 

TURNER  J.  BOWLING,  Police  Magistrate, 
Mason,  was  born  in  Carroll  County,  Ky.,  Jan- 
uarj^  30,  1843;  remained  there  until  1863, 
when  he  came  to  Mason,  111.,  and  engaged  in 
cooper's  trade,  following  said  trade  off  and  on 
till  1860,  and  then  began  clerking  for  Thistle- 
wood  Bros.,  in  drj-  goods  and  grocery  store, 
continuing  till  1871,  when  he  was  elected  to 
the  office  of  Police  Magistrate  of  Mason.  He 
attended  the  duties  of  Police  Magistrate,  and 
at  same  time  engaged  in  clerking  for  Pulham 
&  Co.  till  1875,  when  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Pul- 
ham the  store  was  closed.  He  then  engaged 
in  clerking  for  Ruffner  &  Leith,  afterward 
Wade  &  Leith,  until  1879,  when  he  was  elected 
Police  Magistrate,  a  position  he  still  fills.  Mr. 
Bowling   was   married  in   Effingham    County, 


MASON  TOWNSHIP. 


151 


December  31,  1863,  to  Miss  Rosama  Brocket, 
who  died  August,  1871.  Oue  cliild  survives 
her,  Florence  Eveline.  Mr.  Bowling  was  married 
to  his  second  wife,  Miss  Allie  Weston,  daugh- 
ter of  George  M.  Weston,  July  9,  187.S,  having 
an  issue  of  one  child — Jessie  0.  Subject's 
father,  George  W.,  was  born  in  Carrollton, 
Ky.,  August  30,  1804;  was  a  tinner,  and  lived 
in  Carrollton,  Ky.,  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  August  1857.  His  widow  still  lives 
in  Carrollton,  Ky. 

E.  W.  BRIGGS,  grain  dealer,  Edgewood,  was 
born  June  1,  1848,  in  Bangor,  Penobscot  Co., 
Maine,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  with  good 
facilities  for  education  ;  came  to  Effingham 
County,  III,  in  1870,  and  engaged  in  deriving  in 
Mason,  111.  In  1 872,  engaged  in  grain  buying  in 
Edgewood,  111.  He  was  married,  in  1876,  in 
Mason,  111.,  to  Miss  Adella  Tyner.  To  them  has 
been  born  one  child — Frederic  Felton  Briggs, 
Our  subject  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity. 

JUDGE  JOHN  BROOM,  retired.  Mason, 
whose  portrait  appears  in  this  work,  is  the  sec- 
ond son  of  Miles  and  Edith  (Vincent)  Broom, 
both  natives  of  North  Carolina.  The  parents 
had  four  children — William,  John,  Dicy  and 
Samuel.  Our  subject  was  born  October  16, 
1809,  on  the  Boiling  Fork  of  Elk  River,  in  the 
newly  settled  portion  afterward  called  New  Vir- 
ginia, in  the  Old  Dominion,  near  the  Tennessee 
line.  While  an  infant  his  parents  moved  into 
Tennessee,  Jackson  Count}^,  from  which  place 
they,  in  a  short  time,  moved  to  Smith  County, 
same  State,  on  Barren  River,  near  the  Kentucky 
line — an  unbroken  canebrake  wilderness.  In 
1814,  their  house  and  its  contents  were  burned, 
and  the  family  were  literally  turned  "  out  of 
doors;"  the  fatiier,  as  soon  as  he  could,  erected 
a  log  hut,  but  before  he  could  put  on  a  roof, 
his  country's  call  for  soldiers  in  the  warof  1812- 
15  took  him  into  the  army,  and  this  helpless 
family  were  literally  left  in  an  uncovered  rail- 
pen,  with  a  few  shucks  for  bed,  bedding  and 


and  household  furniture.  The  neighbors  eventu- 
ally put  a  roof  over  their  heads.  The  father 
(Miles  Broom)  served  his  country  during  the 
war,  and  was  distinguished  by  the  personal  no- 
tice and  friendship  of  Gen.  Jackson,  for  his 
bravery.  As  in  after  years.  Gen.  Jackson,  in 
making  a  4th  of  July  oration,  noticed  Judge 
Broom,  the  son  of  his  old  soldier  friend  in  the 
audience,  placed  his  hand  on  the  bov's  head 
and  stated  that  he  had  seen  that  boy's  father  in 
battle,  when  he  was  so  sick  that  he  had  to  lean 
against  a  wall  to  load  and  fire  his  gun,  yet  he 
fought  the  fight  like  a  hero.  Miles  Broom,  when 
discharged  at  New  Orleans,  started  home,  but 
when  only  thirtj-  miles  on  the  way  sickened  and 
died,  in  the  year  1815. 

Judge  Broom's  mother  was  then  a  widow, 
with  four  small  children,  three  boys  and  a  girl, 
and,  at  the  tender  age  of  seven  years,  John 
Broom  was  pretty  much  the  family  dependence 
in  their  struggle  for  existence.  At  the  age  of 
seven,  he  attended  an  orphan  school  three 
mouths,  and  this  constituted  his  educational 
privileges.  His  mother  had  secured  ten  acres 
of  land,  and  here  he  toiled  and  struggled  for 
the  family's  scanty  existence  until  seventeen 
years  old. 

February  11,  1828,  being  less  than  nineteen 
years  old,  he  married  Mary  Allen,  of  Smith 
County,  born  June  4,  1806,  near  Salisbury,  on 
the  Yadkin  River,  N.  C,  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Sarah  Allen,  natives  also  of  North 
Carolina.  The  young  wife  was  the  possessor 
of  a  bed,  and  the  youthful  benedict  owned 
a  pony  and  a  saddle,  and  this  was  the  only 
freight  in  th«s  connubial  bark  when  launched 
upon  the  matrimonial  sea.  The  young  couple 
rented  a  farm  and  mill  and  worked  the  happy 
hours  away.  In  August,  1820,  their  first  child, 
William,  was  born,  and  in  the  October  follow- 
ing, the  now  little  family  of  wife  and  child  were 
loaded  into  a  "  carry-all,"  with  all  their  other 
goods,  and  started  westward.  He  joined  his 
father-in-law,   Benjamin  Allen,  and   drove  his 


152 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


four-horse  team  to  their  new  home  in  Illinois,  j 
on  Fulfer  Creek,  where  the  two  families  landed  | 
on  the  Gth  of  November,  1829.     On  the  banks 
of  this  classic  stream,  if  he  took  an  inventory  | 
of  his  possessions,  preparator}'  to  a  new  start  in 
a  strange  land,  it  would  have  resulted  about  as 
follows:  A  pioneer,  a  husband,  a  father,  not  yet 
a  voter,  $5  in  debt,  and  nothing  else  in  the  j 
world.     No,  not  a  pauper,  for  as  his  long  and  i 
useful  life  has  shown,  he  was  rich  in  health,   j 
energy,  resolution,  industry,  and  that  Western 
vim  and  pluck  that  wins  its  way  and  triumphs 
over  every  obstacle. 

Judge  Broom  and  his  father-in-law  purchased 
the  improvement  of  John  McCoy.  The  Judge 
had  to  go  to  Vandalia  and  buy  on  a  year's 
credit  such  things  as  he  was  compelled  to  have. 
He  thus  secured,  among  other  things,  a  few 
shoe-maker's  tools,  and  for  years  he  made  all 
the  family  shoes,  and  his  wife  could  cook  nearly 
everything  in  the  kettle.  Like  all  pioneers, 
their  meat  was  wild  game.  The  first  three 
years  he  had  to  carry  his  plow,  sometimes  on 
horseback  and  sometimes  on  foot,  forty-five 
miles,  to  get  it  sharpened,  often  occupying  three 
days  on  a  trip  of  this  kind.  In  1835,  he  se- 
cured employment  at  37  cents  a  day  in  the  rock 
quarry,  getting  rock  for  the  national  road;  the 
second  year,  he  had  become  so  expert  that  he 
got  70  cents  a  day.  This  was  the  foundation 
of  his  prosperity  and  fortune,  and,  in  1834,  he 
entered  his  first  forty  acres  of  land,  and  bought 
a  voke  of  oxen.  In  company  with  others,  he 
plowed  the  first  furrow  on  the  National  road  to 
a  point  near  Vandalia.  Farming,  cattle-rais- 
ing, contracting,  teaming  and  working  by  the 
day  or  by  the  contract,  he  prospered,  and,  al- 
though he  reared  a  large  family  of  children,  he 
provided  enough  to  give  each  son  100  acres 
and  each  daughter  forty  acres,  and  retain  over 
400  acres  of  land  for  himself. 

His  official  life  commenced  with  his  maturity, 
being  elected  Constable  in  1830.  He  was 
elected  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  1839,  and  has 


filled  this  office  for  forty-one  years;  was  five 
years  Associate  Judge,  and  in  1862  was  elected 
County  Judge,  and  served  four  years  ;  was 
nominated  for  the  Legislature,  but  declined  on 
account  of  ill  health,  and  designated  Hon. 
Stephen  Hardin  to  take  his  place.  Here  are 
fifty-nine  years  of  life  in  our  count}-.  Looking 
backward  over  this  long  history  of  public  trusts 
and  labors  well  and  faithfully  discharggd,  must 
cheer  with  sincere  joy  the  evening  of  a  long  and 
well-spent  life. 

Judge  Broom's  was  a  useful,  busy  life,  as 
full  of  hard  work  as  it  was  of  variet}'.  He 
farmed,  made  shoes,  contracted  on  the  National 
road  and  other  work;  teamed  to  St.  Louis  and 
Terre  Haute,  married  people,  tried  their  law 
suits,  arbitrated  and  adjusted  the  difficulties  of 
neighbors;  administered  on  estates;  gave  gra- 
tuitous legal  advice;  cried  all  the  auction  sales; 
hunted  bee- trees  and  paid  his  first  debt  with 
honej',  wax,  and  skins  and  venison  hams,  and 
read  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  standing 
on  a  Cottonwood  log,  at  the  first  4th  of  July 
celebration  ever  held  in  the  county,  when  Burke 
Berry  and  Aikin  Evans,  of  Vandalia,  were  the 
orators;  has  been  foreman  of  more  grand  juries 
than  any  other  ten  men  of  the  count}-,  and  that 
he  drew  around  him  always  troops  of  friends  is 
evidenced  by  the  confidence  of  his  neighbors  in 
the  long  lease  of  official  life  they  have  so  gen- 
erously forced  upon  hira. 

His  beloved  wife  and  help-meet,  the  mother 
of- his  nine  children,  died  February  8,  1870. 
The  children  were  as  follows  :  William,  born 
in  Tennessee;  Benjamin,  born  in  this  county 
September  16,  1831,  is  a  farmer  in  Chase 
County,  Kan.;  Sarah  Ann  and  Elizabeth  Jane, 
(twins),  born  March  8,  1833;  the  former  mar- 
ried Croft  Grider,  now  a  prosperous  farmer  in 
West  Township,  this  county,  the  latter  married 
James  Osman,  of  Chase  County.  Kan.;  Dicy, 
born  May  27,  1837,  married  Thomas  Peter- 
son, a  farmer  of  Mason  Township;  Martha 
Caroline,  born  August  1.  1839,  married  John 


MASON  TOWNSHIP. 


153 


W.  Smith,  both  dead,  and  left  six  children; 
Marinda  Effie,  born  July  12,  1843,  died  in  in- 
fancy; Rebecca  Adeline,  born  August  6,  1845, 
married  Thomas  Allen,  both  dead,  and  left  two 
children;  and  Mary  Rachel,  born  July  12,  1848, 
died  August  19, 1863.  Our  subject  was  re-mar- 
ried July  18, 1880,  to  Mrs.  Arminda  J.  Newman. 

IRA  CANNON,  larmer,  P.  O.  Mason,  was 
born  in  Crawford  County,  Ind.,  April  12,  1824, 
and  removed  with  his  parents,  in  his  youth,  to 
Parke  County,  Ind.,  where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood. Mr.  Cannon  was  married  in  Parke 
County,  August  31, 1845,  to  Miss  Sarah  Swaim, 
daughter  of  J.  B.  Swaim.  He  made  his  home 
in  Parke  County  till  18.56,  when  he  removed  to 
Effingham  County,  111.,  and  located  on  a  farm 
of  120  acres,  in  Section  6,  Mason  Township. 
In  1872,  he  sold  his  farm  and  removed  to 
Mason  ;  took  up  tavern-keeping  for  several 
years,  then  moved  into  his  private  residence, 
and  has  since  followed  farming.  He  has  lately 
purch.ased  a  farm  of  twelve  acres  within  the 
corporation  of  Mason,  on  which  there  are  good 
buildings  and  a  first  class  orchard.  Our  sub- 
ject has  nine  children  living,  three  sons  and 
six  daughters — John  H.,  of  Effingham;  George 
H.,  resides  in  Norwalk,  Iowa;  Surrilda  J.  Sid- 
dens,  resides  in  Alton,  Iowa;  Mary  E.  Deits,  of 
Mason;  Linna  Bell  Hawley,  lives  in  Jackson- 
ville, 111.;  Eliza  A.  Core,  resides  in  Philadelphia; 
Ada,  Laura  iA.d  Tillman  A.  Our  subject's 
father  was  born  in  Ireland;  he  came  to 
America,  with  his  ^rents,  when  seven  years  old. 
He  was  married  in  Kentucky,  in  1800,  to  Miss 
Margaret  Hayes.  He  died  in  1832,  in  Parke 
County,  Ind.  His  widow  remained  on  the 
home  farm  in  Parke  County'  till  her  death, 
which  occurred  in  1857.  Of  a  famil}'  of  nine 
children,  only  four  all  living — James,  Thomas 
R.,  Ira  and  Mrs.  Ilariet  Davis. 

AMOS  CONAWAY,  merchant.  Mason,  111., 
was  born  April  11,  1829,  in  Bourbon  County, 
Ry.  In  1830,  his  parents  removed  to  McLean 
County,  111.,  and  settled  on  a  farm.     Here  he 


grew  to  manhood.  He  first  engaged  in  saw- 
mill and  lumbering  business,  which  he  pursued 
about  ten  years.  Mr.  Conaway  was  married 
in  Champaign  County, "III,  June  2,  1857,  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Boyd,  daughter  of  Stephen 
Boyd.  For  some  time,  he  followed  farming. 
In  1864,  he  engaged  in  merchandising  in  Mon- 
ticello,  Piatt  Co.,  111.;  soon  after  sold,  and  re- 
turned to  his  farm.  In  1878,  again  embarked 
in  merchandising  at  Monticello,  and  in  1882 
he  removed  his  store  to  Mason,  III.  Subject 
is  member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor,  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat. Has  nine  children,  all  living — James 
C,  Byron  B.,  Hortense,  Amos  C,  Lizzie, 
Nancy,  James  B.,  Mary  E.  and  Allen  R. 

G.  W.  CORNWELL,  physician.  Mason, 
son  of  G.  H.  Cornwell,  was  born  in  Fleming 
County,  Ky.,  removed  with  his  parents,  at  the 
age  of  ten,  to  Monroe  Count}-,  Ind.,  soon  after 
to  Mount  Meridian,  near  Greencastle,  lud. 
Afterward  to  Cloverdale,  Putnam  Co.,  Ind., 
where  his  father  died  in  1851,  and  he  began  the 
study  of  medicine  in  Stylesville,  Hendricks  Co., 
Ind.,  under  J.  N.  Green,  M.  D.  During  his 
time  of  study,  he  also  attended  school  at  Asbury 
Universit}'  two  years.  After  three  years'  study 
in  an  office,  he,  in  1854-55,  attended  Rush 
Medical  College  at  Chicago.  August  20, 1855, 
he  landed  in  Mason,  and  selected  that  place  to 
win  his  fame  and  fortune,  and  embarked  in  the 
pursuit  of  his  chosen  profession.  The  Doctor 
is  a  stanch  Democrat.  He  was  elected  Repre- 
sentative in  the  State  Legislature  from  Fayette 
and  Effingham  Counties,  for  the  terra  of  1867- 
68.  Subject  is  a  member  of  Masonic  Lodge, 
No.  217,  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Mr.  Corn- 
well  was  married  in  Hendricks  Count}',  Ind.,  in 
June,  1855,  to  Miss  Amanda  Baldwin,  daughter 
of  Eli  Baldwin,  and  they  have  had  five  children 
living — Lucian  M.,  William  0.,  Eva  Etta.  Effie 
May,  Lillie  Prances;  and  three  dead — Viola 
E.,  Mary  A.  and  Albin  C. 

ANDREW  J.  CRAVER,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Mason;  he   is   the   son    of  John  Craver,  and 


154 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


was  born  July  27,  1838,  in  Putnam  County, 
Ind.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  he  re- 
moved with  his  parents  to  Effln;rham  County, 
111.;  was  raised  on  a  farm.  Subject  was  mar- 
ried, September  6,  1S65,  to  Miss  Mollie  Camp- 
bell, daughter  of  William  Campbell,  of  this 
county.  Subject  enlisted  for  the  war  in  July, 
1862,  Company  C,  Ninety-eighth  Illinois  Mount- 
ed Infantry ;  was  forwarded  to  Louisville,  Ky. 
Subject  was  in  the  following  battles  :  Hoover's 
Gap,  Tenn.,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  siege  of 
Atlanta,  Chickamauga,  Selma,  Mission  Ridge. 
Was  discharged  June  26,  1865.  Returned 
home  and  engaged  in  farming,  and  took  up  the 
responsibility  of  taking  care  of  his  father  and 
mother,  whicii  continued  till  their  death.  Sub- 
ject has  a  farm  of  eighty  acres.  Subject  is  a 
Republican  ;  has  a  family  of  five  children — 
Homer,  Emma  Leola,  Carrie  Alice,  Flora, 
Mirtie.  Subject's  father,  John  Graver,  was 
born  July  24,  1794,  in  Monroe  County,  N.  C. 
Was  married  to  Miss  Mollie  Todd  in  North 
Carolina ;  removed  to  Indiana  in  1837,  and 
followed  the  avocation  of  farming.  Removed  to 
Illinois  in  1853,  and  located  on  a  farm  of  120 
acres,  two  and  one-half  miles  northeast  of  Ma- 
son, before  the  Illinois  Central  was  built.  Had 
a  family  of  ten  children,  of  whom  seven  are 
living — Alexander,  John,  Mrs.  Nancy  Eggers, 
Elizabeth  Cartright,  Mrs.  Mary  Hunter,  Elmi- 
na  Kellar,  and  the  subject  of  our  sketch. 

N.  H.  CURTIS,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mason,  is  a 
son  of  P.  H.  Curtis;  was  born  in  Jennings  Coun- 
ty, Ind.,  February  1, 1843.  In  1861,  he  enlisted 
in  the  war,  Companj'  C,  Thirty-seventh  Indiana. 
Was  in  the  battle  of  Stone  River,  and  manj-  oth 
er  light  engagements,  as  well  as  a  great  many 
hard  marches.  Subject  was  married  in  1876, 
in  Effingham  County,  111.,  to  Mary,  daughter 
of  Henry  Tucker.  Subject  engaged  in  farming 
in  1882.  He  purchased  a  farm  of  sixty  acres 
in  Section  3,  Mason  Township,  mostly  in  culti- 
vation and  partly  in  the  creek  bottom.  Has  two 
children — Nancy  and  Jonathan. 


'  HENRY  T.  DAMON,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mason, 
j  son  of  Theo.  Damon  ;  was  born  December  1, 
1834,  in  Hampshire  Count}-,  Mass.;  here  he  re- 
mained till  1857,  when  he  located  in  Effingham 
County  in  Januar}-,  1858.  His  father  purchased 
a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Section  21,  Mason 
Township,  and  he  owns  the  same  piece  of  land,  on 
which  he  farmed  since  his  arrival  in  this  coun- 
try. He  produces  mostly  grass  and  a  fair 
amount  of  wheat,  oats,  etc.  Our  subject's 
father,  Theo.  Damon,  was  born  May  15,  1805, 
in  Massachusetts.  He  was  married  in  Janu- 
ary, 1831,  to  Miss  Mercy  Willcutt,  daughter  of 
Enoch  Willcutt.  He  settled  on  a  farm,  and 
followed  farming  and  lumbering  till  April, 
1858,  when  he  removed  to  Mason,  111.,  and  set- 
tled on  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  near  that  place. 
March  1,  1873,  his  wife  died,  and  he  was  mar- 
ried Februar}- 19,  1874.  He  made  his  home  in 
this  county  till  his  death,  which  occurred  April 
25,  1875.  He  was  a  Republican.  He  left  a 
family  of  four  children  ;  three  by  his  first  wife 
and  one  by  his  last — Martha  E.  died  when 
quite  young ;  Henry,  the  subject  of  our  sketch  ; 
Martha  E.,  the  second,  and  Frank  R. 

MICAJAH  C.  DAVIDSON,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Mason,  was  born  December  18,  1808,  in  Buck- 
ingham Co.,Va.  Moved  to  Smith  Co.,  Tenn.,  with 
his  parents  at  the  age  of  two  years.  Here  he 
was  raised  on  a  farm  with  unfiivorable  facilities 
for  education,  but  he  improved  his  opportunit}' 
and  gained  a  fair  education.  He  was  married 
in  1828,  in  Smith  County,  Tenn.,  to  Miss  Mary 
Fry,  daughter  of  Henry  Fry,  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. Shortly  after  removed  to  Faj'ette  Countj-, 
now  Effingham  Count}*,  111.,  and  settled  on  tract 
of  land  in  Jackson  Township  ;  here  he  remained 
several  years.  As  he  could  not  have  good  health, 
he  purchased  a  tract  of  land  in  Section  five, 
Mason  Township,  which  he  afterward  en- 
tered of  Congress,  to  the  amount  of  239 
acres,  on  which  he  has  made  a  farm,  and 
has  about  JOO  acres  under  cultivation,  mostly 
in    the    creek    bottom,    and    is    consequently 


MASON  TOWNSHIP. 


155 


very  fertile.  He  raises  most^  corn,  some 
wbeat.  Subject  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Cburcli.  He  cast  liis  first  vote  for  Gea.  Jack- 
son. He  voted  the  Whig  ticket  till  the  party 
went  down;  then  he  want  into  the  Democratic 
part)'  and  remained  with  them.  Subject's  wife, 
ilary  Davidson,  died  July  8,  13K,  leaving  a 
family  of  nine  children,  four  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing—Mrs. Eley  Williams,  Henry  Davidson, 
John  Davidson,  Mrs.  Martha  Prater.  Mr. 
Davidson  was  married,  February  29,  1852,  to 
Sarah  Astin,  by  whom  he  has  four  children — 
William  P.,  Charles  W.,  Franklin  P.-,  Eli  P. 
When  he  raised  his  house,  he  had  to  go  to  Blue 
Point  to  get  hands  to  help  him.  In  those 
days,  they  had  no  mills  and  thej-  grated  their 
corn  and  sometimes  ground  with  hand  mills. 
In  1835,  he  bought  a  horse  mill,  brought  to  the 
county  b}'  Jonathan  Parkhurst ;  by  this  means 
he  and  his  neighbors  could  get  their  meal.  In 
1878,  he  built  a  first-class  house,  and  has  good 
buildings. 

WILLIAM  H.  DIETS,  teacher,  P.  0.  Mason, 
is  a  native  of  Carroll  County,  Md.  He  was 
born  January  2,  1848.  His  father  was  a  na- 
tive of  Germany,  and  his  mother  a  native  of 
Maryland.  His  father  came  to  America  at  the 
age  of  ten,  and  located  in  JIaryland,  where,  in 
1845,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Luc.y  A. 
Heiser.  Two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter, 
both  of  whom  are  now  living,  were  the  result  of 
that  union.  In  1856,  the  family  came  to  the 
West  and  located  in  Whitley  County  ;  there,  the 
father,  Philip  J.  Diets,  died  in  1865.  Two 
years  after  the  father's  death,  his  mother  mar- 
ried again,  and  soon  after  the  family  came  to 
Illinois,  locating  first  at  Madison  County,  then 
in  Klflngham  County,  where  the  mother  still 
resides,  her  husband  having  died  some  time 
since.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended 
the  public  schools  of  Indiana  and  Illinois,  and 
was  for  some  time  a  student  in  the  State  Nor- 
mal School  of  lUiuois.  In  1870,  he  began  life 
as  a  teapher  in  the  public  schools  of  Effingham 


County,  and  excepting  about  fifteen  months 
spent  in  teaching  in  Central  Iowa,  has  been  en- 
gaged in  the  schools  of  this  county  ever  since, 
making  teaching  a  specialt}^  He  taught  thir- 
teen terms  in  the  West  Union  School  near 
Mason.  From  1878  to  1881,  he  had  charge  of 
the  Mason  Public  Schools;  at  present  has  charge 
of  the  public  schools  of  Watson.  Prof  Diets 
is  a  man  of  indomitable  energ}',  tact  and  skill 
in  the  profession  of  teaching,  and  hence  is  in- 
valuable in  that  avocation.  He  has  been  for 
some  time  engaged  in  writing  a  work  on  biogra- 
phy, embracing  the  lives  of  the  leading  men, 
and  has  the  work  nearly  ready  for  publication. 
This  promises  to  be  of  unique  value  and  inter- 
est. In  1872,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Marj'  E. 
Cannon,  of  Mason,  III.  One  child  has  blessed 
tliis  union,  a  daughter — llochelle  E.  Diets,  who 
was  born  June  1,  1878,  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa. 
WILLIAM  DONALDSON,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Mason,  was  born  in  Brown  County,  Ohio, 
August  9,  1821.  At  the  age  of  seven  years,  he 
removed  with  his  parents  to  Boone  County, 
Ky.,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  cooper  un- 
der his  father.  Mr.  Donaldson  was  married 
Jul}'  2,  1846,  to  Sarah  Wingat,  daughter  of 
William  Wingat.  He  pursued  his  trade  in 
Petersburg,  Boone  County,  till  1849,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Carrollton,  Carroll  Co.,  Kj-.,  and  con- 
tinued his  trade  in  that  place  fourteen  years, 
the  last  two  j-ears  of  which  he  engaged  in  the 
distilling  and  flouring  business  also  ;  turning 
out  sixty  barrels  of  whiskj-  and  sixty-four 
barrels  of  flour  every  twenty-four  hours. 
In  1861,  he  sold  out  all  his  interest  there, 
and  removed  to  Mason,  III.  The  follow- 
ing year,  moved  on  to  his  farm,  near  town,  of 
160  acres  in  prairie  and  eight)-  acres  in  timber. 
He  afterward  purchased  160  acres  adjoining 
his  farm  and  fifty  acres  more  in  timber.  He 
also  has  several  other  tracts  of  farming  lands 
in  the  county.  Mr.  Donaldson  makes  a  spe- 
cialty of  grass-raising  ;  he  usually  cuts  from 
150    to    200  acres,  and    ships  from  his  own 


156 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


farms  about  fifteen  cars  of  pressed  hay  annu- 
ally. He  also  produces  a  fair  amount  of  other 
farm  products ;  for  instance,  in  1882,  he 
thrashed  1,800  bushels  of  oats,  500  bushels  of 
rye,  and  cribbed  2,-100  bushels  of  corn.  For 
the  past  twelve  years  Mr.  Donaldson  has  en- 
gaged in  buying  and  shipping  grain;  excepting 
a  few  years  of  crop  failure,  he  shipped  an  aver- 
age of  fifty  car  loads  annually.  Mr.  Donaldson 
turns  out  about  100  head  of  fat  hogs  per  year. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fel- 
lows' fraternities,  and  is  a  strong  advocate 
of  Democracy.  He  has  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren living,  and  two  dead.  Josephine  Thistle- 
wood,  resides  in  Cairo  ;  Catharine  Condon,  liv- 
ing in  Iowa  ;  Lue,  Charles,  Henry,  Cora, 
Thomas ;  Annie  Vista,  wife  of  I.  B.  Keed,  de- 
ceased September,  1872  ;  Willie,  died  in  1859, 
aged  six  years.  Mr.  D.'s  father,  Andrew  Don- 
aldson, was  born  in  Brown  County,  Ohio,  in 
1795.  Mr.  Donaldson  was  a  Government  Sur- 
veyor for  several  years.  He  purchased  a  tract 
of  120  acres  near  Georgetown,  Ohio,  forty  acres 
^  of  which  he  laid  out  and  sold  rn  town  lots. 
Mr.  Donaldson,  Sr.,  married  in  182-1  in  Vir- 
ginia, to  Miss  Catharine  Baxter.  After  some 
years'  residence  in  Georgetown  he  removed 
and  settled  in  CarroUton,  Carroll  Co.,  Ky., 
where  he  remained  till  1855,  when  he  removed 
to  Perry  County,  111,  where  he  died  in  1858. 
His  widow  died  three  days  after  her  husband's 
death.  The  following  are  the  children  who 
survive  them,  including  the  subject  of  our 
sketch  and  Allen :  Jane  Hobbs,  Caroline 
Hobbs,  Alexander,  John,  Joseph  and  Minerva 
Williams. 

JOSEPH  DONALDSON,  cooper.  Mason, 
son  of  Andrew  Donaldson,  was  born  in  Boone 
County,  Ky.,  July  19,  1831.  He  was  raised 
in  the  town  of  Petersburg.  During  the  gold 
excitement  Mr,  Donaldson  spent  six  years 
in  California  and  British  America,  in  the  min- 
ing business.  Subject  was  married  in  Carroll 
County,  Ky.,  in  1861,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Bowl- 


ing, daughter  of  William  Bowling.  He  located 
in  CarroUton  in  pursuit  of  his  trade,  cooper- 
ing, wiiich  continued  there  till  1863,  when  he 
removed  to  Effingham  County  ;  returned  the 
following  3'ear  to  Kentucky  and  enlisted  in  the 
United  States  Army.  Company  C,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fifty  Indiana  Volunteers.  He  served 
in  the  First  Brigade  and  First  Division  of  Han- 
cock's army  corps.  He  was  in  many  hard 
marches  and  skirmishes.  He  was  discharged 
August  5,  1865.  In  March,  1868,  he  removed 
with  his  family  to  Mason,  111.  He  soon  after- 
ward engaged  in  farming  and  stock-dealing  in 
Union  Township.  In  1875.  he  sold  his  farm 
and  moved  to  Mason,  where  he  resided  since  in 
pursuit  of  his  trade,  coopering,  at  which  he  is 
an  expert.  Few  men  can  turn  out  more  barrels 
per  day  than  Joseph  Donaldson.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Politically,  he 
is  a  stanch  Democrat,  and  zealous  worker  in 
the  interest  of  his  party.  Mr.  Donaldson  has 
one  child  living,  Jennie,  born  March  8,  1864, 
and  two  deceased.  Andrew  J.  died  (when 
very  young)  1862,  and  Catharine  W.  died  in 
1880,  aged  eighteen  years  and  nine  months. 

JUDGE  JOHN  C.  FAULK,  deceased,  boru 
in  January,  1799,  in  Albany  County,  N.  Y. 
He  was  educated  at  the  Greenville  Academy, 
in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  a  renowned  institution  under 
the  principalship  of  Prof  Parker,  father  of 
Judge  Amasa  J.  Parker,  of  Albany.  Among 
the  classmates  of  Mr.  Faulk  in  this  academy, 
were  Hon.  Amasa  J,  Parker,  Hon.  Hiram  Gard- 
ner and  Hon.  Mitchell  Sandford.  After  graduat- 
ing, Mr.  Faulk  entered  the  law  office  of  Hon.  John 
Adams,  of  Catskill,  after  serving  as  a  student 
seven  years,  was  at  the  cit^'  of  Utica,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-two,  admitted  to  practice,  and  after 
practicing  in  his  profession  for  many  years  in 
Broome  County,  N.  Y.,  he  was  married  in 
Bainbridge,  N.  Y.,  February  21,  1837,  to  Miss 
Fannie  A,  Nichols;  removed  toEdgewood,  111,, 
in  1869,  where  he  remained  till  his  death, 
which   occurred  March  25,  1876,     He  died  in 


MASOK  TOWNSHIP. 


157 


the  hope  of  a  glorious  immortality,  surrounded 
by  his  family,  consisting  of  his  wife  and  three 
sons  and  one  daughter.  Thus  peacefully  has 
passed  away  another  of  our  old  citizens.  He 
in  early  life  chose  law  for  his  profession.  With 
a  laudable  ambition  to  excel,  with  a  retentive 
memory  and  an  indomitable  energy,  he  rapidly 
rose  in  his  profession,  and  stood  a  peer  among 
the  galaxy  of  legal  lights  that  graced  the  bar 
of  New  York  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago.  No 
case  was  so  simple  but  he  gave  it  his  attention. 
No  case  so  intricate,  but  he  unraveled  it.  With 
a  knowledge  of  almost  all  the  decisions  of  the 
higher  courts  of  our  countrj',  and  even  ability 
to  elucidate  any  point  necessary  to  success, 
made  him  a  safe  counselor  and  a  successful 
lawyer.  He  was  affectionate  and  kind  as  a 
husband  and  father,  genial  in  social  relations 
with  his  neighbors,  and  ever  a  gentleman  and 
friend  among  his  associates. 

JAY  N.  FAULK,  liveryman,  Edgewood, 
son  of  John  C.  Faulk,  was  born  April  4, 
1840,  in  Chenango  County,  N.  Y.,  and  had  the 
chances  of  a  common  school  education.  He 
came  to  Illinois  in  1857,  and  located  at  Edge- 
wood;  engaged  in  clerking  in  a  store;  followed 
that  till  1861.  In  1863,  he  engaged  in  merchan- 
dising in  Edgewood;  followed  that  to  great  ex- 
tent off  and  on  probably  fifteen  years,  in  con- 
nection with  trading  land  and  horses,  and 
kept  livery  stable  business.  At  present  owns 
a  livery  stable  and  dwelling  and  propertj*  in 
Edgewood,  as  well  as  several  pieces  of  land 
Subject  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
and  is  a  Republican.  Subject  was  married  in 
Tecuraseh,  Midi.,  March  30,  1804,  to  Miss 
Sofronia  A.  Miller,  daughter  of  George  W. 
Miller,  of  EfHngham;  has  one  child — W.  J. 
Faulk. 

JOHN  L.  FAULK,  liveryman,  Edgewood, 
son  of  John  C.  Faulk;  was  born  on  October 
15,  1844,  in  Chenango  County,  N.  Y.  Left 
there  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  and  went  to  Penn- 
sylvania ;    remained    clerking   in    a  'store   for 


four  years;  ran  a  harness  shop  for  two  years. 
In  1865.  he  came  to  Edgewood,  111.;  clerked  in 
a  store  for  his  brother  for  some  time,  and  pur- 
chased an  interest  in  the  store,  which  he  fol- 
lowed with  farming,  also  livery  business  for 
the  past  seven  years,  and  has  also  bought  and 
shipped  horses. 

JOSEPH  FENDER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Edge- 
wood,  son  of  John  Fender,  was  born  in  1842,  in  i 
Clay  County,  111.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm. 
He  engaged  in  the  occupation  of  farming.  Was 
married  in  1876  to  Miss  Nancy  Baker,  daugh- 
ter of  James  Baker,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in 
the  southern  part  of  Effingham  County,  111.  In 
1881,  he  sold  his  farm  of  180  acres  in  Effing- 
ham, and  moved  into  Clay  County,  111.  Sub- 
ject is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity-, 
Edgewood  Lodge,  No.  486.  Subject  has  a  family 
of  four  children — Joseph  H.,  Louis,  Daisj-,  John 
B.  Subject's  father  John  Fender  was  born  Jan. 
7,  1817,  in  North  Carolina.  Left  that  State  at 
the  age  of  twelve  with  his  parents,  and  re- 
moved to  Lawrence  County,  lud.  He  was  mar- 
ried May  18,  1836,  in  Lawrence  County,  Ind. 
to  Miss  Matilda  Sheeks.  He  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  trading  in  stock  until  1850,  when  he 
removed  to  Effingham  County,  111.  Laid  a  war- 
rant for  1 60  acres,  which  he  laid  on  Section  34, 
Mason  Township.  To  this  he  added  probably 
as  much  as  700  acres  of  land  in  Effingham  and 
Clay  Counties.  Remained  in  this  county  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  November  16,  1866. 
Of  a  family  of  nine  children,  five  are  living — 
Melinda  G.  Brown,  born  February  15,  1837  ; 
Isaac,  born  December  24,  1838  ;  Daniel,  born 
in  September,  1842  ;  Joseph  ;  Henry  D.,  born 
September  16,  1862. 

ROBERT  G.  GIBSON,  merchant.  Mason, 
was  born  in  Ohio  County,  Ind.,  Jlay  10,  1841. 
He  learned  the  cooper's  trade,  but  never  fol- 
lowed it.  In  1861,  he  came  to  Mason,  III., 
where  he  began  quarrying  rock,  and  worked 
until  he  enlisted  August  12,  1861,  in  tiie  Thir- 
ty-Eighth Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  serving 


158 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  in  many 
bloody  battles,  and  at  Chickamaiiga  he  was 
captured,  September  19,  1863,  and  was  held 
until  May  6,  1865,  when  he  was  paroled.  He 
was  held  at  Richmond  two  months,  Danville, 
Va.,  five  months,  and  lay  in  Andersonville  four 
and  one-half  months,  then  in  Charleston,  S.  C, 
thirty  days,  then  at  Florence,  N.  C,  balance 
of  time.  He  was  reduced  to  a  skeleton,  and 
suffered  more  than  words  can  tell.  He  was 
mustered  out  in  Springfield,  111.,  in  May,  1865, 
and  came  back  to  jVIason,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  milling  business,  buying  a  third  interest  in 
the  firm  of  D.  W.  Sisson  &  Co.  Ran  Mason 
Mills  twelve  months,  when  he  traded  for  a 
farm,  which  he  conducted  in  the  fall  of  1867, 
when  he  bought  a  stock  of  goods  of  Isaac 
Baker,  and  has  conducted  a  general  merchan- 
dise business  ever  since,  with  good  success.  In 
addition  to  the  store  interests,  he  buys  and 
ships  grain  and  hoop  poles  and  ties,  employ- 
ing in  all  departments  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
hands  ;  and  he  also  conducts  three  farms. 
His  parents  died  when  he  was  nine  j'ears  old. 
and  he  had  to  shift  for  himself  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Mason,  111.,  in  1866,  to  Miss  Ellen 
White,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  has  four 
children  living. 

WILLIAM  0.  aiNTER,  carpenter.  Mason, 
was  born  May  2,  1835,  in  Bath  County-,  K^'. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  took  up  the  car- 
penter's trade,  at  which  he  served  an  appren- 
ticeship of  three  3'ears  at  Owingsville,  Kj\ 
He  came  to  Effingham  County,  111.,  in  1855, 
and  began  carpentering.  Mr.  Ginter  was  mar- 
ried Februar3-  27,  1846,  to  Mrs.  Julia  Morphew. 
In  1868,  he  purchased  a  farm  about  two  miles 
north  of  Mason  and  moved  on  it.  He  farmed 
a  short  time  during  the  summer  and  worked 
the  remainder  of  the  3'ear  at  his  trade.  In 
1881,  he  removed  to  Mason.  Subject  has  a 
family  of  three  children  living — Nanna  M., 
Zuanna  and  Ursula  ;  and  two  dead — John  H., 
died  October  1877,  age  eleven  years;  Samuel 


L.,  died  October  18,  1869,  age  about  one  year. 
Suljject,  politically',  is  a  Democrat. 

A.  GRANGER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Edgewood, 
Mason  Township,  son  of  John  Granger,  was 
born  in  1819,  in  Waj'ne  County,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  was  married  June  7,  1842,  to  Miss  Sarah 
Cass.  Removed  to  Lake  Countj',  111.,  bought  ' 
a  farm  and  engaged  in  farming,  which  he  con- 
tinued till  1862,  when  he  sold  his  farm  and 
moved  to  Effingham  County,  and  engaged  in 
farming  in  West  Township,  where  he  purchased 
a  farm  of  160  acres.  In  1875,  he  removed  to 
Edgewood,  111.  In  April,  1882,  Mr.  Granger's 
wife  died,  leaving  the  following  children,  viz., 
James  C,  Lucy  H.,  Mary  (wife  of  W.  E. 
Wisner),  J.  M.,  Clarence,  Elmer  ..E.,  Imogen, 
Edwin,  Elizabeth.  In  1852,  Mr.  Granger  was 
elected  Sheriff  of  Lake  County,  111.,  and  filled 
the  position  of  Deputy  Surveyor  one  term. 

SOLOMON  HAINES,  farmer.  Mason  P. 
0.,  Mason  Township,  son  of  Richard  Haines, 
was  born  April  20,  1826,  in  Orange  County, 
Ind.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  that  county. 
Had  fair  opportunitj'  for  education;  subscrip- 
tion schools.  Subject  was  married  January 
11, 1848,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Martin,  who  died  in 
1860,  leaving  three  children,  John  A..  Sarah 
Ann,  Hattie.  In  1866,  he  was  married  in  Ef- 
fingham Count}',  111.,  to  Mary  MeCuUey.  Re- 
moved to  Effingham  Count}"  in  1850,  and  re- 
engaged in  farming,  on  a  farm  of  fifty  acreS, 
Section  13,  to  which  he  added  forty  acres  of 
river  bottom.  In  1865,  he  enlisted  in  the  war, 
Companj'  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth 
Illinois.  Was  sent  to  Nashville,  Tenn.;  re- 
mained in  service  till  the  close  of  the  war,  a 
term  of  eight  months.  By  his  second  marriage 
has  one  child,  viz.,  Eva  D. 

DR.  JOSEPH  HALL,  Postmaster,  physi- 
cian and  druggist,  Edgewood,  is  a  son  of 
Dr.  Joseph  Hall,  was  born  July  14,  1840, 
in  Ontario  County,  N.  Y.,  whence  he  came 
to  Edgewood  in  the  year  1859,  and  remained 
a    short   time.      Studied   medicine   under    his 


MASON  TOWNSHIP. 


159 


father,  who  was  at  Bloomfield,  N.  Y.  Our  sub- 
ject was  married  to  Miss  Laura  O.  Tourge, 
Februar}-  4,  18(54,  in  Wayne  County,  Mich. 
Settled  in  Edgewood,  111.,  in  spring  of  1864, 
where  he  has  since  practiced  medicine  with 
success,  and  run  a  drug  store.  He  is  a  man  of 
sterling  worth  to  the  communitj-  in  which  he 
lives.  He  is  politically  a  Republican.  Was 
appointed  Postmaster  in  1870,  and  resigned 
in  1873,  and  was  re-appointed  Postmaster  in 
1881,  which  otfice  he  continues  to  fill.  He  has 
two  children — Seacheus  L.,  born  September  1 1 , 
1868,  and  Lawrence  L.,  born  July  17,  1871. 
Subject's  father,  Dr.  Joseph  Hall,  was  born 
September  12,  1805,  in  Westchester  County, 
N.  Y.  Studied  medicine  under  Dr.  Beech  and 
Dr.  Smith,  of  New  York  Cit3-.  He  was  also  an 
ordained  minister  of  Christian  conviction.  Mr. 
Hall  practiced  medicine  in  State  of  New  York 
several  years,  till  1859,  when  he  immigrated  to 
Rfflngham  County,  111.,  settling  in  West  Town- 
ship. He  died  February  14,  1861,  at  his  resi- 
dence in  West  Township.  He  had  a  family  of 
four  children,  three  sons  and  one  daughter — 
Edwin,  Sarah  M.,  Joseph  and  Asa  H. 

CHRISTIAN  HANSON,  railroad  man,  son 
of  H.  P.  Hanson,  was  born  in  Denmark 
February  22,  1843,  where  he  remained  till 
1862.  when  came  to  America.  He  landed  at 
New  York  City,  pushed  westward  to  Chicago, 
and  secured  a  situation  in  the  employ  of  Illinois 
Central  Railway.  He  was  placed  in  charge  of 
the  railroad  tank  two  miles  north  of  Mason, 
which  position  he  has  filled  since.  In  connec- 
tion with  this  for  the  last  few  years,  he  has 
also  run  a  tank  near  Neoga  on  the  same  road. 
He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity.  He  has  held  all  of  the  offices  of  his 
lodge  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest,  and  is 
also  a  member  of  the  R.  A.  Chapter.  Mr. 
Hanson  was  married  in  this  county  in 
1865,  to  Miss  Caroline  Johanson,  daughter 
of  Peter  Johanson,  a  highly  respected  citizen 
of  the  county.     They  have  a  family  of  fnur 


children,   namely,    Charles,  John,    Willie   and 
Henry. 

STEPHEN  HARDIN,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mason, 
son  of  John  and  Ellen  (Colclasure)  Hardin, 
was  born  in  Washington  County,  Ind.,  Septem- 
ber 18, 1818,  and  was  raised  on  form  with  advan- 
tages for  an  education  limited  to  a  few  terms 
of  winter  school.  He  came  to  Clay  County, 
III,  in  1843,  having  been  married,  in  1841,  to 
Miss  Mary  Stalcup,  of  Orange  County,  Ind.,  by 
whom  he  had  five  sons  and  three  daughters, 
who  grew  up  ;  Elizabeth  B.,  wife  of  Andrew 
Nelson,  of  Mason;  John  S.,  died  in  army  at 
Pilot  Knob,  Mo.,  in  October,  1861,  aged  eight- 
een years  ;  Jane  Adeline,  unmarried;  Peter 
B.,  farmer  in  Mason;  Leander  Madison,  of 
Mason  Township;  Sarah  Evaline,  wife  of  John 
C.  Martin,  of  this  town;  Levi  C,  of  this  town- 
ship, farmer;  John  S.  (No.  2),  on  the  old  home- 
stead. Our  subject  came  by  team  to  what  is 
now  Georgetown,  111.,  settling  at  the  edge  of 
timber  skirting  a  tributary  of  Little  Muddy- 
Creek,  on  unimproved  land,  when  he  opened  a 
farm  of  eighty  acres,  part  prairie  and  part  tim- 
ber; building  a  cabin,  he  went  to  work,  and 
added  from  his  earnings  several  other  tracts, 
working  on  it  for  ten  years.  In  November, 
1850,  he  was  elected  Sheriflf  of  Clay  County,  and 
serve  a  term  of  two  years,  and  in  1853  he  en- 
gaged in  merchandising  at  Georgetown,  III., 
continuing  there  two  years.  Mr.  Hardin  and 
his  partner,  William  McCracken,  divided  the 
stock  of  goods,  and  subject  with  a  portion  of 
the  stock,  came  to  Mason  in  1855,  and  in  1856 
moved  his  family  here,  and  has  resided  here 
ever  since.  He  closed  out  his  stock  in  the 
spring  of  1858.  and  in  November,  of  that  year, 
he  was  elected  Representative  from  the  coun- 
ties of  Fayette  and  Effingham  by  the  Dem- 
ocracy. He  served  in  the  session  of  1858-59, 
and  during  this  time  he  introduced  the  bill 
which  provided  for  the  removal  of  the 
county  seat  from  Ewington  to  Effingham. 
Durini:    1860-61.    he  again  engaged  in   mer- 


160 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


chandisiug  at  Mason,  with  a  branch  store  at 
Winterrowd.  He  has  since  devoted  his  entire 
attention  to  farming  and  stock-raising,  and 
almost  ever\-  year  since  coming  here  has 
bought  and  shipped  stock,  principally  hogs 
and  cattle.  His  farm,  with  the  exception  of 
a  small  lot  and  cabin,  has  been  made  by  his 
own  labors,  and  it  consists  of  seventj-five  acres 
in  this  tract,  and  sixteen  acres  were  platted  by 
him,  and  is  known  as  Hardin's  Addition  to 
Mason.  He  has  various  other  bodies  of  farm- 
ing lands.  His  father  was  born  in  North  Car- 
olina, Jul}^,  1795,  and  came  to  Washington 
County,  Ind.,  when  about  twenty  years  old, 
and  farmed  there  until  1864,  when  he  came  to 
this  county,  and  is  now  living  with  subject, 
aged  eighty-seven  j^ears.  He  married  a  lad3'  of 
German  parentage,  and  raised  a  family  of  eleven 
children,  all  of  whom  became  heads  of  families. 
The  mother  died  here  about  1871. 

HENRY  C.  HENRY,  Postmaster,  Mason, 
son  of  Joseph  Henry,  was  born  in  Effingham 
County,  111.,  December  15,  1847.  Here  he  re- 
mained till  18G1,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  war. 
Company  B,  Thirtj-eighth  Illinois.  His  com- 
mand was  first  forwarded  to  Missouri,  after- 
ward to  Corinth,  Miss.,  and  was  in  that  siege, 
battle  of  Chaplain  Hills,  Ky.  He  was  wounded 
at  Stone  River;  a  ball  passed  through  his  chest 
and  lungs.  He  was  discharged  March  2, 1863, 
and  he  returned  home.  He  re-enlisted  in  May. 
1864,  Company  F,  One  Hundred  and  Forty- 
third  Illinois;  this  time  in  the  one-hundred-daj' 
service.  Was  sent  to  Helena,  Ark.,  in  the 
Cyprus  swamps,  and  his  command  was  disabled 
for  duty  bj-  malaria,  so  prevalent  in  that  section. 
Subject  was  married,  August  17,  1868,  in  Cass 
County,  Mich.,  to  Miss  Mattie  L.  Wheeler, 
daughter  of  S.  H.  Wheeler.  He  engaged  in 
nursery  business  in  Mason.  Has  for  many 
years  served  as  Government  Detective.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  fraternity,  and  is 
a  Republican.  In  1882,  was  appointed  Post- 
master at  Mason,  111.     Has  one  child— Willie. 


ANDREW  J.  HOBBS,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mason, 
was  born  February  10,  1828,  in  Franklin  Coun- 
ty, Ind.  Removed  with  his  parents  to  Mis- 
souri at  the  age  of  nine  j-ears.  Remained  there 
till  he  was  eighteen  years  old,  when  he  when 
to  Kentucky.  He  was  married  in  Boone  Coun- 
ty, Ky.,  May  8,  1851,  to  Miss  Caroline  Donald- 
son, daughter  of  Andrew  Donaldson.  He  re- 
moved soon  after  to  Switzerland  County,  Ind. 
He  learned  the  distiller's  business,  which,  at  that 
time,  was  very  pacing  and  which  he  followed 
with  great  success  till  1860,  when  he  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business  in  Patriot,  Ind..  for 
six  j'ears;  then  sold  his  store  and  moved  onto 
his  farm.  In  1868,  he  sold  his  farm  and  emi- 
grated to  Effingham  County,  111.,  and  located 
on  an  improved  farm  of  sevent}'  acres  in  Sec- 
tion 33,  Mason  Township,  which  he  afterward 
purchased,  on  which  he  has  made  his  home 
since.  Mr.  Hobbs  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity.  Mason  Lodge,  No.  217.  He  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  He 
has  ever  clung  to  the  principles  of  the  Demo- 
cratic partj',  and  rejoiceth  hugelj*  over  the  vic- 
tories of  1882.  Mr.  Hobbs  is  a  genial,  accom- 
modating old  gentleman,  who  never  loses  an 
opportunity  to  assist  a  neighbor  or  friend;  has 
won  many  warm  friends  in  Mason  and  vicinit3-. 
He  has  been  repeated  13-  elected  to  the  office  of 
Township  Assessor.  Of  a  famil3'  of  nine  chil- 
dren, six  are  living — Emery  Hobbs,  Andi'ew  J. 
Hobbs,  Ida  M.  Hobbs,  Minerva  Hobbs,  Anna 
Hobbs  and  Grace  Hobbs;  and  three  dead — Rob- 
ert S.,  died  March  23, 1881,  aged  nineteen  3-ears 
eleven  months  and  twent3'-flve  days;  Mrs.  Ella 
Hinkle  was  born  October  26,  1856,  and  died 
July  19,  1881;  Alexander  D.,  was  born  March 
25,  1870,  died  Qctober  8,  1871. 

J.  P.  HOLMES,  insurance  agent.  Mason,  was 
born  in  Carlisle,  Cumberland  Co.,  Penn.,  1816; 
soon  after  moved  with  his  parents  to  Chambers- 
burg,  where  he  was  raised.  Had  liberal 
chances  for  education.  Attended  Dickinson 
College,  located  at  Carlisle,  two  vears,  gaining 


i 


MASON    TOWNSHIP. 


161 


a  first-class,  practical  business  course,  aiming 
at  the  same  time  to  studj'  medicine;  made  con- 
siderable research  into  the  languages.     He  has 
done  for  himself  since  the  age  of  seventeen. 
Subject  was  married  in  Franklin  County,  Penn., 
to    Lucetta   Douglass,   daughter    of    William 
Douglass.      Engaged    in   teaching   school    till 
1845,  when  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company 
A,  First   Pennsylvania    Cavahy,  and    entered 
the  Mexican  war.     He  was  selected  as  Major 
of  the  regiment.    At  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista. 
he  was  wounded  in  the  calf  of  his  right  leg,  and 
taken  to  the  hospital;  from  the  effect  of  this  he 
is  still  a  cripple;   1847,  he  moved  his   family, 
consisting  of  wife  and  three  children,  to  Wells 
County,  Ind.     Soon   after,    moved    to  Wabash 
County,  Ind.;  bought  a  farm  of  106  acres  and 
foUowetl  farming  and  teaching  till  1855,  when 
he  immigrated  to  Tazewell  County,  111.     After 
farming  four  years  in  Tazewell  Count}-,  he  then 
removed    to    Eureka,    Woodford    County;    re- 
mained at  business  of  farming  three  years.     In 
1860,  in  Tazewell  County,  he  sold  1,200  bushels 
of  corn  at  11   cents  per  bushel,  when  he  could 
have  sold  it  for  $1  per  bushel  the  next  year. 
In  1864,  he  moved  to  El  Paso,  Woodford  Coun- 
ty,  and   engaged    in   the    insurance    business, 
which  he  followed  till  1866.      He  was  Police 
Magistrate  of  the  city  several  terms  of  four 
years  each.    In  1874,  moved  to  Decatur,  thence, 
the  same  year,  to  Effingham  County,  where  his 
wife  died  in  the  spring  of  1875.     In  1876,  lo- 
cated at  Mason,  in  the  insurance  business,  at 
which  business  he  still  continues.     He  served 
one  term  as  Police  Magistrate  of  Mason.     Mr. 
Holmes  was   married   in    December,   1875,  to 
Mrs.  Eva  K.  McCracken. 

C.  P.  LEATHEKMAN,  manufacturer.  Ma- 
son, son  of  Joiin  Leatherman,  was  born  Jul}- 
10,  1814,  in  Ohio.  When  he  was  four  years 
old  his  parents  moved  to  Indiana.  He  was 
married  in  1836,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Krutz- 
inger,  daughter  of  Jacob  Krutzinger,  of 
Orange  County,   Ind.     He  served  an   appren- 


ticeship at  blacksmithing,  under  a  brother, 
David  L.,  and  pursued  that  business  in  Orange 
County  till  1853;  he  then  moved  to  Clay 
County,  III.,  and  in  18G9  to  Mason,  Effingham 
Co.,  111.,  following  his  trade  in  the  two  last 
places.  He  is  a  plow-maker  also,  and  turns 
out  quite  a  number  each  year,  for  which  he 
finds  ready  sale.  Thousands  of  pounds  of  iron 
has  he  wrought  into  implements  of  utility,  year 
after  year  has  he  toiled  at  his  trade,  that 
of  hard  toil,  over  the  furnance  and  forge.  It 
is  the  many  hard  and  repeated  blows  over  the 
anvil  that  sends  the  blood  rushing  through  the 
veins,  and  makes  life  long  and  healthful.  Labor 
and  honesty  go  hand  in  hand,  and  Mr.  Leath- 
erman is  honest  and  one  of  the  first  citizens  of 
our  county.  Subject  has  a  family  as  follows: 
Miss  Sarah  Cornwell,  William,  a  resident  of 
Vandalia;  Jacob,  Miss  Mollie  Hale,  James, 
George,  Mrs.  Allice  Goodnight,  Harvey. 

ISAAC .  LOWRY  LEITH,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Mason,  was  born  in  Perry  County,  Ohio,  De- 
cember 16,  1814.  He  removed  to  Fairfield 
Count}'  with  his  parents  when  about  fifteen 
months  old,  and  he  grew  upon  a  farm  near 
Pleasantville,  Ohio,  until  seventeen  years  old, 
when  he  struck  out  for  himself,  going  North  he 
found  a  home  among  tlie  Wyandot  Indians  on 
the  Sandusky  River,  in  what  is  now  Wyandot 
County,  Ohio,  in  seach  of  adventure;  he  traded 
with  the  tribe  in  horses,  and  remnincd  with 
them  three  years,  and  went  to  Hebron,  Lick- 
ing Co.,  Ohio,  and  for  three  years  supplied 
the  hotels  for  twenty-six  miles  along  the  Na- 
tional road  with  beef,  driving  wagon  himself. 
and  hired  the  butchering  done.  In  the  spring 
of  1840,  he  came  on  horseback,  a  single  man. 
arriving  at  Mason  April  26, 1840.  He  entered 
land  in  1840-42,  in  Section  12,  13  and  11,  and 
added  thereto  until  he  had  400  acres.  He 
fenced  and  broke  the  first  field  in  the  prairie, 
which  was  afterward  known  as  the  Leitli  Prai- 
rie. He  was  married  in  1844,  to  Miss  Brown,  and 
settled  north  of  Ewington,  on  what  is  known 

K 


162 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


as  the  Blakely  farm,  living  there  for  one  and 
a  half  years.  He  then  settled  on  his  farm  in 
Section  12,  where  he  lived  five  years,  engaged 
largely  in  buying  and  driving  stock.  He 
bouglit  and  fed  cattle  and  hogs  principally. 
He  brought  a  drove  of  sheep  from  Fairfield 
County,  Ohio,  in  1843,  and  sold  them  to  the 
farmers.  As  early  as  1837,  while  in  Wyandot 
County,  Ohio,  he  drove  herd  of  horses  to  South- 
ern Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  a  distance  of 
650  miles.  Mr.  Leith  was  actively  engaged  in 
buying  stock  for  twenty-five  years,  spending  a 
large  portion  of  his  time  in  saddle,  buying  for 
most  part  in  this  and  neighboring  counties, 
driving  to  St.  Louis  and  Ohio,  until  the  build- 
ing of  the  Central  Kailroad,  when  he  shipped 
to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  Chicago.  From  1853 
to  1855,  he  aided  in  the  building  of  the  I.  C. 
R.  R.,  being  foreman  of  a  gang  of  men,  and  had 
a  contract  for  hauling  stone;  superintended 
forty  ox  teams.  In  1855,  he  moved  to  his  pres- 
ent place,  selling  his  old  homestead,  now  owned 
by  Mr.  Dallis,  of  Piatt  County,  111.  He  bought 
a  tract  of  wild  prairie  land  here,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  small  patch  fenced  and  a  log  cabin. 
Mr.  Leith  has  put  about  280  acres  of  land  in 
cultivation,  and  fenced  120  acres  of  timber. 
He  produced  wheat  largel}-,  raising  some  years 
3,000  bushels  per  year.  During  past  ten  years, 
has  not  handled  much  stock,  but  has  raised 
grain.  Politically,  Mr.  Leith  was  a  Democrat 
until  the  issues  of  the  war  came  on;  he  voted 
for  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  in  1861  was  elected  to  the 
Constitutional  Convention  which  met  in  1862. 
He  was  nominated  b}-  the  Douglas  Democrats, 
and  received  a  large  Republican  vote.  He  was 
appointed  on  a  committee  with  Mr.  John  F. 
Waschefort  and  Mr.  McCann,  to  learn  what  the 
people  wished  in  regard  to  township  organiza- 
tion, and  visited  every  township  in  the  county, 
and  served  in'  various  offices  in  the  township. 
He  has  the  following  children;  Leslie  W.,  of 
this  county,  in  mail  service  on  Narrow  Guage 
road;  Mary  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Dr.  Will  Wade, 


of  Salem,  Oregon;  Fanny  Ann,  wife  of  D.  W. 
Matthers,  druggist  of  Salem,  Oregon;  Amanda 
Crooker,  wife  of  E.  Hobbs,  farmer  of  this  town- 
ship; Edmund  T.,  farmer  of  this  township; 
Alice  B.,  wife  of  Dr.  D.  F.  Lane,  of  St.  Elmo, 
111.;  Sarah  L.,  also  in  Salem,  Oregon,  wife  of 
H.  H.  Ragan,  merchant;  Cora  D.;  Enola  May, 
in  school  at  present.  Our  subject's  father, 
Samuel  Leith,  was  a  son  of  John  Leith,  born 
on  the  Pedee  River  in  North  Carolina;  was  of 
Scotch  parents,  who  were  members  of  a  numer- 
ous clan,  located  near  the  city  and  river  of  that 
name.  His  parents  died  when  he  was  young, 
and  he  was  put  under  a  guardian,  and  not  lik- 
ing to  learn  a  trade  ran  away  at  the  age  of 
thirteen  years,  and  went  up  to  Little  York, 
Penn.,  through  the  wilderness.  He  remained 
at  Little  York  four  years,  when  he  went  to  Ft. 
DuQuesne,  now  Pittsburgh. 

DAVID  LEITH,  deceased,  whose  portrait 
appears  in  this  work,  was  born  in  Fairfield 
County,  Ohio,  in  1817,  son  of  Samuel  and 
Amanda  (De  Long)  Leith,  he  born  in  the 
Northwestern  Territory,  and  died  in  1822, 
at  the  age  of  fifty-five  3-ears  ;  she,  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  died  in  1844,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-three  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  six  sons  and  three  daughters.  Our 
subject  received  a  common-school  education, 
and  started  in  life  as  a  farmer.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Fairfield,  Ohio,  in  September,  1842,  to 
Amanda  Wilson,  a  native  of  Virgmia,  born  in 
1808.  The}'  had  the  following  children  :  John 
C.,  Kate,  Hattie,  George,  Thomas,  Emma,  Lau- 
ra, Fannie  and  Homer,  named  in  the  order  of 
their  births.  Our  subject's  father,  Samuel 
Leith,  in  his  early  days  was  captured  and  for 
a  long  time  held  by  the  Delaware  Indians,  and 
during  the  time  of  his  captivity,  the  girl  that 
afterward  became  his  wife  was  also  a  captive 
in  the  hands  of  the  Cuyahoga  tribe.  The  two 
met  under  these  circumstances,  formed  an  ac- 
quaintance, and  were  afterward  united  in  mar- 
riage.    Our  subject  was  a  Supervi-sor  at  the 


MASON   TOWNSHIP. 


163 


first  organization  of  the  county,  and  was  also 
elected  to  the  Legislature.  He  was  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  and  an  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  luid  also 
a  Royal  Arch  Mason. 

PAVID  K.  LEITH,  former,  P.  0.  Mason, 
is  a  son  of  James  Leith,  and  was  bora  in  Fair- 
field County,  Ohio,  January  27,  1837.  He  re- 
moved with  his  parents,  at  the  age  of  five,  to 
EfHngham  Count}'.  111.  He  was  raised  on  a 
farm,  and  was  thus  engaged  when  he  started 
for  himself,  about  two  miles  east  of  Mason. 
Mr.  Leith  was  married  in  this  county  October 
2,  1859,  to  Miss  Mary  Wilson,  daughter  of 
William  Wilson.  He  has  a  family  of  four  chil- 
dren, as  follows  :  Dallas  0.,  born  November 
30,  1861  ;  JLiry  B..  born  July  0.  18G7  ;  Oscar, 
was  born  November  9,  1809  ;  Franklin  A.,  was 
born  April  27,  1871.  Subject  has  an  excellent 
little  fiirin  of  fifty-three  acres,  and  raises  a  fair 
amount  of  wheat,  oats,  corn,  etc.  He  is  polit- 
ically, a  Democrat  of  the  old  school.  Subject's 
father,  James  Leith,  was  born  in  Licking  Coun- 
ty, Ohio.  January  27,  1814.  He  was  married 
in  Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  in  February,  1836,  to 
Miss  Barbara  Bank.  He  pursued  the  avoca- 
tion of  farming  in  Fairfield  County  till  1842, 
when  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Effingham 
County,  111.,  and  located  on  a  tract  of  land  two 
miles  east  of  Mason,  which  he  afterward  en- 
tered of  Congress  to  the  amount  of  415  acres, 
to  whicli  he  afterward  added  forty  acres.  Here 
he  opened  up  a  fine  farm,  and  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  in  good  circumstances. 
Subject  had  twelve  children,  six  of  whom  are 
living,  and  are  good  citizens  of  this  county — 
David  K.  Leith,  Samuel,  Mrs.  Sarali  Murphy, 
Taylor,  Allen,  and  Mrs.  Nora  Hardin.  Mr. 
Leith  died  at  a  good  old  age.  His  widow  sur- 
vives him,  and  resides  on  the  home  farm. 

J.  C.  LEITII,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mason,  is  a  na- 
tive of  this  county,  was  born  in  August,  1843. 
He  was  raised  on  his  father's  farm,  two  miles 
east  of  Mason.  He  engaged  in  farming  on  the 
old    home   farm    wben   he   began    business  for 


himself  He  makes  his  occupation  a  decided 
success.  He  produces  an  immense  amount  of 
grain,  grass,  etc.,  and  keeps  on  hand  a  fair 
amount  of  stock.  He  is  an  earnest  and  zealous 
supporter  of  the  principles  of  Democracy. 
Subject's  father,  David  Leith,  a  native  of  Fair- 
field County,  Ohio,  was  born  June  8,  1817.  He 
was  married  in  Fairfield  County  Soptemljer  20. 
1842.  to  Miss  Amanda  Wilson,  daughter  of 
William  A.  Wilson.  Shortly  after  his  marriage 
he  removed  to  this  county,  and  located  on  a 
tract  of  land  two  miles  east  of  Mason,  He 
purchased  a  tract  of  upward  of  500  acres, 
and  succeeded  in  putting  300  acres  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation.  He  was  an  active  busi- 
ness man  and  an  excellent  farmer.  He  dealt 
largelj- in  stock  and  stock  raising,  cattle  and  hogs 
principally.  In  1867  (having  previously  burned 
a  large  kiln  of  brick  for  the  purpose),  he  erect- 
ed a  commodious  brick  residence,  at  a  proba- 
ble cost  of  $5,000,  Mr,  Leith  moved  into  his 
new  house  in  March,  1868,  In  1870,  he  was 
elected  Representative  in  the  State  Legislature 
from  Shelby  and  Effingham  Counties,  He  died 
before  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office. 
His  death  occurred  at  his  home  June  10,  1871. 
His  deceased  widow,  Mrs.  Amanda  R.  Leith, 
who  survived  him  a  few  years,  was  born  in 
Frederick  County,  Va.  She  died  at  her 
old  home  November  18,  1876,  They  raised  a 
family  of  nine  children,  all  living,  viz,:  (Sub- 
ject of  our  sketch);  Catherine  R,,  wife  of  ])r. 
Isaac  Baker  ;  Harriet  E.,  widow  of  William  B. 
Cooper,  deceased  ;  George  W.;  Mrs.  Sarah  K. 
Holloway;  David  T. ;  Mrs.  Laura  A.  Davis  ; 
Mrs.  Mary  F.  Martin  ;  Homer  E. 

JAMES  G.  LOUDER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Edge- 
wood,  son  of  Gideon  Louder,  was  born  April 
11,  1844,  in  Effingham  County,  111.;  was  raised 
on  a  farm.  In  1862,  he  enlisted  in  the  war, 
Companj-  C,  Ninety-eighth  Illinois.  This  com- 
mand was  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  Cum- 
berland, and  consequently  was  in  tiic  following 
battles  :   Hoover's  Gap.  Elk  River,  Chickamau- 


164 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ga,  Chattanooga,  Mission  Ridge,  battles 
around  Atlanta,  Selma,  Ala.,  and  was  discharged 
June  7,  1865;  returned  home  and  engaged  in 
farming.  He  was  married  October  26,  1865, 
in  Edgewood,  111.,  to  Miss  Annie  Baker,  daugh- 
ter of  Robert  Baker;  engaged  in  the  avocation 
of  farming  in  the  vicinity  of  Edgewood.  He 
has  a  family  of  Ave  children  living,  namely, 
Robert,  Fannie,  Barney,  Flora,  F]mma ;  and 
three  dead — Alwilda,  Mary  and  Etta. 

JOHN  T.  MARTIN,  Mason,  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 13,  1841,  in  Effingham;  spent  his  boy- 
hood daj-s  with  his  parents,  in  Jackson  Town- 
ship. In  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  war,  in  Com- 
panj'  G,  Eleventh  Illinois  Volunteers;  was  sta- 
tioned at  Camp  Dubois,  and  afterward  at  Bird's 
Point,  Mo.,  where  he  was  discharged.  In  1862, 
he  enlisted  in  the  three  years'  service  in  Com- 
pany G,  Sixtj'-second  Illinois,  and  was  for- 
warded to  Cairo,  111.;  thence  to  Paducah,  Tenu., 
and  thence  to  Columbus;  came  home  once  on 
twenty  days'  furlough,  and  then  joined  his  com- 
mand at  Reterford  Station.  Was  honorably  dis- 
charged in  1865,  and  he  returned  home  to 
Effingham  County,  111.  Subject  was  married, 
March  8,  1866,  to  Miss  Ann  Bailey,  daughter 
of  Heni-y  Bailey.  Mr.  Martin  has  a  family  of 
three  children  living — Alex,  John  and  Kitty 
Bliss;  and  two  dead — Harry,  died  at  the  age  of 
nine  years,  in  1877,  and  Dellie,  who  died  in 
1872,  age  nine  months. 

WILLIAM  M.  MARTIN,  livery,  Mason,  son 
of  Moses  Martin,  was  born  August  30,  1844,  in 
Effingham  County,  111.  He  engaged  in  the 
livery  business  in  1858,  in  Mason,  III,  which 
he  has  continued  since  that  time  with  good 
success.  He  was  married,  in  February,  1873, 
in  Marion  County,  111.,  to  Miss  Anna  Blacka- 
more,  daughter  of  Samuel  Blackamore.  His 
family  consists  of  four  children,  as  follows  : 
Iva,  Nellie,  Corenia  and  Willie.  He  is  a  stanch 
Democrat,  and  a  clever  gentleman. 

WILLIAM  MATTHEWS,  M.  D.  (deceased), 
was  born  in  Montgomery  County,  Va.,  July  27, 


1819.  He  belonged  to  a  manl}-  and  vigorous 
race,  his  grandfather,  John  Haven,  having  been 
an  inventor  and  man  of  great  force  of  character 
and  originality.  In  the  autumn  of  1827,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  memoir  emigrated  with  his  parents 
to  Putnam  Count}',  Ind  ,  where  he  was  associa- 
ted with  his  father  in  agricultural  pursuits,  un- 
til his  twentieth  j'ear,  at  which  time  he  entered 
upon  the  study  of  medicine,  under  Dr.  William 
Talbot,  of  Greencastle,  Ind.,  a  gentleman  of 
rich  learning  and  wonderful  hospitalit}'.  After 
completing  a  full  course  of  reading,  he  moved 
to  Stilesville,  Hendricks  County,  where,  in  1843, 
he  formed  the  acquaintance  of,  and  was  soon 
after  married  to,  .Miss  Ruth  Ann  Jessup.  a 
lady  of  brilliant  attainments  and  of  a  most 
amiable  disposition,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children,  one  of  whom,  David  W.  Matthews,  is 
still  living.  (See  sketch).  Shortlj'  after  his 
first  marriage,  he  matriculated  in  Rush  Medical 
College,  Chicago,  where  he  graduated  with  the 
highest  honors.  He  then  removed  to  Putnam 
Count}',  where  he  remained  till  his  second  mar- 
riage, in  1848,  to  Miss  Deborah  S.  Hopwood, 
of  Bellville,  Ind.,  a  lady  of  great  worth,  and 
one  who  proved  herself  to  be  a  most  excel- 
lent and  helpful  companion  to  him  through  all 
the  trials  and  afflictions  of  his  after  life.  B\ 
her  he  had  three  children,  only  one  of  whom, 
James  N.,  survived,  and  will  be  made  the  sub- 
ject of  a  sketch  in  this  volume.  From  1848 
until  1858  Dr.  M.  was  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  medicine  in  Putnam  County,  Ind.  At  the 
end  of  this  time,  he  removed  with  his  family  to 
Mason,  Effingham  Co.,  111.,  where  he  continued 
in  the  active  work  of  his  profession  till  the  day 
of  his  death,  January  13,  1874.  Dr.  Mat- 
thews was  a  most  valuable  and  esteemed  citizen 
an  able  and  popular  physician,  a  great  phil- 
anthropist, and  his  loss  was  deeply  deplored  by 
the  large  circle  of  acquaintances  among  whom 
he  moved  and  labored.  He  was  a  friend  to  the 
poor,  and  endeared  himself  to  them  by  his  con- 
siderate attentions  and  humane  treatment.     He 


MASON   TOWNSHIP. 


1G5 


did  an  immense  amount  of  work  for  little  or  no 
pay.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  social  and  polit- 
ical instincts.  As  a  politician  he  was  alwaj"s 
an  anti-slavist ;  having  early  allied  himself 
with  the  Republican  Party,  he  worked  zealously 
with  it  until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  the  later 
constitutional  amendments  were  adopted.  As 
a  literary  man.  Dr.  Matthews  was  a  most 
persevering  writer,  with  a  diction  like  that  of 
Hallam.  His  contributions  to  the  press,  on 
every  conceivable  topic,  would,  if  collected,  fill 
many  volumes.  He  wrote  with  great  force  and 
accuracy,  and  from  the  fullness  and  freshness 
of  a  richly  endowed  intellect.  For  many 
months  prior  to  his  death,  he  was  engaged  in 
preparing  an  elaborate  work  on  "  Domestic 
Medicine,"  for  popular  use,  but  died  before  his 
manuscript  reached  the  press.  He  loved  na- 
ture, and  was  most  sensitively  alive  to  the  in- 
fluence of  the  beautiful,  whether  in  the  tiny 
insect,  the  flower,  the  tree,  or  the  human  sub- 
ject. God's  works  were  not  voiceless  and 
meaningless  to  him.  In  religion  he  was  practi- 
cal and  liberal-minded,  holding  to  the  doctrine 
of  Universalism,  in  its  broadest  and  fullest  sig- 
nificance. He  idolized  his  friends,  and  clung 
with  tenacity  to  the  memories  of  his  j'outh, 
and  this  sketch  of  a  good  man,  can  not  be  more 
appropriately  concluded  than  by  quoting  an 
extract  from  his  pen,  touching  one  of  the  cher- 
ished impressions  of  his  declining  years.  In 
his  "  Autobiography."  he  says  :  "  On  my  own 
part,  the  nearer  I  approach  the  end  of  my  mor- 
tal career,  the  stronger  do  I  cling  to  the  sincere 
friendships  formed  in  the  days  of  my  youth, 
and  my  earnest  prayer  to  Almighty  God  is, 
that  the3'  shall  be  the  last  things  on  earth  to 
part  from  my  memory  and  abandon  my  bosom, 
and  among  the  first  to  hail  and  cheer  me  on  my 
entrance  upon  the  better  life."  *■ 

DAVID  WADE  MATTHEWS,  druggist,  Sa- 
lem, Ore.,  the  eldest  son  of  William  Matthews,  M. 
D.,  of  whom  we  publish  elsewhere  a  condensed 
sketch,  was  born  in  the  village  of  Stilesville,  Hen- 


dricks Co.,  Ind.,  September  18, 1844  When  only 
a  few  weeks  old  his  father  removed  to  the  vi- 
cinity of  Fillmore,  Putnam  County,  of  the 
same  State,  at  which  place  the  subject  of  our 
notice  passed  the  greater  part  of  his  childhood, 
having  lost  his  mother  when  but  two  years  of 
age.  In  1858,  his  father  having  remarried,  he 
emigrated  with  his  household  to  Mason,  111., 
where  the  son  divided  his  time  in  attending 
school  and  in  assisting  in  the  cultivation  of  a 
large  tract  of  new  prairie-land.  Though  of  a 
delicate  organization,  he  yet  was  a  most  indus- 
trious lad,  and  applied  himself  with  diligence 
to  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  both  in  school 
and  out.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion,  he 
was  among  the  first  in  this  section  of  the  State 
to  join  the  army  of  the  Union.  At  the  age  of 
sixteen,  he  enlisted  in  the  Eleventh  Illinois 
Infantry,  under  Capt.  Rose,  a  man,  who,  it  is 
claimed,  subsequently  rendered  himself  ex- 
tremely odious  to  his  company,  through  a 
career  of  intolerable  misconduct  and  mistreat- 
ment. The  regiment  went  into  camp  about 
the  last  of  July,  1861,  at  Bird's  Point,  opposite 
Cairo,  where  it  remained  most  of  the  time  in- 
active, until  the  storming  of  Fort  Donelson,  at 
which  time  it  was  thrown  into  the  thickest  of 
the  carnage,  and  barely  escaped  total  destruc- 
tion. Tiie  men  fought  bravely  and  desperately- 
against  fearful  odds,  but  the  ranks  of  the  regi- 
ment were  frightfully  thinned  and  mutilated. 
Young  Matthews,  having  been  selected  to 
guard  the  colors,  was  one  of  several  others  who 
were  shot  down  in  the  early  part  of  the  conflict. 
His  wound,  at  first  thought  to  be  fatal,  proved 
otherwise,  the  ball  having  penetrated  and 
passed  through  the  fleshiest  part  of  his  thigh, 
barely  missing  the  femoral  artery.  For  a  few 
hours  he  was  a  prisoner  in  the  hands  ot  the 
enemy,  but  not  being  in  a  condition  for  removal 
to  the  rear,  the  doubtful  tide  of  battle  soon  re- 
stored liim  to  the  ITnion  lines.  His  wound 
bled  most  profusely,  and  the  toes  of  one  foot 
were  frozen   so  severely  that  the  ends  subse- 


166 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


quently  ulcerated  and  sloughed  off.  It  was  a 
terrible  night,  and  ho  was  among  the  last  car- 
ried off  of  tlie  l)io(>d3'  field.  For  many  long 
Lours  he  la^-  weltering  in  his  blood,  pillowed 
upon  the  incarnated  snow,  with  the  dead  and 
d\'ing  alone  for  companions,  and  tlie  bleak, 
howling  winds  for  his  comforter.  But  a  gra- 
cious providence  directed  some  of  his  associates 
to  the  inhospitable  spot  where  he  lay,  and  he 
was  removed  to  a  temporary  hospital,  whence 
he  was  soon  after  taken  aboard  the  steamer, 
Allen  Collier,  and  conveyed  to  Cincinnati,  where 
he  was  granted  an  unlimited  furlough.  His 
wound  having  healed,  however,  he  returned  to 
his  regiment  at  the  end  of  sixty  days,  and 
served  out  his  term  of  enlisment,  p.articipatiug 
in  many  of  the  severest  struggles  of  the  war. 
Returning  home  in  18G4,  he  attended  college 
for  one  term,  in  Mt.  Pleasant.  Iowa,  and  from 
that  time  forwaid,  until  1875,  he  was  associated 
with  his  father  and  cousin,  W.  L.  Wade,  in  the 
pursuit  of  horticulture  and  mixed  farming. 
In  October,  18G7,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Fan- 
nie A.  Leith,  a  young  lady  of  great  worth  and 
prominence  in  thecommunitj-,  and  in  time  thej' 
became  blessed  with  a  small  circle  of  beautiful 
children.  From  1875  until  1881,  Mr.  Mat- 
thews held  many  important  positions  of  trust 
among  his  fellow-citizens,  and  for  several  years 
was  in  the  Government  Postal  Service,  a  part 
of  the  time  in  the  capacit3'  of  Postmaster  at 
Mason,  and  a  part  as  Mail  Agent  on  the  St. 
Louis  &  Vaudalia  road.  In  1881,  for  the 
purpose  of  bettering  his  fortunes,  he  removed 
to  Salem,  Ore,  Kn  route  thither  his  family 
contracted  malignant  sm,all-pox,  and  two  of  the 
number,  Nellie  and  Lowery,  beautiful  and  in- 
telligent children,  succumbed  to  the  loathsome 
malady.  The  affliction  of  the  family  was  intol- 
erable during  this  awful  period  of  isolation  and 
lone  suffering,  but  it  finally  ended  as  all  trials 
must.  Three  children  are  living,  Euth,  Mary 
and  Oskie.  Mr.  M.  now  enjoys  a  well  estab- 
lished drug  trade    in   Salem,  and    is    srrowing 


popular  as  his  acquaintance  extends.  He  is  a 
man  of  great  practical  ability,  of  generosity 
and  high  raindeduess.  He  has  alwa3's  been  a 
consistent  advocate  of  Republican  principles, 
and  in  his  social  relations  there  are  few  better 
men.  He  contributes  some  to  the  current 
prints,  and  is  a  scholarly  and  accurate 
writer. 

J.  N.  MATTHEWS,  physician,  Mason, 
was  born  in  Putnam  County,  near  Greencas- 
tle,  Ind.,  May  27,  1852.  When  two  years  old, 
his  father's  family  came  to  Mason,  111.  When 
very  j'oung,  he  evinced  a  taste  for  reading  and 
scribbling,  parti}'  from  inheritance  and  partly 
from  his  own  surroundings.  Among  his  earli- 
est discoveries  of  himself  was,  no  doubt,  the 
amazing  one  that  he  could  make  his  words 
jingle,  and  at  a  ^'ery  earl}-  day  he  had  that 
supremelj^  happiest  moment  in  all  boy's  lives 
that  have  the  gift  of  writing,  of  seeing  his 
rhymes  in  print.  From  the  country  school, 
when  j-et  not  over  ten  years  of  age,  he  stepped 
up  into  the  exalted  place  of  '•  imp"  in  the  vil- 
lage printing  office,  and  here,  among  the  types, 
and  the  atmosphere  of  a  printing  office,  was 
confirmed  and  improved  the  natural  bent  of 
the  boy's  genius,  and  his  pen  has  never  rested 
long  at  a  time  since  that  period.  He  has  writ- 
ten much  for  various  publications,  ai\d  re- 
peatedly has  given  evidences  of  real  poetic  and 
literary  merit.  He  entered  the  Industrial  Uni- 
versit}-,  Champaign,  1868,  and  graduated  as 
the  head  of  his  class  in  1872.  For  the  next 
three  j^ears  he  devoted  his  time  to  literary' 
work  and  reporting  for  different  newspapers. 
In  1875,  he  entered  the  Medical  College  of  St. 
Louis,  and  graduated,  again  with  the  first 
honors,  and  that,  too,  in  a  class  of  120  candi- 
dates. In  1878,  he  married  Miss  Luella  Brown, 
of  Madison,  Ind.,  and  located  in  Mason,  in  the 
practice  of  his  chosen  profession.  Our  sub- 
ject is  the  son  of  Dr.  William  Matthews  (de- 
ceased), of  whom,  and  also  of  a  brother  of  our 
subject,  sketches  will  be  found  elsewhere. 


MASON   TOWNSHIP. 


167 


A.  McANDERSON,  M.  D.,  Mason,  was  born 
in  October,  1830,  in  Pennsj-lvania.  He  re- 
moved with  parents  in  his  j-outh  to  Richland 
County,  Ohio,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  with 
a  fair  opportunit}-  for  obtaining  an  education. 
He  graduated  in  1851,  at  Jefferson  Medical 
College,  Philadelphia.  In  1861,  he  enlisted  in 
the  Union  arm}-,  and  was  placed  on  special 
service  as  a  surgeon  at  a  hospital  near  Nash- 
ville, Tenn  ;  served  three  years.  After  the 
close  of  the  war  he  located,  for  the  practice  of 
his  profession,  at  Springfield  111.,  where  he  re- 
mained a  short  time.  He  removed  to  Chicago, 
wiiere  he  gained  a  first-class  practice.  In  Oc- 
tober, 1871,  he  had  everything,  including  his 
liln-ary,  swept  away  by  the  great  fire.  In  the 
spring  of  1877,  he  located  at  Mason,  111.,  and 
has  a  good  practice.  Dr.  McAnderson  was 
married  in  1850,  in  Wyandot  County,  Ohio,  to 
Miss  Helen  E.  McGill,  who  died  in  Springfield, 
111.,  in  1864. 

ESQUIRE  JOHN  McDONALD,  cooper, 
Edgewood,  son  of  William  McDonald,  was  born 
in  1818,  in  Clermont  County,  Ohio.  Here  he 
remained  till  180G.  He  learned  the  cooper 
trade  during  his  l)oyhood,  and  located,  in  the 
pursuit  of  his  trade,  at  New  Richmond,  Cler- 
mont Co.,  Ohio.  He  pursued  this  avoca- 
tion till  1852,  when  he  engaged  in  clerking  in 
a  dry  goods  and  grocery  store,  and  served  two 
terms  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  during  the  time. 
In  1861,  he  was  appointed  Postmaster  at  New 
Richmond,  and  was  re-appointed  in  1865.  In 
1866,  he  resigned  the  position  in  behalf  of  a 
crippled  soldier,  whom  he  recommended  and 
secured  the  appointment.  He  then  removed 
to  Effingham  County,  111.,  and  engaged  in  work- 
ing at  his  trade  at  Edgewood,  which  he  still 
continues.  Mr.  McDonald  has  served  one 
term  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  two  terms  as 
Police  Magistrate  of  the  village  of  Edgewood. 
Is  a  stanch  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  JIasonic  fraternity,  and  has  been  Secretary 
of  the  Edgewood  Lodge  during  the  last  fifteen 


years  of  his  residence  here.  Mr.  McDonald 
was  married  in  Clermont  County,  Ohio.  No- 
vember 14,  1839,  to  Miss  Rebecca  Bradbury. 
She  died  in  1849,  the  mother  of  four  children 
Marion,  Theodore,  Leroj-,  Mollie.  Subject  was 
married  in  Now  Richmond,  Ohio,  June,  1851, 
to  Miss  Alice  Swem.  Her  death  occurred 
May  6,  1853.  One  child,  Laura,  survives  her. 
In  1855,  he  was  married  to  Esther  Jackson,  of 
New  Richmond,  with  whom  he  now  lives.  He 
has  three  children  by  her — Charles,  May  and 
Hattie.  Subject  had  four  sons  who  faced  the 
showers  of  leaden  hail  in  the  great  rebellion — 
Thomas,  who  died  of  afl'ections  contracted  in 
the  war,  Marion,  Theodore  and  Leroy.  Mr. 
McDonald  is  a  man  of  generosity  and  first- 
class  hospitality,  and  is  a  useful  member  of 
society. 

BARNEY  McKOUN,  railroad  section  fore- 
man. Mason.  Was  born  March  17,  1832,  in 
County  Tyrone,  Ireland.  In  1853,  he  came  to 
New  York  and  worked  on  a  farm  one  year, 
then  went  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  spent  the 
winter  there.  The  following  summer,  he  en- 
gaged in  the  avocation  of  a  sailor  on  Lake  Erie. 
In  1857.  he  went  to  Chicago  and  secured  a  sit- 
uation in  the  emploj-  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railway.  In  1863,  he  was  appointed  section 
foreman,  a  position  he  has  since  filled.  Mr. 
McKoun  was  married  at  Mattoon,  January 
12,  1863,  to  Miss  Mary  Cunningham,  of  Chi- 
cago. He  has  a  family  of  seven  sons  and  one 
daughter,  as  follows:  Isabel,  John,  Daniel,  Bar 
ney,  James,  Patrick,  Michael  and  Thomas  F. 
Subject  is  a  Democrat. 

JUDGE  ROBERT  S.  MILLS,  druggist. 
Mason,  was  born  February  28,  1813,  in 
Hamilton  County,  Ohio.  Came  with  his  par- 
ents, when  quite  young,  to  Vevaj-,  Ind.;  after- 
ward removed  by  flat-boat  to  Charleston, 
Clarke  County,  Ind.;  in  1835,  located  in  Orange 
County,  Ind.  Here  he  was  married,  in  June, 
1836,  to  Miss  Caroline  Chapman,  daughter  of 
Thomas    F.  Chapman.     In    1840,  he  removed 


168 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


to  Charleston,  Coles  Co.  111.,  where  he  was 
elected  Justice  of  the  Peace  one  term,  and  two 
terms  to  the  office  of  County  Judge,  which 
position  he  filled  with  great  credit  from  1845 
to  1848  inclusive.  During  Fillmore's  adminis- 
tration, he  was  Postmaster  at  Charleston,  111.; 
he  also  ran  a  drug  store,  which  he  continued 
several  years  after  his  term  as  Postmaster  ex- 
pired. He  then  went  down  on  the  Central 
Railroad  south  of  Mattoon,  and  established  the 
little  town  of  ^Etna.  Was  the  first  Postmaster 
of  that  place.  He  was  one  of  the  principal  agi- 
tators for  the  building  of  the  Masonic  hall, 
which  was  erected  at  that  place.  He  was  pro- 
prietor of  a  grocery  store;  also  built  a  grain 
house,  and  engaged  in  grain-buying  rather  ex- 
tensively. In  1863,  he  sold  his  interest  at 
^Etna  and  removed  to  Mason,  Effingham 
Co.,  111.,  and  embarked  in  merchandising. 
In  1873,  engaged  in  the  drug  business,  his 
present  avocation.  Judge  Mills  is  a  Democrat 
and  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He 
has  a  family  of  seven  children — Thomas  C; 
Ophelia  S.,  wife  of  Henry  Moore,  of  Clark 
Count}';  Hattie,  wife  of  Henry  Hoxley,  of  Ne- 
braska; Clarence  S.;  George  T.,  jeweler,  of  Ma- 
son; AUine,  wife  of  George  Wade,  of  Mason; 
May.  Mr.  Mills  is  a  gentleman  whose  days 
are  fast  passing  away,  whose  life  is  like  a  liv- 
ing stream,  purified  by  upright  and  sincere 
motives,  fair  and  honest  dealings.  He  has 
won  a  host  of  friends,  who  shelter  him  in  his 
old  age  with  a  true  kindliness  and  a  devoted 
friendship. 

WILLIAM  MUIR,  saloon-keeper,  Edgewood, 
son  of  C^'rus  Muir,  was  born  in  Pickaway  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  December  3,  1844.  Moved  to  Douglas 
County,  111.,  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  for  three  3'ears;  purchased 
an  interest  in  a  saw-mill  in  Missouri,  which  he 
ran  for  some  time.  Among  the  big  contracts 
was  the  sawing  of  the  ties  of  Q.,  W.  &  P.  R.  R., 
from  Quincy  to  Kirksville,  a  distance  of  seven- 
ty-five miles.     He  kept  a  saloon  for  six  years 


in  Mansfield,  111.  In  May,  1882,  he  engaged  in 
same  business  in  Edgewood,  111.  Sulijecl  was 
married  to  Miss  MoUie  Buoy,  May  22,  1865,  in 
Douglas  County,  111.,  who  died  February  23, 
1877,  and  he  married  his  second  wife,  Irena  S. 
Buoy,  in  1880.  Subject  has  three  children  :  bj' 
his  first  wife,  Eva  and  Annie,  and  one  by  his 
second  wife — Bertha.  Mr.  Muir  is  a  member 
of  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge. 

M.  O'DONxNELL,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mason,  was 
born  November  4,  1825,  in  Ireland.  Came  to 
America  in  1847.  Remained  in  New  York  and 
New  Jersey  about  two  years,  then  came  to 
Effingham  County,  111.  Worked  on  the  railroad 
two  years  in  Missouri.  Came  back  to  this  sec- 
tion, and  engaged  in  farming  near  Mason. 
First,  he  had  sixty-one  acres  of  land;  now  has 
253  in  this  county,  and  140  in  Iowa.  He  raises 
considerable  grain — wheat,  corn,  etc. — and  has 
dealt  in  live-stock  largely  in  the  past.  Mr. 
O'Donnell  was  married  to  Miss  Maria  Brogan, 
in  New  Jersey,  in  June,  1858;  have  two  chil- 
dren living — Michael  and  Catharine.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Catholic  Church.  Mr.  O'Donnell  is 
an  honorable  citizen  of  Effingham  County,  and 
takes  an  active  part  in  politics. 

WILLIAM  O'KEEFFE,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mason, 
son  of  John  O'KeeflFe,  was  born  in  January, 
1830,  County  Cork,  Ireland.  Came  to  America 
at  the  age  of  sixteen.  Remained  in  New  York 
Cit}'  about  one  year,  and  went  to  Halifax,  Nova 
Scotia,  where  he  remained  about  three  j'ears. 
From  there  he  removed  to  Milwaukee,  Wis.; 
was  in  Chicago  a  short  time,  and  came  to- 
Effingham  County,  111.,  January,  1856,  and  .set- 
tled on  a  farm  in  Mason  Township.  He  at 
present  owns  a  farm  of  219  acres  in  Sections  8 
and  17,  Mason  Township,  and  Section  36,  Jack- 
son Township,  on  which  he  has  fine  buildings 
and  orchards.  Politically,  a  Democrat.  Mr. 
O'Keeffe  was  married  in  St.  Mary,  Abbott's 
Parish,  London,  England,  October  6,  1850,  to 
Miss    Margaret   McCue,   daughter   of   Patrick 


MASON  TOWNSHIP. 


169 


McCue.  Mrs.  O'Keeflfe  was  born  in  London, 
March  10,  1833,  and  was  raised  in  Ireland — 
Glinwoth,  Cork  Count}'. 

P.  G.  PAUGH,  physician,  Mason,  was  born 
December  27,  1814,  in  Bourbon  County,  Ky. 
His  father  died  before  his  birth  and  his 
mother  died  soon  after,  and  he  was  brought  up 
by  his  sister,  willi  wliom  he  removed  to  Mon- 
roe County,  Ind.,  at  the  age  of  seven  years. 
Here  he  received  a  liberal  education  in  the 
high  schools  of  that  county.  He  studied  medi- 
cine under  E.  C.  Moberly,  a  term  of  five  years, 
whom  he  afterward  bought  out  and  engaged  in 
the  practice,  in  Bedford,  Ind.  Soon  after,  re- 
moved to  Springville,  of  the  same  county,  and 
engaged  at  his  profession,  where  he  remained  a 
practitioner  for  thirty  years.  In  1867,  he  im- 
migrated to  Mason,  III.,  and  again  located  in  the 
practice  of  medicine;  here  he  has  a  first-class 
practice;  here,  he  has  won  many  warm  friends. 
Dr.  Paugh  was  married  in  Lawrence  County, 
Ind.,  August  11,  1831,  to  Miss  Hannah  Scog- 
gan,whodiedMa3l3, 1840.  Mr.  Paugh  was  mar- 
ried in  the  latter  part  of  1840,  to  Miss  Eliza 
Cook,  daughter  of  John  Cook,  of  Lawrence 
County,  Ind.  Subject  has  two  sous  and  five 
daughters  living — Dr.  William  H.  Paugh,  re- 
sides in  Mattoon,  111.;  John  C.  Paugh,  M.  D.,  a 
resident  of  Mason,  and  the  subject  of  another 
sketch  in  this  volume;  Sarah  E.,  wife  of  Newton 
Young,  of  Altamont;  Mary  F.,  wife  of  Joseph 
Cook,  and  resides  in  Mattoon,  111.;  Amelia  A., 
wife  of  Andrew  Douglas,  a  well-known  farmer 
near  Mason  ;  Maria  B.;  Anna  Laura;  Joseph 
B.  Paugh,  died  in  1867^  aged  sixteen  years 
eight  months.  Subject  of  this  sketch  is  a 
member  of  the  M.  E.  Church  and  of  the  Masonic 
fraternitj-.  He  is  an  ardent  supporter  of  the 
doctrines  of  the  Republican  party. 

JOHN  C.  PAUGH,  physician,  P.  0.  Ma- 
son, son  of  Dr.  P.  G.  Paugh  ;  was  born  in 
1841,  in  Lawrence  County,  Ind.;  here  he  was 
raised  with  good  opportuity  for  an  education, 
which  he  improved.     He  studied   medicine  in 


charge  of  his  father,  P.  6.  Paugh,  also  under 
Dr.  Grey,  with  whom  he  first  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  In  1865,  he  came 
to  Mason,  111.,  and  located  in  the  practice  of  his 
chosen  profession,  where  he  has  remained  since. 
Subject  was  married  at  Mason  Januarj'  27, 
1870,  to  Miss  Marion  Woods,  daughter  of  John 
Woods.  To  them  were  born  five  children,  as 
follows  :  Garrison  B.  and  Anna  V.  (twins). 
Wilbur  J.,  AUie  M.,  Albert. 

SANFORD  POSTON,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mason, 
was  born  in  Switzerland  County,  Ind.,  October 
26,  1840.  In  1862,  he  enlisted  in  the  war, 
Company'  A,  Third  Indiana  Cavalry.  Was  as- 
signed to  Pleasanton's  First  Cavalry  Corps 
and  was  in  Gen.  Custer's  brigade.  His  com- 
mand was  forwarded  to  the  scene  of  hostility, 
and  did  active  service  in  the  following  engage- 
ments :  Second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  Lookout 
Mountain,  Antietam,  Fredericksburg.  In  this 
battle  he  was  wounded  ;  a  ball  struck  him  in 
the  right  side,  passed  through  his  body,  and 
was  cut  out  on  the  left  side  ;  from  effect  of  this 
he  was  thrown  off  duty  only  three  months, 
when  he  returned  to  his  comrades  at  Acquia 
Creek,  Va.,  and  was  in  the  Gettysburg  fight, 
battles  of  the  Wilderness,  Early's  campaign 
down  the  Shenandoah  Valley.  He  was  dis- 
charged February  24,  1865.  He  was  one  of 
the  fortunate  thirty-one  men  who  came  out 
alive,  of  a  rciriment  that  went  into  the  war 
eleven  hundred  strong.  He  was  married  in 
Switzerland  County,  Ind.,  February  17,  1866, 
to  Miss  Josephine  Vandever,  daughter  of  Al- 
bert Vandcver.  In  1868,  he  emigrated  to  Ef- 
fingham County,  111.,  and  located  near  Mason 
in  farming.  In  1879,  he  purchased  an  interest 
in  the  Mason  Flouring  Mills,  which  he  still 
owns.  In  1882,  made  a  visit  to  Dakota  Terri- 
tory, and  secured  320  acres  of  land  near 
Chamberlin,  D.  T.,  to  which  he  intends  going 
the  ensuing  spring.  Subject  has  a  family  of 
three  children,  viz.:  Albert,  Laura  and 
Edith. 


170 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ROBERT  N.  RANKIN  was  born  February  7, 
1820,  in  Lawrence  County,  Ind.,  where  he  was 
raised  on  a  farm.  He  was  married,  October  3, 
1839,  in  his  native  county,  to  Martha  J.  Foster, 
daughter  of  William  Foster,  and  engaged  in 
farming  in  Lawrence  ;  owned  a  farm  of  sixty 
acres  there,  which  he  sold  in  1849,  and  re- 
moved to  Mason,  III.,  and  engaged  in  farming  ; 
purchased  280  acres,  and  made  his  profession 
a  success.  Opened  a  farm  about  two  miles 
southeast  of  Mason.  About  1859,  he  sold  his 
farm  with  the  intention  of  going  to  Oregon, 
but  when  the  war  broke  out  he  changed  his 
plans,  and  purchased  a  form  of  160  acres,  one 
and  one-half  miles  north  of  town,  which  he 
afterward  traded  for  a  clothing  store  in  Mason, 
which  he  sold  out ;  and  lived  and  made  his 
home  in  Mason  till  June  20,  1871,  when  he 
passed  to  eternal  happiness,  leaving  a  widow 
and  seven  children — J.  M.,  Bernetta  Reed, 
Robert  M.,  Henry  H.,  Cornelia  J.  Sprinkle, 
William  F. 

W.  F.  RANKIN,  hardware,  Mason,  was  born 
in  Effingham  County,  111.,  3Iarch  13,  1863.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen,  he  purchased  a  hardware 
store  of  his  brother,  which  he  had  clerked  in 
about  two  years  previous  to  said  purchase. 
Mr.  Rankin  has  a  fine  stock  of  hardware. 

MITCH  EL  B.  REED,  retired,  Mason,  was 
born  in  Knox  County,  Tenn.,  September  2,  1811. 
At  the  age  of  six  years,  he  went  with  his  pa- 
rents to  Blount  County,  of  the  same  State,  from 
which  place,  after  a  short  residence,  the  familj- 
removed  to  Jackson's  Purchase,  in  the  Cherokee 
nation.  Here  he  was  daily  and  hourly  companion 
of  the  red  rovers  of  the  forest,  of  tliat  strange  race 
which  is  so  rapidly  passing  from  the  face  of  the 
earth,  soon  to  be  perpetrated  only  in  the  tradi- 
tions and  legends  of  the  coming  generations. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  a  close  observer  of 
their  habits  and  characteristics.  He  knew  them 
to  be  unrelenting  and  treacherous,  warlike  and 
brave,  unterrifled  and  intrepid,  keen  sighted  as 
a  hound,  unmatched  in  horsemanship,  and  dex- 


trous as  a  marksman.  He  was  also  acquainted 
with  the  better  side  of  Indian  character,  and 
could  testify  to  their  kindness  and  hospitality, 
and  to  the  forliearance  with  w  hich  the3-  watch  the 
more  powerful  Caucasian  nation  crowding  them 
toward  sunset.  Often  has  Mitchel  Reed  partici- 
pated in  their  wild  sports  and  feats  of  prowess, 
and  been  a  listener  in  their  camps  or  wigwams  to 
their  uncouth  and  superstitious  recitals  in  their 
native  dialect.  Among  other  occurrences  about 
this  time,  he  formed  the  acquaintance  of  the 
celebrated  Davy  Crocket,  and  is  conversant 
with  much  of  the  history  of  that  brave  and  ec- 
centric civilizer  and  backwoodsman.  At  Jack- 
son's Purchase,  Mr.  R.  lived  until  the  year 
of  1825,  when  he  removed  to  Athens,  McMinn 
County,  where  he  remained  till  1836,  with  the 
exception  of  one  year  spent  at  Knoxville,  Tenn., 
learning  the  trade  of  wagon-maker.  During 
these  ten  j^ears,  his  occupation  was  that  of  farm- 
ing and  peddling  among  the  Indians  of  Ocoa 
Purchase,  undergoing  and  overcoming  hard- 
ships and  perils  that  at  the  present  time  are 
called  incidents  almost  incredible.  For  weeks 
at  a  time,  he  would  be  out  with  his  team  alone, 
in  the  vast  wilderness,  encompassed  by  the 
wily,  distrustful  savage,  and  steadily  exposed  to 
the  attacks  of  wild  animals  and  the  venom  of 
deadly  serpents.  It  was  the  9th  of  June,  1836, 
he  arrived  at  Ewington.  the  country  seat  of 
Effingham  County,  after  a  long  and  fatiguing 
journey  from  the  sunny  South.  A  desolate- 
looking  prospect  opened  before  him.  No 
rattle  of  trains;  no  telegraph  wires  to  flash  the 
news  of  an  outer  world.  Only  a  few  scattered 
mills  along  the  streams,  or  the  ominous  howl- 
ing of  the  wolves  broke  the  quietude.  Wild 
deer  were  thick  upon  the  liills,  and  wild  turkey 
were  not  then,  as  now,  a  luxur}-.  The  crack  of 
the  rifle  and  the  thud  of  the  woodman's  ax  were 
the  first  to  announce  the  new  civilization  in 
this  section  of  the  country.  Tiie  old  order  of 
things  gave  way  to  the  brawny  arms  of  the  pio- 
neers;   the    jjrimeval    trees    were  shaped    into 


MASON  T0V7NSH1P. 


171 


houses,  and  houses  were  mustered  together  and  t 
towns  constructed;  the  desolate  waste  of  sway-  i 
ing  grasses  were  swept  by  the  autumn  fires,  and 
soon  the  bannered  corn  held  up  its  myriad  j 
beauties  to  the  sun.  On  the  last  day  of  1837, 
our  old  friend  was  married  to  Miss  Lavina 
Slover,  whose  father  was  the  owner  of  the  land 
on  which  the  citj^  of  Effingham  now  stands. 
The  early  days  of  his  wedded  life  were  full  of 
trials,  hardships  and  toils,"  j'et  seasoned  with 
much  that  is  pleasant  and  gratif3ing  to  recall. 
The  year  of  1840  finds  him  again  in  Bradley 
Count}",  Tenn.,  pursuing  the  trade  of  wagon- 
maker.  In  1851,  he  returned  to  Illinois,  and 
after  a  short  residence  in  Edwards  Count}', 
came  back  to  Effingham,  and  located  between 
Big  and  Little  Salt  Creeks,  Watson  ToWnship. 
In  1867,  he  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  his  pres- 
ent abode.  In  1876,  he  lost  his  much-beloved 
partner  of  his  struggles,  who  died  universally 
lamented  by  all  who  knew  her  many  excellent 
qualities.  Six  out  of  eight  children  born  to  the 
happy  twain  survive,  exemplar}'  citizens,  as  fol- 
lows— Mrs.  Mary  E.  Cronk;  Miss  Mahala  C. 
Reed,  who  is  at  present  her  father's  housekeeper; 
George  W.;  James  P.  and  Isaac  S.,  who  is  the 
subject  of  the  sketch  following  this,  and 
Charles  M.  Reed,  who  is  a  first-class,  moral 
young  man,  and  makes  his  home  with  his  father. 
The  first  and  third  born  were  sons  who  died 
quite  young. 

ISAAC  S.  REED,  merchant,  Mason,  was  born 
in  Edwards  County,  111.,  March  13,  1852.  He 
was  raised  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Wat- 
son and  Mason.  His  facilities  for  education 
were  such  as  the  common  schools  of  the  county 
afforded.  Alter  lie  was  twenty-one,  he  attended 
two  terms  of  school  near  Mason,  and  two  terms 
of  select  school  in  the  town  of  Mason,  thereby 
gaining  a  good  common  school  education.  He 
has  followed  the  business  of  farming  and  stock 
dealingtill  recently.  In  1882,  he  purchased  the 
post  office  building  owned  by  Mr.  Hill,  and 
put  in  a  good  stock  of  groceries  as  well  as  no- 


tions and  books,  and  in  connection  with  this,  he 
runs  a  barber-shop,  a  business  at  which  he  put 
in  a  part  of  each  week  for  some  time,  and  has 
become  an  expert  at  the  work.  Mr.  Reed  has 
been  a  local  correspondent  for  Effingham  Ihmo- 
crat  for  many  years.  He  is  a  good  itemizer, 
and  when  disturbed  by  brother  correspondents, 
he  makes  the  old  fuzz  fl}-  at  a  severe  rate.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  JMasonic  fraternity,  Mason 
Lodge,  No.  217;  has  held  the  offices  of  Senior  Dea- 
con and  Secretary,  which  last  position  he  fills 
at  present.  He  is  a  Democrat,  of  indomitable 
qualifications.  He  is  a  genial,  good-natured, 
clever  fellow,  and  a  typical  gentleman. 

WILLIAM  H.  RICE,  furniture  dealer.  Edge- 
wood,  was  born  November  4,  1838,  in  Essex 
County,  N.  J.  Remained  there  till  1857,  when 
he  went  to  Charleston,  S.  C,  where  he  remained 
in  the  sewing  machine  business  until  1861, 
when  he  went  to  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  remaining 
there  till  1867  ;  then  returned  to  the  South  and 
traveled  through  several  States.  In  1873,  he 
began  the  hotel  and  restaurant  business,  mak- 
ing several  removals.  Began  furniture  busi- 
ness in  connection  with  hotel  keeping  in  the 
city  of  Effingham,  III,  in  1S81.  In  1882,  be 
moved  his  furniture  store  to  Edgewood,  his 
present  location.  In  1877,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Palmer. 

JONATHAN  J.  ROBINSON,  farmer,  son  of 
John  Wesley  Robinson,  was  born  in  February 
6,  1837,  in  Effingham  County.  Removed  with 
his  parents  when  quite  young  to  St.  Louis, 
Mo.  After  some  residence  in  St.  Louis,  he 
removed  to  Posey  County,  Ind.  Shortly  after- 
ward returned  to  Effingham  County,  111.  He 
has  made  this  his  home  since.  He  was  mar- 
ried, April  10,  1859,  to  Miss  Martha  Ann 
Redding,  daughter  of  Willis  Redding,  in  this 
county.  Engaged  in  farming  in  this  county. 
In  1862,  he  purchased  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in 
Mason  Township,  Section  33,  mostly  wild  land, 
of  which  he  has  about  fifty  acres  in  cultivation, 
I  partly    in  bottom.     Politically,  a    Republican. 


173 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Subject   has  four  children,  namelj' — Maiy  E., 
William  J.,  Sedoi-a  E.,  Robert  W. 

FERDINAND  A.  SCHIPFLIN,  hardware 
store,  Edgowood,  dealer  in  hardware,  groceries 
and  agricultural  impleiuents,  of  Edgewood,  111., 
was  born  in  Prussia  March  32,  1839.  Landed 
in  New  York  City  March  12,  1857.  Remained 
in  New  York  City  fifteen  years,  employed  as 
ti-aveling  agent  by  his  brother  and  partner, 
Schifflin  and  Sicvers,  wholesale  dealers  in  hard- 
ware. Subject  came  to  Edgewood  November 
19,  1870,  engaging  in  hardware,  groceries  and 
machinery,  etc.,  business  on  his  own  hook. 
Subject  of  this  sketch  possesses  rare  business 
talent  and  keeps  a  complete  stock.  Was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Fannie  Ryan  in  New  York  City, 
January  19,  1861.  They  have  two  children, 
Angle  and  Ferdinand  W.  Mr.  Schifflin  is  a 
Democrat,  and  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order. 

JAMES  R.  SCOTT,  physician,  Edgewood, 
was  born  September  13,  1840,  in  Jeffer- 
son County,  Ky.  Removed  with  his  parents  to 
Pike  County,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  with 
favorable  opportunity  for  education.  He  at- 
tended school  taught  by  A.  T.  Hendricks,  Esq., 
brother  of  Thomas  A.  Hendricks,  of  Indiana. 
Began  the  study  of  medicine  in  1858,  under  J. 
R.  Adams,  of  Petersburg,  Ind.  Also  studied 
under  J.  L.  Hallim,  of  Central  District,  surgeon 
for  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  He  graduated  at 
the  Cincinnati  Medical  College  in  1862.  He  en- 
listed in  the  United  States  service  in  March,  1862, 
in  the  Third  Kentucky  Infantry  as  an  assistant 
surgeon.  Was  on  the  field  of  battle  at  Chicka- 
mauga,  Rocky  Face  Ridge,  Dalton,  Kenesaw 
Mountain.  Was  discharged  October  10,  1864. 
Subject  was  married  in  Mason,  December  25, 
1865,  to  Mary  A.  Jacobs,  who  died  in  Septem- 
ber, 1867.  He  was  married  in  1869  to  Miss 
Mary  Farrin.  She  died  the  same  year,  and  he 
was  again  married  to  Miss  Maggie  Gilmore, 
daughter  of  J.  L.  Gilmore,  April  2,  1871,  to 
whom  have  been  borne  two  children.  The  first, 
Minnie,  born  in  1873,  died  in  1875.     The  sec- 


ond, Nettie  C,  was  born  April  23,  1882.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  politi- 
cally a  Democrat. 

JOHN  H.  SEITZ,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mason,  sou 
of  George  P.  Seitz,  was  born  in  1849  in  Harri- 
son County,  Ind.  Removed  with  parents  in 
18G4  to  Clay  County,  III.,  where  he  was  mar- 
ried in  1871  to  Miss  Amelia  M.  Smith,  daugh- 
ter of  Lawrence  Smith.  He  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. In  1874,  he  removed  with  his  family  to 
Effingham  County,  111.,  and  settled  on  a  farm 
one  mile  north  of  Mason.  Subject  is  a  Demo- 
crat, He  has  a  family  of  three  children — 
Laura  Addie,  Annie  A.,  Katy   Florence. 

ANDREW  SHARP,  shoemaker,  Mason,  son 
of  William  Sharp,  was  born  in  Wirt  County, 
W.  Va.,  in  1850.  His  father  died  when  he  was 
very  young,  and  he  began  to  shift  for  himself 
at  the  age  of  nine  3'ears,  working  at  various 
kinds  of  public  work.  In  1865,  he  took  up  the 
trade  of  shocmaking.  In  1871,  he  came  to 
Mason,  III.,  and  started  a  shop,  where  he  has 
remained  since,  working  at  his  trade.  Subject 
was  married  in  Mason,  111.,  in  1872,  to 
Miss  Nancy  Barkham,  daughter  of  Howell 
Barkham.  Mr.  Sharp  is  an  old  Jacksonian 
Democrat.  Besides  some  fair  propert3'  in 
Mason,  he  owns  fifty  acres  of  beautiful  val- 
ley land  in  the  mountains  of  West  Virginia, 
which,  on  account  of  the  oil  and  oil  works  of 
that  section,  may  become  of  great  value  in  the 
future.  In  his  boyhood  he  assumed  the  respon- 
sibility of  taking  care  of  his  mother,  which  he 
still  continues. 

CHARLES  SISSON,  station  agent.  Mason, 
son  of  Daniel  Sissou,  was  born  in  Ohio  Coun- 
ty, Ind.,  August  29,  1856.  Removed  with  his 
parents  when  quite  young  to  Mason,  III.  Here 
he  had  fair  advantages  for  education,  attending 
the  Mason  High  School  several  terms.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-two,  he  engaged  in  telegraphy  in 
Mason.  He  has  served  as  station  agent  at 
Sigel  and  Neoga.  In  1880,  he  was  stationed  at 
Mason,  the  office  in  which  he  learned.     Subject 


MASON   TOWNSHIP. 


173 


vfas  married  in  Mason,  September  23,  1880,  to 
Miss  Eva  Bailie,  daugliter  of  Andrew  Bailie. 
He  has  one  child,  Arthur  Eugene.  Subject's 
father,  Daniel  Sisson,  is  a  millwright  by  pro- 
fession. He  owns  a  first-class  flouring  mill  at 
Mason,  111.  Has  nine  children,  all  living — 
Ada  B.,  a  well-known  teacher  of  the  county  ; 
Franklin  ;  Charles,  the  subject  of  our  sketch  ; 
Eugene,  a  law  student  at  Shawueetown  ;  Bird, 
Ma}-,  Ida,  Ernest  and  Effle. 

ALMON  D.  TARBOX,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mason, 
a  son  of  Solomon  Tarbox,  was  born  in  Switzer- 
land County,  lud.,  December  24, 1834.  He  was 
married  in  this  county,  October  16,  1851,  to 
Miss  Rachel  Griffin,  and  took  up  the  avocation 
of  farming  on  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  near 
Vevay,  Ind.  In  1864,  he  sold  his  farm  and  re- 
moved to  ElBngham  County,  111.  He  pur- 
chased 120  acres  of  land  in  Section  29,  Mason 
Township.  This  he  has  made  his  home  since. 
Mr.  Tarbox,  and  his  wife  are  both  mem- 
bers of  the  M.  E.  Church.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Republican.  Mr.  Tarbox  has  a  family  of  seven 
children,  as  follows  :  Milton,  William,  Ollie, 
Clara,  Gertrude,  Laura,  and  one  deceased, 
Fannie.  Subject's  father,  Solomon  Tarbox,  was 
born  in  New  York  November  9,  1873.  He  was 
married  in  New  York  in  1805,  to  Miss  Harris, 
daughter  of  Robert  Harris.  In  1808,  he  re- 
moved to  Indiana,  and  followed  the  avocation 
of  farming  in  connection  with  his  trade,  shoe- 
making.  He  removed  with  his  son,  subject,  to 
Illinois,  with  whom  he  made  his  home  till  his 
death  which  occurred  in  1866.  His  widow 
(subject's  mother)  Mrs.  Alice  Tarbox,  was  born 
in  New  York  June  16,  1796.  She  is  now 
and  has  for  many  years  made  her  home  with 
her  son.  Mrs.  Tarbox  has  been  a  member  of 
M.  E.  Church  since  she  was  eleven  years  old. 
The}-  raised  a  family  of  eight  children,  two  of 
whom  are  living,  including  subject  and  Fannie  L., 
wife  of  Daniel  Kittle,  a  resident  of  this  township. 

WILLIAM  TOOKEY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Edge- 
wood,  son  of  John  Tookey,  was  born  October 


27,  1818,  in  County  Kent,  England.  Here  he 
was  raised  on  a  fiirm,  and  the  facilities  for  an 
education  were  ver}-  poor.  He  was  married  in 
England  in  1843,  to  Miss  Harriet  Revel.  He 
emigrated  to  America  in  1851,  and  located  in 
Philadelphia,  where  he  was  engaged  as 
gardener  and  milkman;  there  he  remained  till 

1856,  and  settled  on  a  farm,  and  followed  in 
that  county  only  a  short  time,  when  he  removed 
to  Chicago,  and  engaged  in  gardening;  here  he 
remained  till  1876,  when  he  removed  to  Ef- 
fingham Count}-,  111.,  and  purchased  a  farm  of 
100  acres  in  Effingham  County,  and  eighty 
acres  in  Fayette  County,  across  the  line.  Mr. 
Tookey's   wife  died  in   Kane   County,   III.,    in 

1857,  and  he  was  married,  August  31,  1867,  to 
Mrs.  Emma  Chariot,  in  Chicago,  by  Dr.  Lord. 
By  his  first  wife,  he  has  three  children  living, 
viz.:  James,  Harriet  and  Mrs.  Annie  Duddles. 
Mr.  Tookey  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity, Bdgewood  Lodge,  No.  484.  Subject  is 
a  Republican  politically. 

HENRY  TOOKEY,  farmer,  P.  0.  Edge- 
wood,  was  born  in  1827,  in  Kent  County,  Eng- 
land. He  was  married  in  1852  to  Miss  Sarah 
Barton.  Came  to  Philadelphia  in  1855,  via 
New  York  City,  where  he  remained  one 
year,  then  pushed  westward  to  Kane  County, 
111.  In  1859,  he  removed  to  Effingham  County, 
111.,  and  engaged  in  farming  a  small  farm  of 
fifty-one  acres  near  Edgewood,  to  which  he 
has  added  to  the  amount  of  627  acres  of  land,  a 
partof  which  is  given  to  his  children;  still  retains 
a  good  farm.  In  1882,  he  rented  his  farm  and 
removed  to  Edgewood,  111.,  where  he  still  runs 
a  small  farm  adjoining  the  corporation.  Feb- 
ruary 5,  1877,  his  wife  died.  He  was  mar- 
ried September  1,  1878,  to  Mrs.  Emily  J. 
Fields. 

BENJAMIN  TURMIN,  farmer,  P.  0.  Ma- 
son, is  a  son  of  John  Turmin;  was  born  in 
Bedford  County,  Tenn.,  in  1819.  Here  he 
was  raised  on  a  farm.  He  was  married  in  Bed- 
ford County,  Tenn.,  in  1830,  to  Miss   Martha 


174 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Gross,  and  he  engaged  in  farming  in  that  coun- 
tj-  till  1&44,  when  he  removed  to  Perry  County, 
111.,  and  resumed  farming.  He  purchased  sev- 
eral farms  in  that  county,  and  was  in  well-to- 
do  circu instances.  In  1865,  he  removed  to  Ef- 
fingham County,  again  resuming  the  avocation 
of  a  farmer.  In  1849.  his  wife  died.  Shortly 
after  the  death  of  his  wife,  he  engaged  in 
merchandising  in  Mulkeytown,  Franklin  Co., 
111.  He  soon  after  sold  out  his  store  and 
erected  a  store  building  and  put  in  a  large 
stock  of  goods,  in  Franklin  County,  111.,  on 
the  McLeansboro  road,  and  he  was  the  first 
Postmaster  of  the  village  Ewing  that  built  up 
there.  One  year  later  finds  him  in  the  town  of 
Mason,  III.,  where  he  again  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising, which  he  continued  about  one  3'ear, 
and  sold  out.  He  bought  a  farm  in  West 
Township  which  he  soon  after  traded  for  a 
farm  near  Mason;  this  he  traded  for  a  ftirm 
of  108  acres  in  Section  8.  Mason  Township, 
and  moved  onto  it  in  1876.  Mr.  Turmin  was 
married  to  his  present  wife  in  August,  1879; 
her  name  was  Mrs.  Louis  Hance.  His  second 
wife's  maiden  name  was  Miss  Elizabeth  Sillv- 
wood.  Subject  has  a  family  of  five  children 
living — Mrs.  Mary  Burks,  Mrs.  Margaret  Cul- 
ley,  Mrs.  Martha  Metier,  Mrs.  Sarah  Caven- 
augh  and  Virginia  B.  Turmin.  Politically,  Mr. 
Turmin  is  a  Democrat.  In  1864,  he,  in  con- 
nection with  a  great  many  of  the  best  citizens 
of  Tamaroa,  including  lawyers,  doctors  and 
other  men  of  good  standing,  were  arrested  and 
taken  to  Washington  City,  and  imprisoned. 
This  was  just  before  the  election.  After  the 
election  was  over,  the}-  passed  an  interview 
with  some  Government  officer,  and  of  course 
were  acquitted  and  allowed  to  return  home. 

DAVID  S.  TURNER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mason, 
was  born  in  Buckingham  County,  Va.,  June 
21,  1822,  being  the  oldest  child  of  James  Tur- 
ner, now  of  this  count}-.  He  was  eight  years 
old  when  his  father  came  to  this  county,  hav- 
ing lived  seven  years  in   Tennessee.     Subject 


went  to  school  here  to  a  Tennessean  named 
James  White,  in  Jackson  Township,  one-half 
mile  west  of  his  father's  old  homestead  ;  thinks 
he  was  twelve  years  old  when  he  went  to  the 
first  one  in  that  neighborhood  ;  went  to  sciiool 
/when  he  could  be  spared  from  work  on  the 
farm.  It  was  a  problem  in  those  da^'s  to 
clotlie  children,  and  as  fast  as  a  boy's 
clothes  and  shoes  were  done  he  started  to 
school.  The  last  teacher  he  went  to  was  hired 
by  his  father  to  come  and  teach  his  children  in  a 
house  on  his  farm.  His  name  was  Hiram 
Graj,  a  native  of  Tennessee.  Our  subject  was 
married  June  9,  1844,  to  Elizabeth  Henry, 
daughter  of  Elijali  Henry,  of  this  county.  He 
came  from  Lexington,  Ky.  After  marriage  our 
subject  located  on  a  farm  of  heavy  timbered 
land  near  Watson,  but  not  liking  the  idea  of 
removing  heavy  timber,  he  bought  180  acres 
of  land  in  1850,  near  what  is  now  Edgewood- 
for  $400,  and  lived  on  it  five  years  and  im- 
proved it.  In  1855,  he  bought  250  acres  ad- 
joining the  town  of  Mason,  where  he  now  lives 
and  has  farmed  it  ever  since.  He  raises  a  va- 
riety of  grains  and  stock.  In  1868,  his  wife 
died,  leaving  two  children — John  Henry  and 
AUie.  In  1869,  our  subject  remarried  to  Mrs. 
Maria  Van  Deusen,  of  English  birth,  and  has 
three  children  of  this  marriage — Freddie  and 
Flora  (twins),  and  Maggie.  Mr.  Turner  has 
lived  in  the  town  of  Mason  since  1869. 

HENRY  B.  TURNER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mason, 
son  of  James  Turner,  was  born  in  Effingham 
County,  111.,  December  27,  1830.  His  chances 
for  education  were  as  good  as  that  time  could 
furnish.  He  attended  several  winter  terms  a 
distance  of  three  miles,  and  then  the  accommo- 
dations were  very  poor,  being  an  average  pio- 
neer log  schoolhouse.  He  also  attended  two 
winter  terms  of  school  taught  at  his  father's, 
the  teacher  being  hired  by  his  father  to  teach 
the  family  ;  thus  he  acquired  a  fair  education. 
He  followed  farming  till  1856,  making  his  home 
with  his  father,  at  which  time  he  engaged   in 


MASON  TOWNSHIP. 


175 


merchandising  at  Louisville,  Clay  Co.,  111.,  in 
partnership  with  Htnry  M.  Hobbs.  In  this 
business  I  tliink  he  continued  onl}'  long  enough 
to  win  his  partner's  fair  daughter,  Miss  Susan 
Ellen  Hobbs,  and  to  whom  he  was  married 
September  27,  1857.  Ho  returned  to  Etling- 
ham  County  and  settled  his  tract  of  land,  212 
acres  of  wild  prairie,  in  Mason  Township,  two 
and  one-half  miles  north  of  Mason,  where  he 
has  made  a  farm  on  which  he  has  excellent  im- 
provements, and  calls  it  "  Sweet  Home."  Mr. 
Turner  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity 
and  is  a  zealous  supporter  of  Democrac3-.  He 
has  a  family  of  four  children — Stephen  D.,  Ida 
May,  Harriet  A.,  Rozilla. 

WILSON  TURNER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mason, 
son  of  James  Turner,  was  born  in  Jackson 
Township,  of  this  county,  October  2, 1838.  He 
was  raised  on  a  farm.  Received  a  fair  common 
school  education  for  that  time.  In  1858,  he 
attended  school  at  Windsor,  Shelby  Count3',  111., 
where  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Miss  Mary 
A.  Poe,  daughter  of  Abner  Poe,  to  whom  he 
was  married  November  27.  1858.  In  1860,  he 
located  on  a  tract  of  land  of  240  acres,  two  and 
a  half  miles  northeast  of  Mason,  timber  and 
prairie  adjoining,  on  wiiich  he  lias  140  acres  in 
cultivation.  lie  has  a  first-class  residence  and 
other  buildings  as  well  as  an  excellent  orchard. 
Subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  Mason,  and  is  of 
Democratic  persuasion.  The  following  are  his 
family- :  Henry  A.  ;  Zilla  C.,  wife  of  Aaron 
Louder  ;  Didemma  Y.  ;  Elcy  N.  ;  James  W.  ; 
John  F.  ;  Theodore  N. ;  Annie  Laurie  ;  Glen- 
dora  A.,  and  two  who  have  been  called  to  rest 
— William  B.  and  Oscar  H. 

MAJ.  HARRISON  TYNER,  merchant,  Ma- 
son, was  born  in  1813,  in  Scott  County,  Kj'. 
Removed  with  his  parents,  at  age  of  two,  to 
Shelby  County,  Ind.  With  fair  opportunities 
for  education,  he  grew  to  manhood  here.  He 
was  married,  December  27,  1832,  to  Miss  Levi- 
na  Penwell,  daughter  of  George  Penwell,  and 
resided  in  Indiana  till    1854.  and  followed  the 


profession  of  carpenter  and  joiner,  whicii  he 
learned  shortlj'  after  his  marriage.  Moved  to 
Kankakee,  III.,  in  1854,  and  again  embarked  in 
his  profession.  In  1859,  he  removed  to  Mason, 
111.  In  August,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  war 
Companj'  B,  Thirty-eighth  Illinois,  as  Captain 
of  company.  His  health  having  failed  him,  he 
returned  home  soon  after  his  enlistment. 
During  the  early  part  of  1864,  he  again  enlisted 
and  was  commissioned  Major  of  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fort^'-third  Illinois.  The  One  Hun- 
dred and  Forty-third  was  not  called  to  the  field  of 
battle;  was  stationed  at  Helena,  Ark.,  to  guard 
the  river,  and  keep  the  river  navigable  for 
United  States  boats.  At  one  time  during  a 
short  stay  of  six  weeks  at  Helena,  only  twent3-- 
seven  men  were  reported  able  for  dut}-  on  ac- 
count of  the  malaria  of  that  vicinit3'.  During 
his  first  enlistment,  was  in  the  following  engage- 
ments: Siege  of  Corinth  and  the  battle  of  Stone 
River.  Was  discharged  September  26,  1864. 
For  some  j-ears  after  the  war,  he  ran  a  boot 
and  shoe  store;  afterward  engaged  in  dealing 
in  groceries  and  furniture,  of  which  he  keeps  a 
fine  assortment.  The  following  are  his  chil- 
dren: David  L.,  Oscar  M,  and  Charles  W.  Two 
of  his  sons  were  killed  in  the  war.  George  W., 
the  oldest,  was  killed  by  the  cars,  and  William 
H.  was  wounded  at  Liberty  Gap,  Tenn.,  from 
the  effects  of  which  he  died. 

DAVID  L.  TYNER,  furniture,  P.  0.  Mason, 
dealer  in  furniture,  etc.,  son  of  H.  Tyner,  was 
born  November  27,  1836,  in  Hancock  County, 
Ind.  He  came  with  his  parents,  in  1858,  to 
Illinois,  and  settled  at  Kankakee,  where  his 
father  followed  the  carpenter's  and  joiner's 
trade.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  learned  the 
the  trade  of  his  father.  He  was  married,  April 
4,  1838,  in  Kankakee  County,  111.,  to  Mahala 
Dashiell.  In  1843,  he  moved  to  Champaign 
for  a  short  time,  and  in  1844,  he  removed  to 
Mason,  111.,  and  engaged  in  his  trade  till  1874, 
when  he  engaged  in  the  furniture  business,  and 
has  good  property  in  Mason.     Politically,  he 


176 


BIOGRAPEICAJ.: 


is  a  Republican.  Has  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren— Ada,  Minnie,  Jennie,  Nellie,  Gertrude, 
William  H.  and  Cbarles. 

GEORGE  WADE,  druggist,  grain-buyer 
and  stock-dealer.  Mason,  was  born  in  1841,  in 
Switzerland  County,  Ind.  Here  he  spent  his 
boj'hood  da3S,  with  a  fair  chance  for  education. 
In  I860,  he  attended  the  National  Normal 
School,  at  Lebanon,  Ohio,  for  the  year.  Mr. 
Wade  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  in  1862,  in 
Company  C,  J!^inety-third  Indiana  Infantry. 
At  first  was  assigned  to  the  Fifteenth  Armj- 
Corps,  under  Sherman  ;  afterward  transferred 
to  the  Sixteenth  Arm}-  Corps.  He  was  in  the 
following  engagements :  Vicksburg,  Brice's 
Cross  Roads.  In  an  engagement  at  Gun  Town, 
he  was  taken  prisoner  and  taken  to  Mobile, 
Ala.,  afterward  to  Andersouville  Prison.  He 
remained  in  imprisonment  about  ten  months, 
and  was  exchanged  and  discharged  in  August, 
1865.  He  returned  to  his  home  in  Indiana, 
and  engaged  in  stock-dealing  ;  also  followed 
flat-boating  for  some  time.  In  1871,  he  located 
in  Mason,  111.,  in  the  hardware  business,  which 
he  continued  about  two  years.  In  partnership 
with  Tiiistlewood  Brothers  ;  he  bought  Sisson's 
flour  mill,  and  at  the  same  time  dealt  largel}' 
in  dry  goods  and  groceries  ;  sold  the  mill  and 
traded  for  a  stave  factory,  which  he  ran  for 
several  years.  He  now  owns  a  drug  store  and 
is  a  grain  buj-er  and  stock-dealer.  The  firm 
of  Wade  &  Leith  is  running  a  dry  goods  and 
grocery  store  in  Clifton,  111.  Mr.  Wade  owns 
a  farm  of  160  acres  in  Section  22,  West  Town- 
ship ;  also  167  acres  in  Section  15,  Mason 
Township.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity.  Mr.  Wade  was  married  October  25, 
187G,  to  Miss  Alina  Mills,  daughter  of  Judge 
Mills  ;  they  have  one  cliild — Alfred  S.,  born 
June  9,  1878. 

B.  R.  WESCOTT,  Je.,  former,  P.  0.  Mason, 
son  of  D.  R.  Wescott,  was  born  December  25, 
1842,  in  Pike  County,  111.  His  parents  moved 
to  Mansfield,  Ohio,  when  he  was  quite  young, 


where  he  remained  till  twelve  years  of  age  ; 
they  then  removed  to   Iowa  Citj',  Iowa.     Here 
he  remained  till  1860.     In  1862,  he  enlisted  in 
the  war.   Company   B.   Thirty-third    Iowa  In- 
fantry, from  Sigourney,  Keokuk  County,  for   a 
term  of  three  3'ears.  or  during  the  war  ;  and  he 
got  the   full    benefit  of    the  term.     Was  for- 
warded to  Columbus,  Ky.     Was  in  the  follow- 
ing engagements  :    Helena,  capture  of   Little 
Rock,    Saline  River,    Ark.,   siege    of    Mobile, 
Spanish  Fort,  Blakely,  capture  of  a  rebel  fleet 
on   the   Tombigbee.     Was  discharged  at    New 
Orleans  July  17,  1865.    After  the  war,  he  went 
to  Chicago  and  engaged  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness, afterward  hardware  business  ;  continued 
two  years.     In   1867,  he  began  traveling  for  a 
wholesale  factory — S.  I.  Russ  &  Co.,  which  he 
followed  about  two  years  ;  and  came  South  to 
Greenup,  and  engaged  in  book-keeping  for  I. 
H.  Paule}-   and  the  Vaudalia  Railroad.     This 
he  continued   during  the   construction  of  the 
Vandalia  to  the  State  line.     He  engaged  in  the 
nursery  business  at  Hoopston,  Vermillion  Co., 
111.     In   1876,    he  sold    there,  and  farmed    in 
Mississippi  one  year  ;  did  not  like  the  country. 
He  then  engaged  in   nurserj-  business  in  Indi- 
ana, which  he  continued  till  1880.     He   pur- 
chased a  farm   in  Effingham   County,  111.,  and 
removed  on  it.     Has  a  farm  of  200  acres,  all  in 
Mason  Township.     Subject  was   married  July, 
1870,  in  Clark  County,  111.,  to  Miss  Ella  Lan- 
gel,  daughter  of  Philip  Langel  ;  to  them  were 
given  two  children,  viz.,  Cora  and  B.  R. 
^  JOHN  WILLIAMSON,  farmer,  P.  0.  Edge- 
wood,  son  of  Thomas  Williamson,  was    born 
February  24,  1839,  in  I|iawrence   County,  Ind. 
Removed   to   Clay  County,  111.,  at  the  age  of 
seven  3'ears,  with  his  parents,  and  settled  in 
north  part  of  Cla}'  Count}',  111.    Was  raised  on 
a  farm,  and   started  for  himself  at  the  age  of 
fourteen.      He  was  married   in   1858  to  Miss 
Nancj'  Baker,  daughter  of  Robert  Baker  ;  she 
died  in  1873,  and   he  was   married   in  1875  to 
Mrs.  Mary  Catharine  Fender.     Subject  carries 


MASON  TOWNSHIP. 


177 


on  a  farm  of  160  acres.  Subject  enlisted  in 
the  war  in  1862,  in  Company  C,  Ninety-eightli 
Illinois.  Was  assigned  to  the  Arrnj'  of  the 
Cumberland.  He  was  in  the  following  en- 
gagements: Hoover's  Gap,  Elk  River,  Chicka- 
mauga,  Chattanooga,  and  series  of  battles  around 
Atlanta,  Go..,  and  Selma,  Ala.  Was  mustered 
out  June  27,  1865.  Politicallj^,  he  is  a  stanch 
Republican. 

WILLIAM  WILSON,  farmer,  P.  0.  Edge- 
wood,  son  of  William  Wilson,  was  born  in  the 
county  of  Norfolk,  England,  in  1818.  Was 
raised  in  England.  Subject  was  married  in 
England  in  February,  1840,  to  Miss  Mary  A. 
Blake.  Engaged  in  railroading  and  also  as  a 
stone  mason  on  the  public  works.  In  1851,  he 
emigrated  to  America  with  his  family,  consist- 
ing of  a  wife  and  four  children.  Located  a 
short  time  in  Connecticut.  In  1853,  he  came  to 
Clay  County,  and  followed  railroading  on  the 
Central  Illinois  until  1857,  when  he  bought  a 
farm  of  eighty  acres,  to  which  he  added  120 
acres.  He  also  owns  a  farm  of  160  acres  in 
Mason  Township,  near  Edgewood.  Has  a  fam- 
ily of  eleven  children  living — William,  Eliza 
Barton,  Ellen  Chariot,  Mary  Tookey,  Henri- 
etta, Henry  Wilson,  Robert  Wilson,  by  his  first 
wife.  His  first  wife  died  in  1804.  In  1867,  he 
was  married  to  Ellen  Selena.  The  following 
are  his  children  :  Emma,  Franklin  B.,  Joseph 
and  Charles. 

J.  W.  WILSON,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mason,  son  of 
John  S.  Wilson,  was  born  in  1832  in  Hamilton 
County,  Ohio.  He  removed  with  his  parents, 
at  the  age  of  seventeen,  to  Effingham  County, 
and  located  on  a  farm  three  miles  northeast  of 
Mason.  Mr.  Wilson  was  married,  in  1862,  to 
Miss  Julia  F.  ShuU,  daughter  of  M.  M.  Shull, 
Cumberland  County,  111.  He  soon- settled  on  a 
farm  of  eighty  acres  in  West  Township,  Section 
13,  which  he  afterward  paid  for  bj'  fiirming  and 
good  management,  to  which  he  lias  added  fifty- 
one  acres  adjoining,  on  which  he  now  lives,  in 
Mason  Township.     Mr.  Wilson  is  a  member  of 


the  Masonic  fraternity.  Mason  Lodge,  No.  217. 
Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  has  a  family 
of  six  children — Lillie  B.,  Albert  R.,  Edwin  O., 
Cora  May,  Burlie  AVilbur,  Amanda  E.,  and  one 
dead — Charles  C. 

CHARLES  D.  WILSON,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Mason,  son  of  William  M.  Wilson,  was  born  on 
March  IS,  1839,  in  Fairfield  County,  Ohio. 
Removed  with  his  parents  in  1847,  to  Effing- 
ham County,  III,  where  he  has  since  made 
his  home.  In  August,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  the 
war.  Company  C,  Ninety -eighth  Illinois  Volun- 
teers; was  in  the  following  battles  :  Elizabeth- 
town,  Ky.,  Hoover's  Gap,  Tenn.,  Chickaraauga, 
Wheeler's  raid,  which  was  a  very  hard  raid,  and 
a  series  of  battles  ;  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Atlanta, 
Ga.,  Selma,  Ala.;  was  discharged  June  27, 
1865,  and  mustered  out  of  service  at  Nashville, 
Tenn.  He  returned  home,  and  was  married, 
October  29,  1865,  in  Effingham  County,  to 
Miss  Margaret  E.  Ruffiier,  daughter  of  Andrew 
Ruffuer;  farmed  a  rented  farm  for  some  time. 
In  1874,  he  purchased  a  farm  of  forty  acres  in 
Section  25,  Mason  Township,  all  in  cultivation. 
Subject  is  a  Democrat.  Has  a  family  of  three 
children,  namelj',  Emma,  Lee  and  Gracie. 

JAMES  F.  WILSON,  farmer,  P.  0.  Jlason, 
a  son  of  John  S.  Wilson,  was  born  in  Fairfield 
County,  Ohio,  March  24,  1844;  removed  with 
his  parents  to  this  county  when  about  seven 
years  old.  His  father  settled  on  a  farm  of 
eighty  acres,  half  in  Union  and  half  in  Mason 
Townships.  Subject  lives  on  and  owns  the  one 
forty  of  the  home  farm  lying  in  Mason  Town- 
ship, all  of  which  is  under  cultivation.  Mr. 
Wilson  was  married  in  this  county,  June  21, 
1863,  to  Miss  Margaret  Wilson.  They  have  a 
family  of  six  children — George  M.,  John  S., 
James  A.,  Eunice  Ellen,  Sarah  A.  and  Flora  J. 
Mr.  Wilson  is  a  zealous  supporter  of  Democ- 
racj-. 

BROOKS  WILSON,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mason,  a 
native  of  Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  was  born  Au- 
gust 29,  1840.     He  removed  with   his  father. 


178 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


John  S.  Wilson,  to  this  county-.  He  followed 
the  occupation  of  farming,  and  owns  the  east 
half  of  the  home  farm.  His  father,  John  S., 
died  several  years  ago.  Mr.  Wilson  was  mar- 
ried in  this  count}',  January  12,  1871,  to  Miss 
L3'dia  E.  Hinkle,  daughter  of  Casper  Hinkle. 
They  have  a  family  of  six  children,  namely — 
Thomas  0.,  Frederic  W.,  Harry  Alden,  George 
W.  and  two  (twins),  Phebe  Florence  and  Cas- 
per L. 

MOEGAN  WRIGHT,  deceased,  was  the 
son  of  an  old  Revolutionary  soldier,  who 
fought  seven  years,  including  the  year  1776, 
and  was  personally  acquainted  with  Gen.  Wash- 
ington. This  gallant  old  hero,  William  Wright, 
emigrated  to  Indiana  at  an  early  day.  Morgan 
was  born  in  the  j-ear  1800,  and  was  married  to 
Miss  Jane  Allen,  in  1822.  He  settled  in  Put- 
nam County,  Ind.,  and  purchased  a  large  bodj' 
of  timber  land,  and,  in  a  few  years,  the  income 
from  his  farm  was  a  fortune.  He  soon  became 
one  of  the  master  spirits  of  the  old  Whig  party, 
and,  as  a  stump  orator,  he  was  the  rival  of 
Gov.  Joseph  Wright.  He  emigrated  to  Effing- 
ham County,  111.,  in  1852,  and  settled  on  a  farm, 
on  which  the  town  of  Mason  is  built.  He  was 
never  well  after  he  came  to  this  count}',  but  he 
conducted  his  own  affairs  till  within  a  few 
months  of  his  death.  He  and  his  wife  lived 
together  fifty  years,  and  raised  a  large  family. 
Dr.  Owen  Wright  is  the  only  child  of  this  family 
that  remains  in  this  county.  Morgan  Wright 
died  July  4,  1872,  and  his  wife  died  January 
16,  1882.  They  rest  from  their  labors,  and 
their  works  do  follow  them. 

DR.  OWEN  WRIGHT,  the  son  of  Morgan 
Wright,  Esq.,  first  caught  the  glimpse  of  light  on 
the  16th  of  February,  1835,  near  the  city  of 
Greencastle,  Ind.,  and  was  raised  on  a  farm  by  his 
parents,  who  sent  him  to  school  when  he  was 
four  years  and  six  months  old.  At  the  age  of 
nineteen,  he  had  completed  a  course  of  study, 
which  entitled  him  to  the  baccalaureate  degree. 
Subsequently,  he  received  the  degree  of  A.  M. 


In  the  year  1852,  he  emigrated  to  EflBngham 
County,  111.,  and  two  years  later  he  entered 
upon  the  study  of  medicine.  In  1856,  he  ma- 
triculated in  Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago, 
where  he  remained  an  industrious  student,  till 
he  graduated,  February  17,  1858.  During  the 
winter  of  1859-60,  he  closed  his  office  and  went 
to  St.  Louis  to  attend  lectures.  The  two  lead- 
ing medical  colleges  were  so  near  to  each  other 
that  he  managed  to  hear  the  two  great  rival 
surgeons  each  day.  Prof  McDowell  in  one 
school  and  Prof  Pope  in  the  other.  His  pride 
and  ambition  were  then,  and  are  to-day,  to 
know  everything  that  may  be  known  on  all 
sciences  and  branches  of  bis  profession.  Sub- 
sequently, he  attended  lectures  in  Ohio  Medi- 
cal College.  During  the  late  war,  popularly 
known  as  the  Southern  rebellion  against  the 
United  States,  he  was  commissioned  as  First 
Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-fifth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers.  He 
was  one  of  the  active  Surgeons  on  the  great 
campaign,  known  in  history  as  "  Sherman's 
march  to  the  sea."  He  was  detailed  as  Surgeon 
of  the  Fourteenth  Army  Corps  Hospital,  in 
Savanah,  Ga.,  in  Januarj',  1865,  where  his  su- 
perior learning  and  skill  were  recognized  and 
acknowledged  by  all  with  whom  he  was  as- 
sociated. When  he  returned  home  from  the 
army,  he  resumed  the  business  of  his  profession, 
and  those  who  know  him  best  will  testify  that 
he  is  never  idle.  When  he  is  not  professionally 
engaged,  he  goes  to  his  library  of  several  hun- 
dred volumes  of  standard  works,  and  opens 
such  books  for  study  as  his  mind  seems  best 
able  to  digest.  He  writes  extensively  for  medi- 
cal journals  and  State  papers.  He  is  an  elo- 
quent speaker,  and  has  published  a  volume  of 
his  orations.  This  work  has  been  indorsed  and 
highlj'  eulogized  by  the  ablest  scholars  in  our 
country.  As  a  surgical  operator,  he  has  shown 
himself  to  be  as  skillful  as  any  physician.  He 
prepares  his  subjects  with  great  care,  and  when 
he  has  everything  at  hand   and  in   order,  his 


JACKSON  TOWNSHIP. 


179 


knowledge  of  anatomy,  and  his  extensive  prac- 
tice witli  tlie  knife,  on  the  dead  subject,  enable 
him  to  work  without  any  probability  of  error. 
No  accident  has  ever  happened  in  his  luinds. 
When  he  knows  the  patient  is  not  able  to  en- 
dure an  operation,  he  withholds  the  knife  or 
other  instrument,  and  resorts  to  different  means, 
and  waits  for  further  developments.  He  will 
not  experiment  on  the  living  subject.  He  has 
written  a  work  on  surgery,  wiiich  he  hopes  to 
be  able  to  publish  soon.  He  has  no  respect  for 
illiterate  men  who  attempt  to  practice  medicine. 
Lately,  he  published  a  letter  in  the  Effingham 
Repuhh'ccin,  and  subsequently  re-published  it  in 
circular  form,  and  distributed  the  same  all  over 
the  country.  He  states  in  this  letter,  that  the 
ability  to  practice  nledicine  and  surgery  is  ac- 
quired nowhere  except  by  the  side  of  the  sick 
person,  and  in  the  dissecting-room,  under  the 
instruction  of  an  expert,  and  that  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  practitioners  of  our  country 
have  not  studied  anatomy  and  physiology,  and 
consequently,  cannot  know  the  nature  of  dis- 
eases, and  also,  that  the  number  who  have  died 
of  mal-treatment,  is  greater  than    have   been 


slain  by  the  sword.  On  the  13th  day  of  Sep- 
tember, 1860,  Dr.  Owen  Wright  and  Margaret 
Wallis  were  united  in  marriage,  in  Salem.  111., 
by  the  Rev.  T.  F.  Houts,  A.  M.  Miss  Wallace 
was  a  lady  of  superior  intellect,  and  was  highly 
educated  in  the  liberal  arts  and  sciences.  To 
this  couple  were  born  two  daughters  and  two 
sons.  The  oldest  son  is  not,  for  God  took  him. 
Ann  Jane  and  Margaret  Delilah  are  second- 
year  students  in  the  Southern  Illinois  Normal 
University.  The  youngest  child,  Owen,  Jr.,  is 
known  where  he  lives  as  the  little  scholar  and 
orator.  Dr.  Wright  is  a  worthy  Christian  gen- 
tleman, and  his  order  for  money,  where  he  is 
known,  is  good.  By  industry  and  economy,  he 
has  gathered  around  him  a  kind  of  property 
that  will  not  perish.  He  has  made  ample  pro- 
vision for  the  support  of  his  family  in  after 
years.  He  treats  all  men  gentlemanly,  and  is 
highly  esteemed  by  his  neighbors.  He  loves 
his  friends  as  he  loves  himself,  and  will  do  any- 
thing that  is  reasonable  for  them.  He  lives  free 
from  all  vices,  and  is  a  perfect  type  of  a  gen- 
tleman. He  is  a  light  to  world.  Long  may  he  live 
to  perform  the  work  of  a  surgeon  in  our  midst. 


JACKSON 

BKNJAMIN  BALLARD,  fiirmer,  P.  0.  Al- 
tamont,  is  a  son  of  William  and  Eliza  Ballard, 
and  was  born  in  England  in  1830.  At  the  age 
of  twenty-one,  subject  bid  farewell  to  his  par- 
ents, four  brothers  and  three  sisters,  and  sailed 
for  New  York  Citj%  where  he  arrived  Novem- 
ber 22d,  1851,  after  a  rough  voyage  of  forty- 
two  days,  being  nearly  shipwrecked  two  times. 
Subject  landed  on  our  shores  "  penniless  and 
friendless;"  worked  for  some  time  aj  the  low 
wages  of  $8  per  month.  By  mistake  he  pur- 
chased a  ticket  for  Columbus,  Ohio,  instead  of 
another  point,  and  went  to  the  former  place. 
Here  he  learned  of  the  building  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad,  and  at  once  started  to  Efflng- 


TOWNSHIP. 

ham  County,  111.;  traveled  by  stage  part,  and 
walked  the  rest  of  the  way.  After  one  j'ear's 
work  on  the  railroad,  in  1852,  he  took  a  con- 
tract of  grading  two  miles  of  railroad  with  a 
wheel- barrow  near  the  present  site  of  Laclede. 
He  only  worked  a  short  time  with  a  wheel-bar- 
row; he  secured  the  use  of  several  yoke  of 
oxen  and  scrapers  with  which  he  completed 
this  wonderful  undertaking  in  about  three 
■  months' time;  and  net  $400,  He  then  engaged 
in  fixrraing  for  a  time.  Completed  another 
contract  of  grading.  Mr.  Ballard  was,  in  1855, 
married  in  Broughton  (old  Effingiiam),  to  ]\Iiss 
Martha  Cartwright,  daughter  of  James  and 
Catharine  Cartwright.     In  1857,  he  again  re- 


180 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


sumed  farming  on  a  rented  farm,  and  in  1860 
purcliased  eighty  acres  near  Ewington;  forty 
acres  were  in  the  river  bottom,  which  he  soon 
after  lost  on  account  of  defective  title.  He 
was  then  left  with  quite  a  family  to  maintain 
and  to  start  anew  in  finance.  These  are  times 
that  try  men's  souls,  but  Mr.  Ballard,  being  a 
man  of  iron  nerve,  faltered  not  at  this  embar- 
rassment. In  1860,  he  purchased  eighty 
acres  of  railroad  land,  in  Section  28,  Jackson 
Township;  a  portion  of  this  was  prairie 
and  the  rest  water-oak  timber.  On  this  wild 
land  he  built  a  dwelling  and  began  the  work 
of  making  a  farm.  His  success  has  proven 
that  but  few  men  were  better  calculated  for 
this  work  than  Mr.  Ballard.  Manual  labor  and 
hard  work  have  been  his  pleasure  and  pride. 
He  has  taken  laurels  of  brilliant  hue  in  this, 
America's  honored  and  prided  work.  To  his 
eighty-acre  tract  of  land,  he  has  added  360 
acres,  also  a  bottom  farm  of  fort3'  acres,  mak- 
ing 480  acres.  Mr.  Ballard  makes  farming  a 
decided  success.  He  raises  an  immense  amount 
of  grain — corn,  wheat,  oats,  etc.,  and  a  fair 
amount  of  stock.  Mr.  Ballard  is  a  Democrat. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church.  They  have  a  family'  of  children  as 
follows,  Eliza,  wife  of  Carless  Wilmeth,  was 
born  September  8,  1857;  Charles  A.,  was  born 
March  14,  1863;  Emily  P.,  was  born  October 
2,  1805;  Arminda  J.,  was  born  November 
15,  1809;  Martha  R.,  was  born  December  20, 
1874.  Their  second  child  endures  earthly 
troubles  no  more.  He  was  born  October  12, 
1800,  and  lived  with  parents  till  June  10, 
1882,  when  the  Angel  of  God  welcomed  him  to 
his  eternal  home.  James  was  a  young  man 
with  as  spotless  a  character  as  the  county 
could  afford,  and  was  ever  amid  friends  wher- 
ever he  was  known.  Nearing  the  portals  of 
death,  he  gave  unmistakable  evidence  of  his 
preparation  and  his  hopes  of  immortality. 
Some  time  before  his  death  he  united  with  the 
Missionary  Baptist  Church,  and  lived  a  Chris- 
tian the  remainder  of  his  life. 


JOHN  W.  BISHOP,  P.  0.  Dexter,  son  of 
Dr.  Jacob  Bishop,  was  born  December  14, 
1832.  Was  engaged  during  his  boyhood  in 
his  father's  saw  and  grist  mill.  Mr.  Bishop 
ran  the  first  steam  engine  brought  to  Eliing- 
ham  County.  Subject  was  married,  December 
8,  1853,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  M.  Hipsher,  daugh- 
ter of  David  Hipsher,  and  settled  on  a  farm 
four  miles  north  of  where  Altamont  now  stands. 
He  sold  out  in  1864,  and  moved  onto  a  farm 
of  123  acres,  in  Section  5,  Jackson  Township, 
and  has  farmed  it  since,  except  three  years  that 
he  lived  in  Effingham  and  followed  railroading. 
Subject  is  a  Democrat,  has  held  the  office  of 
Justice  of  the  Peace  several  terms,  and  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  since  1876.  Mr.  Bishop  has  five  chil- 
dren— Joseph  T.,  born  December  15,  1855  ; 
Sarah  Ann,  born  June  15,  1857,  wife  of  D.  W. 
Baker  ;  Emily  L.,  born  June  26,  1864;  Nora 
J.,  born  July  15,  1869  ;  Ida  I.,  born  July  30, 
1871. 

PERRY  CARPENTER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Effing- 
ham, is  a  son  of  John  B.  Carpenter,  and  was 
born  in  Delaware  County,  Ohio,  October  29, 
1842.  He  came  with  his  parents  to  Effingham 
County,  111.,  in  June,  1852.  Parents  located  on 
a  farm  in  Section  25,  Jackson  Township,  re- 
mained about  six  years,  sold,  and  purchased 
120  acres  in  Section  15,  Jackson  Township, 
and  moved  onto  it  in  1853.  Subject  began  bus- 
iness for  himself  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  at 
school  teaching  in  District  5,  Jackson  Town- 
ship. Pursued  this  profession  almost  exclu- 
sivelj'  until  1870,  when  he  was  married  Mav  29, 
1870,  to  Miss  Rhoda  Price,  daughter  of  Will- 
iam Price.  Subject  settled  ou  the  home  fiirm 
which  he  had  purchased,  and  has  made  farm- 
ing his  principal  occupation,  teaching  a  few 
terms  during  the  winter.  Subject  has  two  good 
bottom  farms  of  120  acres  each,  one  in  Jack- 
sou  Township  and  the  other  in  Libert3'  Town- 
ship. He  raises  a  great  deal  of  corn  and  a  fair 
amount  of  wheat.     He  usually  feeds  his  corn 


JACKSON  TOWNSHIP. 


181 


to  hogs,  and  keeps  a  fair  supply  of  stock — hogs, 
cattle,  etc.  Subject  is  a  Democrat,  and  has 
been  elected  to  various  township  offices,  and 
takes  an  active  part  in  politics.  In  1880,  he 
made  a  number  of  speeches  for  Hancock  and 
the  Democratic  cause.  Subject  united  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  1861;  left  that 
church  in  1862,  and  became  a  member  of  the 
Missionarj'  Baptist  Church,  to  which  he  still 
belongs.  3Ir.  Carpenter  has  a  family  of  three 
children — Harry,  Charles  Stewart  and  Warren 
Filler.  Perrj-  Carpenter  was  made  a  member 
of  Freemantou,  now  Altamont  Lodge,  No.  533, 
in  1867.  In  1869,  was  made  a  Royal  Arch 
Mason,  in  Effingham,  Chapter  No.  87.  In  1870, 
was  elected  W.  M.  of  his  lodge,  which  position 
he  held  for  six  years.  He  has  ever  been  a 
strong  temperance  man,  and  is,  and  has  ever 
been,  a  Prohibitionist.  Subject's  father,  John 
B.  Carpenter,  was  born  in  Licking  County, 
Ohio,  on  the  19th  of  Maj-,  1815  ;  was  married 
in  November,  1839,  and  located  in  Alexandria, 
Ohio,  and  remained  there  until  1841,  and  then 
moved  to  Delaware  County,  Ohio.  In  1847,  he 
emigrated  to  Effingham  County,  111.  Subject 
was  elected  County  School  Commissioner  in 
1855,  and  was  re-elected  in  1857,  and  served 
two  terms  in  this  capacity-.  He  now  lives  in 
Washington  County,  Ark. 

MAJ.  H.  DAVIS,  farmer,  P.  0.  Altamont, 
is  a  son  of  Henry  Davis,  and  was  born  in  1844. 
He  enlisted  in  the  war  September  2,  1861, 
Company  A,  Twenty-sixth  Illinois  Volunteers. 
Went  first  to  Camp  Butler,  111.,  and  was  for- 
warded to  Palmyra,  Mo.,  and  was  in  several 
engagements  in  that  State.  Was  ordered  from 
there  to  Fort  Pillow.  On  the  way  to  Fort  Pil- 
low, received  orders  to  re-enforce  Grant  at  Shi- 
loh,  and  was  in  that  engagement.  Was  then 
transferred  to  Sherman's  army,  and  marched 
with  that  arm}'  to  tiic  sea  coast,  and  was  in 
many  of  the  innumerable  battles  of  that  memo- 
rable campaign.  He  was  discharged  from  the 
service  September  1,  1865,  after  a  service  of 


four  years.  Subject  was  married  July  25,  1866, 
to  Miss  Margaret  E.  Melender,  of  Johnson 
Count}-,  Ind.,  whose  acquaintance  he  formed 
while  on  a  visit  to  that  county.  He  returned 
to  Illinois  and  settled  on  an  eighty-acre  farm 
in  Section  20,  Jackson  Township,  made  some 
improvements,  and  traded  to  his  father  for  a 
piece  of  bottom  land  in  Section  17.  Sold  that 
and  purchased  another  eighty  acres  in  Section 
20,  on  which  he  now  lives.  Subject  has  a  fam- 
ily of  seven  children — George  H.,  John  II.,  Mar- 
tha J.,  Charles,  Victoria,  Minnie  May,  Will- 
iam E. 

NANCY  ANN  GARDNER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Ma- 
son, was  ijorn  in  Green  County,  Tenn.,  in  1820, 
her  maiden  name  being  Call.  She  moved  with 
her  parents  to  Indiana,  where  she  was  married, 
in  1837,  to  Samuel  Willis,  and  moved  to  Mis- 
souri, and  remained  there  eight  years;  returned 
to  Indiana,  and  resided  twelve  j-ears;  moved  to 
Illinois,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Section  33, 
Jackson  Township.  Mr.  Willis  enlisted  in  the 
war  in  1861,  Company  A,  Twenty-sixth  Illinois 
Volunteers,  and  was  forwarded  to  Hannibal,  Mo.; 
was  in  several  light  battles  and  died,  and  was 
buried  at  Hannibal,  Mo.,  in  1862.  The  life  of 
our  subject's  husband  was  not  her  onlj-  sacri- 
fice, as  she  had  two  sons  who  shouldered  the 
musket  in  fiery  fray;  the  older,  Jacob  Willis, 
enlisted  in  the  same  companj-  with  his  father, 
at  about  the  age  of  twentj^-one;  after  many 
long  and  weary  marches,  died  at  Cairo,  III.,  and 
was  buried  there.  James  Willis  enlisted  in  the 
war  at  Mattoon,  111.,  at  the  early  age  of  seven- 
teen; was  forwarded  to  Arkansas  and  the  South- 
west, where  he  remained  in  the  service  about 
three  years,  after  which  he  returned  to  his 
home,  not,  however,  until  seriously  injured  by 
dropsy,  of  which  he  died  in  1881,  at  his  home  in 
Shelby  Count}',  111.  His  death  was  very  sudden. 
He  arose  to  build  a  fire,  rather  early  in  the 
morning,  and  concluded  to  retire  again,  but  fell 
to  the  floor — he  was  dying.  The  remainder  of 
subject's  family  arc   Jlelinda  Workman;  Mary, 


183 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


■wife  of  Rev.  G.  W.  Wharton  ;  Betsey,  wife  of 
Samuel  Smith  ;  Sarah  Margaret  Willis,  lives  at 
home  with  her  mother.  Mrs.  Willis  was  mar- 
ried to  John  Gardner  in  the  3-ear  of  1863. 
John  Gardner,  her  present  husband,  was  born 
in  1813,  in  Pennsj-lvania,  was  married  at  the 
age  of  twenty-six,  resided  in  Pennsylvania 
about  fifteen  years,  when  he  moved  to  Missouri. 
In  1838,  his  first  wife  died,  leaving  a  family  of 
seven  children — Sarah  Jane,  Belle,  Washington, 
Amanda,  Mary,  George  and  William  J. 

MRS.  JEMIMA  GREEN,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Watson,  is  a  daughter  of  Pharez  and  Hannah 
Holcomb,  and  was  born  August  10,  1814, 
in  Ludlow,  Mass.  When  seven  years  old,  her 
parents  moved  to  Ohio,  where  she  was  mar- 
ried. January  25,  1830,  to  William  C.  Creasey. 
Her  husband  died  April  6,  1842,  leaving  a  fam- 
ily of  four  children,  viz.,  Hannah,  Mary  J., 
Jemima,  William.  Subject  was  married  to 
Frederic  Green,  March  6,  1845.  Her  second 
husband  died  October  28,  1850,  leaving  two 
children — Frederic  and  3Ielissa.  She  removed 
to  Cumberland  Count}-,  Tenn.,  in  1851,  where  she 
remained  till  1855,  when  she  removed  to  Xenia, 
Clay  Co.,  Til.,  afterward  to  Efflngliam  Count}', 
and  located  on  a  farm  on  the  Little  Wabash 
River,  three  miles  west  of  Watson.  In  1881, 
she  purchased  a  farm  of  100  acres,  in  Section 
9,  Jackson  Township,  in  a  high  state  of  culti- 
vation, and  moved  onto  it.  Subject  is  a  lady 
of  very  estimable  qualities,  and  is  highly  re- 
spected by  all  who  know  her.  She  is  always 
ready  to  help  the  poor  and  needy.  She  is  an 
industrious  old  lady,  and  has  borne  the  burden 
of  raising  her  children.  Subject's  fourth  child, 
William  Creasey,  sacrificed  his  life  in  the 
United  States  service  in  the  great  rebellion. 

AARON  HARRELL,  farmer,  P.  0.  Alta- 
mont,  was  born  in  182G  in  Rush  County,  Ind. 
At  the  death  of  his  father,  which  occurred  in 
1844,  he  took  up  the  business  of  farming  his 
mother's  farm  in  Rush  County,  Ind.,  maintain- 
ing himself  and  the  family.     Subject  was  mar- 


ried to  Miss  Cynthia  Ann  Kelso,  daughter  of 
Levi  Kelso,  of  Rush  County,  Ind.,  in  1849;  re- 
mained in  Rush  County  till  1855,  when  he 
moved  to  Effingham  County,  111.  After  farm- 
ing a  rented  farm  for  several  years,  he  pur- 
chased forty  acres  in  Section  20,  Jackson 
Township;  has  since  added  about  fifty  acres, 
making  a  farm  of  ninety  acres,  about  sixty-five 
acres  in  cultivation.  Subject's  first  wife  died 
in  18G1,  and  he  was  married  to  Mary  Ellen 
Beck,  in  1862.  Mr.  Harrell  has  a  family  of 
nine  children — M.  C,  Mary  J.  (wife  of  John 
Steed),  Sarah,  Ellen,  Clara  F.,  Emily  E-,  Susan- 
nah, Rosa  M.  and  Ida  M.  Mr.  Harrell  has 
been  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church  (South) 
since  1865,  at  which  time  he  severed  his  con- 
nection with  the  M.  E.  Church,  of  which  he  had 
been  a  member  since  the  age  of  twenty-seven. 
Subject's  father,  Aaron  Harrell,  was  born  in 
1795;  was  married  to  Nancy  Bunqh,  in  about 
the  year  1820,  in  North  Carolina;  moved  to 
Wayne  County,  Ind.,  in  1833,  and  farmed  there 
till  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1835. 

HENRY  S.  HOOK,  farmer,  P.  0.  Dexter, 
is  a  son  of  John  Hook,  and  was  born  February 
25,  1823,  in  Licking  County,  Ohio.  He  went 
to  Wayne  County,  Ind.,  and  worked  at  his  trade 
of  tailoring.  He  was  married,  February  22, 
1846,  to  Miss  Sophronia  Martin,  daughter  of 
Abraham  and  Neoma  Mai'tin.  In  1848,  he 
moved  to  EflBngham  County,  III.  and  located 
in  Freeman  ton;  worked  at  his  trade  one  year; 
bought  Dr.  Bishop's  interest  in  a  carding  ma- 
chine, which  he  ran  two  years.  In  1851,  he 
moved  onto  his  land,  165  acres  in  the  prairie, 
in  Section  6,  which  he  entered  before  he  came 
to  Illinois,  and  took  up  the  occupation  of  farm- 
ing. Subject  says  he  formed  acquaintances 
and  attachments  in  an  early  day  that  are  as 
lasting  as  time,  while  at  the  present,  acquaint- 
ance and  friendship  is  as  uncertain  as  bubbles. 
Subject's  father,  John  Hook,  was  born  in  Eng- 
land July  19,  1778.  He  came  to  America  be- 
fore the  war  of  1812,  and  served  as  a  soldier  in 


JACKSON  TOWNSHIP. 


183 


that  war.  Was  married  soon  after,  to  Miss 
Catherine  Smith,  aud  settled  in  Licking  Coun- 
ty. Ohio,  on  a  farm  of  160  acres.  He  raised  a 
family  of  twelve  children — Jonathan,  Sarah, 
Ephles,  Elizabeth  (wife  of  Lewis  Groves,  and 
mother  of  Dr.  Groves),  Cynthia  A.,  Mary,  Ezra, 
Melissa,  Henry  S.,  James  R.,  Allie  C.  and  John 
C.  Mrs.  Hook's  lather,  Abraham  Martin,  was 
born  June  l-l,  1781,  in  New  York;  was  married 
in  Pennsylvania,  to  Miss  Neoma  Davis;  emi- 
grated to  Hamilton  County,  Ohio  ;  engaged  in 
carpentering;  took  an  active  part  in  politics  ; 
was  repeatedly  elected  to  the  office  of  Count}' 
Treasurer.  At  the  age  of  forty-one,  subject 
was  ordained  a  minister  of  the  Missionary'  Bap- 
tist Church,  in  which  capacity  he  labored  zeal- 
ously the  remainder  of  his  life.  Mr.  Martin 
died  in  1841.  in  Butler  Count}-,  Ind. 

HENRY  HUGHES,  farmer,  P.  0.  Dexter, 
son  of  Eli  Hughes,  was  born  October  20,  1841, 
in  Licking  County,  Ohio,  moved  with  his  par- 
ents to  Crawford  County,  III,  in  1851;  to  Mis- 
souri in  1852,  and  to  Effingham  County,  111., 
1855,  and  settled  in  Freemanton,  it  being  the 
second  town  in  tiie  countj'.  Subject  went  to 
Pike's  Peak,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  to  hunt  gold. 
As  he  did  not  stack  up  gold  as  he  expected,  he 
soon  took  his  departure  for  Leavenworth  City, 
and  engaged  in  driving  a  six-horse  team  for 
Uncle  Sam.  Returned  home  in  1859.  In  1861, 
subject  enlisted  in  the  war,  first  in  a  three 
months'  call.  Company  G,  Eleventh  Illinois, 
afterward  in  the  three  years'  call  in  Companj' 
K,  Thirty-fifth  Illinois  Volunteers.  In  the  bat- 
tle of  Pea  Ridge,  was  taken  prisoner,  and  soon 
found  himself  in  the  penitentiary'  at  Little 
Rock,  Ark.,  where  he  remained  eight  weeks,  and 
was  exchanged  and  returned  to  his  command 
at  Cassville,  Ark.;  from  this  place  the  command 
made  forced  march  of  eighteen  days,  ayeraging 
thirty-eight  miles  per  day,  to  Cape  Girardeau, 
Mo.,  and  sailed  on  the  steamer  Sunshine  for 
Shiloh,  and  engaged  in  the  siege  of  Corinth; 
while  at  Clear  Springs,  Jliss.,  being  rusty  for  a 


job,  a  portion  of  the  command  marched  with- 
out orders  for  Hollow  Springs;  while  on  the 
way  they  met  the  fellows  they  were  looking  for, 
and  were  severely  defeated,  and  fought  a  three 
days'  retreat.  Was  in  the  following  battles; 
Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  Mission  Ridge, 
Buzzard  Roost,  Tunnell  Hill,  Resaca,  and  in 
all  the  fights  around  Atlanta.  Subject  was 
taken  prisoner  at  Murfreesboro,  and  taken  to 
Libby  Prison;  shortly  after  to  Andersonville, 
where  he  remained  a  short  time.  He  returned 
home  in  1864,  worked  several  summers  in  brick- 
making,  and  then  engaged  in  farming.  Subject 
was  married  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in  August  20, 
1873,  to  Miss  Nancy  A.  Vangordon,  daughter 
of  John  Vangordon,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Section  16,  Jackson  Township.  Mr.  Hughes 
has  a  family  of  four  children — Harmeniah  was 
born  August  23,  1874;  Carrie  was  born  Au- 
gust 10,  1876;  Millie  S.  was  born  October  10, 
1878,  and  Hattie  was  born  January  10,  1882. 

JOHN  HUNTER,  cabinet  workman,  Mason, 
is  a  son  of  Hugh  Hunter,  and  was  born  in 
1798  in  Ayrshire,  Scotland.  He  served  as  ap- 
prentice at  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  pursued 
that  occupation  for  about  twenty  years  in 
Scotland,  England  and  Ireland.  He  came  to 
New  York  Cit}-,  and  followed  his  trade  three 
years  in  Brookl3'n;  then  went  to  Chicago,  and 
remained  several  years,  and  then  worked  in 
Mattoon,  and  moved  to  Mason,  Effingham  Co., 
111.,  in  1863,  again  engaged  in  cabinet-work 
and  carpentering.  He  remained  in  Mason 
about  ten  years,  and  moved  to  Samuel  Winter's 
place,  where  he  has  been  since  1 873.  Subject 
was  married  to  Miss  Isabella  Crumble  in  1827, 
in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  who  died  in  1846  in 
Manchester,  England.  He  was  again  married 
to  Miss  Margaret  Queen,  in  Scotland,  who  died 
before  he  came  to  America.  Subject  has  been 
married  since  he  came  to  America,  to  Miss 
Jane  Farrcll,  date  unknown.  Subject  has  lately 
purchased  a  farm  of  forty  acres,  two  and  a  half 
miles  north  of  Mason.     He  has  latelv  drawn  a 


184 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


pension  of  $1,623  for  his  son  John,  who  was 
killed  in  the  rebellion.  Subject  has  one  child, 
living — Robert,  born  in  Januar}-  24,  1861,  in 
Effingham  County,  111. 

GEORGE  W.  McCLURE,  merchant,  Dexter, 
is  a  son  of  A.  H.  and  Eliza  McClure,  and  was 
born  February  2,  1858,  at  Mills  Prairie,  Ed- 
wards Co.,  111.  Subject  clerked  in  his  father's 
store  consideraljle  of  his  time  up  to  1879,  when 
he  purchased  Mr.  Said's  store-building,  dwell- 
ing and  property,  in  Dexter,  and  put  in  a  first 
class  stock  of  goods,  and  engaged  in  merchan- 
dising. Subject  was  married  to  Jliss  Susan 
Walser  in  Edwards  County,  III,  September  9, 
1880.  Subject  carries  a  first-class  stock  of 
goods,  has  a  good  run  of  patronage  and  is  de- 
cidedly successful.  Has  one  child — Chester 
Arthur,  born  September  19,  1881.  Subject's 
father,  Mr.  A.  H.  McClure,  was  born  in  Ed- 
wards County,  111.  In  1851,  during  the  gold 
excitement  in  California,  he  and  his  father  sold 
their  farms  and  emigrated  to  California,  to  en- 
gage in  mining;  met  with  fair  success,  returned 
in  1853,  and  bought  their  home  farms  back, 
where  he  still  continues  his  profession — mer- 
chandising and  farming.  Subject  was  married, 
in  1857,  to  Miss  Eliza  Pixle^-.  Mr.  McClure  is 
a  zealous  politician  of  the  Republican  persua- 
sion. He  has  a  familj'  of  seven  children — 
George  W.,  Perthema  I.,  Jesse,  Osman,  Will- 
iam A.,  Addie  F.,  Harvey  H. 

D.  E.  McMULLEN,  farmer,  P.  0.  Dexter, 
is  a  son  of  William  McMullen,  and  was  born 
April  9,  1837,  in  Edgar  County,  111.  He  en- 
gaged in  the  trade  of  butchering  in  1862,  at 
Paris,  Edgar  Co.,  111.,  and  was  married  in  Ed- 
gar Count3',  111.,  to  Miss  Nancj-  Arbuckle, 
daughter  of  John  Arbuckle,  February  28,  1864. 
Our  subject  moved  to  Missouri  in  1865,  where 
he  remained  a  short  time,  and  then  moved  to 
Bond  Count}-,  111.,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
milling  business  ;  moved  to  Effingham  County, 
III.,  in  .\pril,  1869,  and  engaged  in  farming  on 
a  farm   owned  by  I.   B.  Humes,  in  Section  11, 


and  in  1872,  rented  a  farm  of  E.  H.  Bishop,  in 
Section  5,  where  he  has  followed  farming  as 
well  as  trading  in  stock  since  ;  and  has  made 
his  avocation  a  decided  success  in  this  count}- ; 
and  in  1882  purchased  land  to  the  amount  of 
240  acres.  Subject  is  a  Democrat  and  takes 
an  active  part  in  politics  ;  has  been  elected 
Highwa}-  Commissioner  several  times  ;  the  last 
race,  owing  to  a  multiplicity  of  candidates,  was 
conducted  with  the  spirit  of  a  Presedential 
campaign.  Subject  has  a  family  of  five  chil- 
dren— Clarence  A..  William  E.,  Ora  May,  Lillie 
Leonoria,  Etta  Lulu.  Suljject's  father,  Will- 
iam McMullen,  was  born  in  1813,  moved  to 
Edgar  County,  111.,  with  his  parents  in  1S27, 
and  was  married  in  1837,  to  Annie  Wileman, 
daughter  of  Jacob  Wileman.  He  is  a  farmer 
and  lives  on  his  farm  of  120  acres,  two  miles 
south  of  Paris,  111.,  ou  which  he  has  an  excel- 
lent orchard  and  first-class  buildings,  and  is 
supplied  with  anything  life  can  ask.  He  raised 
a  family  of  five  children — Annie  F.,  wife  of 
Thomas  Laughlin,  who  lives  in  Iowa  ;  Eliza- 
beth, lives  in  Edgar  Count}-;  Juliet  V.,  wife  of 
E.  Milburn,  died  in  1862  ;  Alcinda  McMullen 
lives  with  her  parents,  and  Daniel  E.,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch. 

SOLOMON  MESNARD,  farmer,  P.  O.  Wat- 
son, is  a  son  of  John  Mesnard,  and  was 
born  February  2,  1826,  in  Connecticut.  He 
moved  with  his  parents  to  Fairfield  County, 
Ohio,  in  1834,  and  to  Effingham  County,  111., 
in  1842.  Mr.  Mesnard  was  married  in  Fair- 
field County,  Ohio,  August  10,  1846,  to  Miss 
3Iary  Spitler,  daughter  of  Henry  Spitler.  Jloved 
to  Effingham  County,  111.,  and  located  on  a  farm 
near  Freemanton,  and  followed  farming  until 
1 862,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  war,  in  Company 
G,  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth  Illinois  Volun- 
teers. Met  the  rebs  the  first  time  at  Coving- 
ton, Ky.  Subject  was  in  sixteen  regular  bat- 
tles, of  which  the  following  are  the  principal 
engagements :  Fort  Donelson,  Stone  River, 
Chickamauga,  Mission  Ridge,  Chattanooga,  Buz- 


JACKSON  TOWNSHIP. 


185 


zard  Roost  Mountain,  Stephenson,  Ala.,  Tun- 
nel Hill,  Resaca,  Ga.,  and  Franklin,  Tenn. 
Was  discharged  in  July,  1805,  and  returned 
home  and  engaged  in  farming.  In  1868,  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  forty  acres  in  Section  26, 
Jackson  Township,  to  which  he  has  added  120 
acres,  making  160,  one-fourth  in  the  bottom, 
and  half  of  it  under  cultivation.  Subject  is  a 
Democrat;  has  been  elected  Supervisor  of  Jack- 
son two  terms.  Subject's  wife  died  October  1 8, 
1877,  and  he  was  married  April  7,  1878,  to 
Mary  J.  Reed,  in  Shelby  County,  111.  Mr.  Mes- 
nard  has  a  family  of  seven  children  by  his  first 
wife,  viz.;  Rebecca  Clum,  Delila  Drum,  Allie 
Parks,  John  H.,  James  A.,  William  S.,  Annie 
A.,  and  two  by  his  second  wife,  Lela  and  Rob- 
ert A.  Subject's  father,  John  Mesnard,  was 
born  in  France  March  2,  1789.  Came  to  New 
York  Cit}'  at  the  age  of  seventeen.  Was  mar- 
ried January  6.  1811,  to  Miss  Phebe  Slocum  in 
Connecticut.  Mr.  Mesnard  was  a  cooper  by 
profession.  After  a  residence  of  several  years 
in  Connecticut  he  moved  to  New  York  City, 
where  he  remained  until  1832,  when  he  moved 
to  Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  where  he  remained 
until  1842,  then  moved  to  Effingham  County, 
111.,  and  purchased  a  farnl  of  eighty  acres  in 
Summit  Township.  In  1847,  he  sold  his  farm 
and  located  in  Jackson  Township.  He  died  at 
the  residence  of  his  son  August  14,  1868,  and 
his  wife  died  May  13,  1860,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
seven. 

ADDISON  E.  MESNARD,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Dexter,  is  a  son  of  John  Mesnard,  and  was 
born  in  1828.  Moved  to  Ohio  in  1833  with  his 
parents,  and  came  to  Effingham  Count}-,  111.,  in 
1841.  He  was  married  to  Miss  .Margaret  Da- 
vidson, daughter  of  Samuel  Davidson,  about 
the  year  1850.  She  died  soon  after.  Septem- 
ber 20,  1855,  subject  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
Ann  Mitchell.  He  settled  on  a  farm  of  100 
acres  in  Section  10,  Jackson  Township.  Sub- 
ject enlisted  in  the  service  of  the  United  States 
in  1862,  and  served  about  four  months.     Was 


never  forwarded  to  the  field  of  battle.  Subject 
has  a  familv  of  nine  children — Margaret  E., 
wife  of  O.  A.  Mitchell  ;  Franklin,  Electa  J., 
Norman  M.,  Levina  Rosa,  John  A.,  Mary  C., 
Charles  Nelson  and  Walter. 

CALVIN  MITCHELL,  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser,  P.  0.  Watson,  whose  portrait  appears 
in  this  work,  was  born  in  Brown  Count}',  Ohio, 
December  2,  1816,  and  is  a  son  of  Ensign  and 
Elizabeth  (Calvin)  Mitchell,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  New  York,  and  the  latter  of  Ohio.  He 
was  born  March  3,  1787,  and  cast  his  first  vote 
for  President  Madison  in  1809.  He  was  a 
stanch  patriot  and  took  an  active  part  in  the 
defense  of  his  country',  both  against  the  Indians 
and  in  the  war  of  1812,  in  the  latter  of  which 
he  served  as  a  Captain.  His  educational  ad- 
vantages, such  as  the  country  afforded  at  that 
day,  were  limited,  but  his  thirst  for  knowledge 
led  him  to  the  attainment  of  much  valuable 
information,  thus  rendering  him  a  useful  mem- 
ber of  societ}-.  In  1815,  he  married  Miss  Eliz- 
abeth Calvin,  in  Ohio,  where  he  resided  until 
1830,  when  he  moved  to  Edgar  Co.,  111.,  locat- 
ing one  and  a  fourth  miles  from  Bloomfield,  and 
lived  there  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Ten 
children  were  born  to  him.  The  sons  living, 
are  Calvin  Mitchell  (subject)  and  Capt.  Samuel 
and  John  Mitchell,  of  Edgar  County,  111.  In 
1845,  his  wife  died,  and  in  1850  he  married  his 
second  wife,  Mrs.  Mary  Riley,  with  whom  he 
lived  thirty-nine  years,  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  Januar}-  14,  1879,  aged  nearlj' ninety- 
two  years.  He  was  a  man  of  undoubted  hon- 
esty, proverbially  kind  aud  generous  to  his  fel- 
low-men, no  one  ever  applying  to  him  for 
assistance  in  vain.  He  was  active  and  indus- 
trious, and  a  zealous  Christian.  One  can  scarcely 
realize  and  appreciate  the  events  crowded  in 
one  life,  though  stretching  over  a  period  of  al- 
most a  century.  During  Mr.  Mitchell's  boy- 
hood, Washington  and  Adams  were  Presidents, 
and  during  his  long  life  he  saw  the  republic 
grow   up   from    a   feeble  community  into  the 


186 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


grandest  country  the  world  has  ever  seen. 
When  his  countr}'  needed  his  services,  he  fell 
into  the  ranks  and  did  his  duty,  and  when  age 
and  iutirmity  compelled  him  to  rest  from  his 
labors,  he  had  sons  to  fill  his  place,  whom  he 
trained  up  to  follow  in  his  footsteps.  Calvin 
Mitchell,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  when  four- 
teen years  of  age,  came  with  his  parents  to 
Edgar  County,  111.,  where  he  aided  his  father  in 
opening  up  a  farm.  His  education  was  obtained 
in  the  common  schools  of  the  country,  and  at 
the  college  at  Franklin,  Ind.,  which  he  attended 
from  1841  to  1844,  thus  obtaining  a  good,  prac- 
tical education,  together  with  civil  ens;ineering. 
About  the  year  1837,  he  commenced  to  work 
for  himself,  and  spent  some  four  j-ears  in  build- 
ing turnpike  roads  in  Clark  County,  111.,  in  the 
employ  of  the  State.  He  then,  after  attending 
college,  as  above  stated,  taught  school  in  John- 
son County,  Ind.,  until  1852,  when  he  emigrated 
to  Clay  County,  111.,  where  he  bought  285  acres 
of  land.  This  he  farmed  successfuUj-,  devot- 
ing, at  the  same  time,  considerable  attention  to 
stock-raising.  In  1856,  he  bought  a  steam 
mill  at  Georgetown  (in  same  county),  and  en- 
gaged in  the  lumbering  business.  In  1857,  he 
sold  his  farm  in  Clay  County,  and  moved  his 
mill  to  Union  Township,  Effingham  County. 
The  investment  in  this  mill  proved  a  losing  one 
to  him,  and  he  fiuallj-  traded  it  in  1858,  for  the 
old  "Nelson  farm"  of  160  acres,  in  Jackson 
Township,  to  which  he  has  since  added  eighty 
acres.  By  the  most  persevering  industry  and 
unswerving  integrity,  he  has  mude  up  the  losses 
and  liquidated  the  debts  incurred  in  his  mill 
transaction.  Mr.  Mitchell  was  married  to  Eliza 
Ann  Allen,  a  daughter  of  Elijah  and  Christiana 
Allen,  of  Johnson  County,  Ind.,  April  13,  1845. 
The  result  of  this  marriage  is  six  children,  all 
sons  and  citizens  of  Effingham  County,  except 
Ensign  S.,  who  is  a  railroad  man  in  Wisconsin. 
Orlando  A.,  born  in  Johnson  County,  Ind., 
January  16,  1846;  David  0.,  born  in  Edinburg, 
Ind.,  December  30,  1846;  Ensign  S.,  born  Oc- 


tober 17,  1848;  Elijah  C,  born  July  24,  1850; 
Claudius  E.,  born  October  20,  1856,  and  Joseph 
C,  born  December  15,  1859.  Politically,  Mr. 
Mitchell  is  a  stanch  Democrat.  He  was  elected 
Surveyor  of  Efflngiiam  County  two  terms,  an 
office  he  filled  with  honor  and  credit.  He  is  a 
man  of  a  fine  sense  of  honor,  of  a  kind  and 
liberal  disposition,  often  subjecting  himself  to 
inconvenience  to  accommodate  his  friends. 
Elijah  Allen,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Mitchell,  was 
born  December  6, 1782,  in  Kentucky,  and  when 
but  three  years  of  age  his  father  was  killed  by 
Indians.  In  1803,  when  twenty-one  years  old, 
he  went  to  Ohio,  where  he  married  Miss  Chris- 
tiana Banta,  August  5,  1805.  He  was  a  Cap- 
tain in  the  war  of  1812.  and  also  served  in  the 
Black  Hawk  war  in  1832.  In  1827,  he  removed 
to  Johnson  County,  Ind.,  where  he  lived  until 
1852,  when  he  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in 
Clay  County,  purchasing  an  improved  form  of 
320  acres,  upon  which  he  died  November  15, 
1857,  aged  seventy-four  years.  He  had  twelve 
children,  all  daughters  except  one,  David  B.,  who 
was  an  influential  citizen  of  Johnson  Count}-, 
Ind.,  serving  several  terms  as  County  Clerk  and 
Sheriff.  In  1846,  he  went  into  the  Mexican  war' 
as  Captain  of  a  companj-  of  volunteers.  He 
died  at  Monterey,  January  9, 1847,  aged  thirty- 
nine  3'ears. 

JOSHUA  G.  MITCHELL,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Effingham,  is  a  son  of  Daniel  S.  Mitchell,  and 
was  born  Januaiy  27,  1835,  in  Smith  County, 
Tenn.;  moved  to  Johnson  County,  Ind.,  with 
his  parents  in  1837,  and  to  Effingham  County, 
111.,  in  .1840.  In  1856,  Mr.  M.  taught  a  school 
in  District  5,  Jackson  Township.  He  was 
married,  ^Jlarch  19,  1857,  to  Susanna  Clark, 
daughter  of  James  D.  Clark,  and  settled  on  a 
farm,  where  he  still  resides  and  follows  the 
occupation  of  fiirming.  Subject  is  a  Democrat, 
and  has  been  elected  to  the  offices  of  Town 
Clerk  and  Assessor  several  terms.  Has  been 
a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  since  1873. 
Subject  has  five  children — James  D.,  was  born 


JACKSOl^  TOWNSHIP. 


187 


December  13,  1857 ;  Lawrence  M.,  was  born 
February  12,  1862;  George  A.,  was  born  Jan- 
uary 22,  1864  ;  Izora  B.,  was  born  December 
16,  1870;  Pinkney  B.,  was  bora  June  11, 1872. 
Subject's  father,  David  S.  Mitchell,  was  born  in 
Smith  County,  Tenn.,  April  11,  1815.  He  was 
married  to  Miss  Mahala  Parkhurst,  5Iay  29, 
1833;  emigrated  to  Johnson  County,  Ind.,  in 
1837,  and  to  Effingham  County,  111.,  in  1840, 
and  settled  a  form  three  miles  south  of  E  wing- 
ton,  and  afterward  oii  a  piece  of  land  in  Section 
10,  Jackson,  where  he  resided  till  his  death, 
which  occurred  April  23,  1877.  Mr.  Mitchell 
was  a  man  of  sterling  iutegritj-,  and  universall}' 
respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  filled 
various  offices  during  his  lifetime — Justice  of 
the  Peace,  Town  Clerk,  Town  Treasurer,  etc. 
He  held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace 
twelve  3'ears.  His  wife,  Mrs.  Mahala  Mitchell, 
was  born  in  Smith  Count}',  Tenn.,  in  1811,  and 
died  in  Jackson  Township,  March  15,  1874. 

SOLOMON  xNORRIS,  former,  P.  O.  Watson, 
is  a  son  of  Ziba  Norris,  and  was  born  in  Harrison 
County,  Ohio,  August  30,  1821.  He  was  mar- 
ried, October  23,  1841,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Stew- 
art, daughter  of  Thomas  and  Delilah  Stewart, 
and  engaged  in  farming  his  father's  farm  till 
1851,  when  he  moved  to  Jackson  County,  Ohio, 
and  bought  a  farm  of  ninety  acres,  on  which  he 
lived  about  two  years  and  sold;  bought  and 
sold  several  pieces  of  laud.  In  1854,  he  engaged 
in  merchandising,  and  at  the  same  time  farming 
rather  extensively,  at  which  he  continued  for 
seven  j-ears,  carrying  a  first-class  stock  of 
goods.  In  addition  to  this,  he  purchased  a 
steam  saw-mill,  and  met  with  fair  success;  out 
of  these  three  enterprises,  made  a  great  deal  of 
money.  In  1861,  sold  his  store  and  mill  and 
moved  onto  his  farm,  where  he  remained  till 
1864,  when  he  sold  his  farm  and  removed  to 
Effingham  County,  111.,  and  located  on  a  form 
in  Jackson  Township.  In  1871,  bought  a  farm 
of  forty  acres  in  Section  28,  Jackson  Town- 
ship, and  moved  onto  it,  to  which  he  has  added 


eight}'  acres.  Mr.  S.  is  a  Democrat;  has  been 
elected  to  various  township  offices,  such  as 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  Commissioner  of  High- 
ways, etc.  Subject  has  seven  children — Marga- 
ret A.  was  born  October  15, 1842,  wife  of  James 
Graham,  and  lives  in  Ohio;  Stewart  Norris  was 
born  April  4,  1845,  and  was  married  January 
21,  1870.  to  Miss  Catharine  White,  daughter  of 
Jesse  White;  Juda  was  born  July  26, 1846,  and 
was  married  to  James  H.  Davidson,  April  25, 
{  1875;  Solomon  was  born  February  5,  1852; 
Delila,  wife  of  Thornton  Reynolds,  was  born 
August  U>,  1853;  John  Norris  was  born  June 
20,  1855,  and  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  J. 
Robertson,  April  27, 1876;  William  Z.  was  born 
March  10,  1862.  Subject's  father,  Ziba  Norris, 
was  born  in  New  Jersey  Jul}'  26,  1799;  moved 
with  his  parents  to  Washington  County,  Penn., 
in  1812,  and  to  Harri.son  County,  Ohio,  in  1815. 
He  was  married,  in  1820,  to  Miss  Juda  Cort- 
write,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  Cortwrite, 
in  Columbiana  County,  Ohio.  Subject  was  a 
farmer,  located  on  a  farm  of  160  acres,  which 
was  settled  by  his  father  in  1815,  and  did  not 
allow  it  to  pass  to  strangers,  where  he  lived  till 
his  death.  He  raised  a  family  of  ten  children 
— Solomon,  Mary,  John,  Hannah,  Rebecca, 
William,  Daniel,  Elcy,  Caroline  and  Juda  A. 

GEORGE  W^  PARKS,  farmer,  P.  0.  Dexter, 
son  of  Joseph  Parks,  was  born  November  24, 
1842,  in  Clark  County,  Ohio.  He  enlisted  in 
the  war  in  1861;  was  in  the  battles  of  Stone 
River,  Chattanooga  and  Chickamauga;  was 
wounded  at  Mission  Ridge,  and  sent  to  Camp 
Denison,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  about  six 
months,  and  returned  to  his  command  near 
Resaca,  and  was  in  nearly  all  the  battles  of 
the  campaign  to  Savannah.  At  the  close  of 
the  war,  returned  to  Butler  County,  Ohio.  Our 
subject  was  married  in  January,  1867,  to  Miss 
Martha  Kemp,  daughter  of  John  and  Martha 
Kemp,  in  Butler  County,  Ohio,  and  took  up 
the  occupation  of  farming.  Subject  emigi'ated 
to  Effingham  County,  111.,  in  1871;  purchased 


188 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


171  acres  of  land  in  Section  6,  Jackson.  His 
family  consists  of  three  children — John  R., 
born  November  10,  1867;  Lizzie  E.,  born  Jul}- 
30,  1869;  Laura  A.,  born  May  9,  1881. 

WILLIAM  J.  PHILLIPS^  farmer,  P.  0.  Ef- 
fingham, is  a  son  of  William  Phillips,  and  was 
born  in  Missouri  March  25,  1849.  He  moved 
with  his  parents  to  Franklin  County,  111.,  in 
1856,  where  he  remained  till  1864,  when  he  en- 
listed in  the  war — Compan}'  K,  Forty-ninth 
Illinois;  was  forwarded  to  Memphis,  Tenn.;was 
in  a  number  of  hard  marches  and  several  bat- 
tles around  as  well  as  at  Nashville,  Tenn.  His 
regiment  being  reduced  b}'  expiration  of  time, 
the  renmant  of  400  was  stationed  on  provost 
duty  at  Paducah,  Ky.,  thus  cuttirig  him  off 
from  the  repeated  series  of  battles  in  Sherman's 
campaign;  was  honorably  discharged  in  1865. 
Returned  to  his  home  in  Franklin  County,  and 
in  1867  came  to  Effingham  Count}',  111.  Sub- 
ject was  married,  October  25,  1871,  to  Jliss 
Mary  J.  Parks,  daughter  of  Andrew  J.  and 
Sarah  Parks.  Subject  settled  on  a  farm  of 
eight}'  acres  in  Sections  11  and  12,  Jackson 
Township,  mostly  bottom  land.  Mr.  Phillips 
raises  a  fair  amount  of  grain,  corn  principally; 
usually  feeds  his  corn  to  stock,  of  which  he 
keeps  a  good  supply,  especially  of  cattle.  Sub- 
ject has  a  family  of  five  children,  viz.:  Law- 
rence D.,  was  born  June  1,  1874;  Clarence  M., 
was  born  July  16,  1875;  Ella  Maud,  was  born 
August  31, 1877;  William  R.,  was  born  Septem- 
ber 19,  1879;  Artie  Earl,  was  born  December 
16,  1881.  Mr.  Phillips  is  a  Republican  politi- 
cally. Subject's  father,  William  Phillips,  was 
born  in  July,  1821,  in  Franklin  County,  III, 
and  was  married,  in  1841,  to  Miss  Sarah 
Roster,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Sarah  Roster; 
was  a  resident  of  Franklin  County  with  the  ex- 
ception of  four  years  he  lived  in  Missouri — ■ 
1849  to  1853.  Subject  was  a  farmer,  and 
owned  a  farm  of  eighty  acres.  He  died  at  his 
home  in  Franklin  County,  at  the  age  of  forty, 
two.     Mrs.  Phillips'  father,  Andrew  J.  Parks 


was  born  in  1802,  in  North  Carolina.  Soon 
after,  moved  with  his  parents  to  Tennessee,  and 
was  married  there  in  1827  to  Miss  Sarah 
Franklin,  and  moved  to  Franklin  County,  111., 
in  the  year  of  1829.  and  to  Shelby  County  in 
1835;  from  there  to  Effingham  County,  in 
1839,  where  he  settled  on  a  farm  in  Sections  11 
and  12,  Jackson  Township,  where  he  lived  till 
1847,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Mexican  war. 
Sailed  across  the  Gulf  to  Tampico,  and  was  in 
Gen.  Taylor's  army.  After  a  march  of  about 
400  miles,  reached  the  City  of  Mexico.  He 
died  at  Pueblo  in  1848,  and  was  buried  there. 
His  wife,  Mrs.  Sarah  Parks,  remained  on  the 
farm  where  she  raised  her  family,  and  lived 
there  till  her  death. 

JOHN  PORTER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mason,  was 
born  in  Jackson  Township,  this  county,  Sep- 
tember 13,  1839.  He  has  lived  in  this  county 
and  township  all  his  life,  except  eight  years- 
He  emigrated  to  Kansas  in  1856  with  his  par- 
ents, and  lived  on  a  farm  near  West  Point  over 
the  Kansas  line.  They  lived  in  Linn  County, 
Kan.,  at  the  time  the  John  Brown  raid  was 
made.  The  father  of  our  subject  was  called  a 
Free-Soiler,  and  he  saw  three  houses  burned  in 
sight  of  homo,  and  his  father  was  ordered  to 
leave,  and  did  so,  and  went  to  Missouri  and 
settled  in  Benton  County,  and  lived  there  un- 
til fiiU  of  1860,  in  which  year  his  father  moved 
back  to  this  county  and  township,  and  died  on 
January  14,  1861.  He  was  born  in  1805. 
Subject  enlisted  August  2,  1861,  in  Company 
A,  Twenty-sixth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  was  assigned  to  the  Department  of  the  West 
in  Fifteenth  Army  Corps,  under  Gen.  John  A. 
Logan.  Subject  was  in  over  twenty  different  bat- 
tles. First,  at  Island  No.  10  and  New  Madrid, 
Point  Pleasant,  was  at  siege  of  Corinth,  and 
October  2  and  3,  1862,  battle  of  Corinth, 
defending  it  against  Price,  Van  Dorn,  etc. 
Went  from  there  to  Scottsboro,  Ala,,  where 
they  re-enlisted  for  three  years,  or  during 
thQ   war,    and    subject  came  home   on   thirty 


JACKSON  TOWNSHIP. 


189 


da5's'  furlough  ;  on  their  return,  the  enemy  was 
besieging  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  and  at  this  time 
the  T\vent3'-sixth  fought  at  Tunnel  Hill,  under 
Gen.  Sherman,  and  broke  through  lines  and 
pursued  by  forced  march  to  Knoxville,  Tenn., 
raising  siege  at  Chattanooga.  This  was  the 
beginning  of  the  famous  "  march  to  the  sea," 
and  subject  was  in  all  the  engagements  of  that 
march.  He  was  wounded  on  the  22d  of  Julj-, 
I860,  at  Decatur,  Ga.,  a  niinie  ball  passing 
through  his  thigh,  and  was  excused  from  dutj' 
fifty-five  days.  His  last  engagement  was  at 
Bentonville,  S.  C.  He  was  mustered  out  Jul}' 
28,  1865,  at  Springfield,  HI.  Mr.  Porter's  eyes 
were  affected  by  exposure  in  army,  and  for 
eight  months  after  his  return  he  was  almost 
blind.  In  1866,  he  bought  a  farm  in  this  town- 
ship, and  has  made  additions  until  he  has  140 
acres  of  land,  seventy  acres  in  cultivation. 
Married,  in  October  26,  1865,  to  Miss  Nancy  A. 
Cartwrighl,  of  this  county,  Summit  Township. 
Have  four  children  living — Amanda  E.,  Mary 
Catharine,  John  N.,  Benjamin  P.  Father  James 
Porter  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  and  moved 
when  seven  years  old  to  Smith  County,  Tenn., 
where  he  lived  until  about  1831.  He  came 
when  a  young  man  to  this  county,  and  made 
his  first  improvement  near  old  Ewington,  and 
married  Miss  Mary  A.  Parkhurst  a  short  time 
after  his  arrival.  He  started  improvements  in 
several  places  in  the  county,  owning  land  in 
several  parts  of  the  county  where  he  lived.  He 
was  a  Democrat,  had  ten  children,  seven  still 
living.  Subject  is  oldest  son.  Is  a  Democrat, 
and  served  as  Collector  and  Assessor  of  Town- 
ship. 

HERBERT  REED,  minister,  Dexter,  is  a 
son  of  Henry  Reed,  and  was  born  December  1, 
1841,  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  At  the  age  of  nineteen, 
he  enlisted  in  the  war  in  August,  1861,  Com- 
pany D,  Eighth  Illinois  Volunteers;  was  in  the 
following  battles:  Fort  Heurj-;  Fort  Donelson, 
where  he  was  wounded  and  was  sent  home  on 
a  furlough;  at  its  expiration,  reported  back  to 


his  command  at  Shiloh,  and  was  in  the  siege  of 
Corinth,  Port  Gibson,  Miss.,  Raymond,  Jack- 
son, Champion  Hill  and  siege  of  Vicksburg; 
was  discharged  August  2,  1864,  and  returned 
to  his  home  in  Jasper  County,  111.,  and  settled 
to  farming.  Subject  located  in  Effingham 
County,  in  1872.  Was  married  to  Mrs.  Hester 
Angel  April  10,  1875.  Subject  was  licensed 
to  preach  by  the  M.  E.  Church  (South),  April 
1,  1876;  joined  the  Conference  in  1880.  Sub- 
ject has  three  children — Annie  Laura,  Victor 
Lenoir  and  Eva  J.  Subject's  father,  Henry 
Reed,  was  born  in  1806,  and  was  married  in 
1834.  He  was  a  ship-carpenter,  and  moved 
to  various  cities  to  secure  employment  at  his 
trade,  and  finally  located  In  Green  Count}^  Ky., 
where  he  died  in  1847,  and  after  his  death  his 
widow  and  family  settled  in  Jasper  County,  111. 
WILLIAM  RILE Y,  farmer,  P.  0.  EflSngham, 
is  a  sou  of  John  Riley,  and  was  born  1818  in 
Wayne  Count}',  N.  Y.  At  the  death  of  his  father, 
which  occurred  when  Mr.  R.  was  quite  young, 
he  was  bound  out  among  strangers.  At  the  age 
of  twenty,  subject  engaged  in  farming  for  him- 
self and  pursued  that  till  1841,  when  he  enlisted 
in  the  Florida  war  against  the  Seminole  Indians, 
but  was  discharged  in  1842,  on  account  of  in- 
ability for  service.  Subject  soon  after  emi- 
grated to  Rock  Count}-,  Wis.,  and  engaged  in 
carpentering  under  William  Perr}',  which  occu- 
pation, in  connection  with  farming,  he  followed 
till  1853,  when  he  was  married,  to  Miss  Rox- 
anna  James,  and  moved  to  Memphis,  Tenn., 
and  from  there  to  Illinois  in  1854.  Subject 
lived  in  Ewington,  and  engaged  in  carpenter- 
ing till  1859;  then  moved  to  his  land  in  Jackson 
Township.  Subject  enlisted  in  the  war  in  1861, 
Company  K,  Thirty-fifth  Illinois  Volunteers. 
At  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge,  Mr.  Riley  was  taken 
prisoner,  but  was  soon  after  exchanged.  In 
June,  1862,  an  order  was  issued  to  dischaige  all 
invalid  soldiers,  consequently  Mr.  R.  was  hon- 
orably discharged.  He  returned  home  and  en- 
gaged in  farming;  has  a  farm  of  200  acres. 


190 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Subject  has  a  familj'  of  three  children — William 
B.  Riley,  was  born  Oct.  15,  1857;  was  married 
to  Miss  Emma  V.  Nichols,  November  20,  1879, 
and  settled  on  a  piece  of  land  in  Section  10, 
Jackson  Township;  Ida  E.,  and  Loretta.  wife  of 
James  White,  Jr. 

JESSE  HALLEY  SAID,  farmer,  P.  0.  Dex- 
ter, is  a  son  of  Jesse  and  Nancy  Said,  and  was 
born  February-  18,  1827,  in  Delaware  Count}-, 
Ohio.  Subject  was  married  December  9,  1847, 
to  Miss  Susan  Thompson,  daughter  of  William 
and  Sarah  Thompson.  Her  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Sherman,  a  distant  relative  of  Gen- 
Sherman.  Mr.  S.  engaged  in  farming  and  stock 
droving  near  New  York  Cit}',  at  which  he  con- 
tinued till  1859,  when  he  moved  to  Effingham 
County,  111.  In  1860,  he  was  appointed  enroll- 
ing officer  for  this  couutj' ;  also  Deputj'  JIarshal 
for  the  Sixteenth  Congressional  District,  which 
position  he  filled  until  the  close  of  the  war,  in 
1865.  After  the  war,  he  engaged  in  merchan- 
dising in  Dexter,  which  he  followed  about  six 
years.  Then  took  to  railroading  as  a  contractor 
to  supply  timber  for  the  Vandalia  Railroad  ; 
also  station  agent.  Pursued  the  business  until 
1878,  since  when  he  has  followed  the  avocation 
of  a  farmer.  Mr.  S.  has  been  the  owner  of  an 
immense  amount  of  land  in  this  count}-.  Has 
sold  all  but  sixty-two  acres.  Subject  has  a 
family  of  three  children,  viz.:  William  T.,  born 
July  26,  1849,  and  married  to  Miss  Ella  May 
Wallace,  daughter  of  Nelson  and  Zilla  Wallace, 
February  19,  1879,  and  has  one  child,  Lucy 
Alice,  born  in  1880  ;  Winfield,  born  October  2, 
1852,  was  married  to  Miss  Kitty  McAdoo  Jan- 
uary 3,  1877  ;  Nancy  J.,  born  July  15,  1857, 
wife  of  William  G.  Keefer.  Subject's  father, 
Jesse  Said,  was  born  3Iarch  15,  1791;  was  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  was  taken  pris- 
oner in  the  battle  of  Winchester's  defeat,  at 
French  Town,  in  1813.  Was  taken  into  Cana- 
da, where  he  was  held  a  prisoner  for  some  time, 
and  was  exchanged.  Subject  was  married  in 
1816    to  Miss    Nancy  Eubanks,  daughter    of 


Thomas  Eubanks,  in  Clark  County,  Kj'.,  and 
moved  to  Delaware  County,  Ohio,  in  1818,  and 
lived  there  until  1859,  when  he  moved  to  Effing- 
ham County,  111.  Subject  accumulated  a  large 
amount  of  land.  He  died  in  1875,  and  his 
wife,  Mrs.  Nancy  Said,  died  in  1880.  Of  a  fnm- 
ily  of  twelve  children,  five  are  living,  namely  : 
Susan  Loveless,  Jesse  H.  Said,  William  Said, 
Harriet  Smith  and  Harvey  Said. 

HIRAM  P.  SIJMONTON,  farmer,  P.  0.  Dex- 
ter, is  a  sou  of  Theophilus  Simontou,  and  was 
born  in  1831.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  be- 
gan an  apprenticeship  in  a  printing  office  in 
Batavia,  Ohio,  on  the  Clermont  Courier,  an 
office  of  considerable  notoriety,  as  it  had  for- 
merly been  managed  by  Col.  Maderia,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Legislature,  and  afterward  a 
member  of  the  United  States  Senate.  During 
the  campaign  of  1848,  Mr.  S.,  in  connection 
with  another  gentleman,  did  the  principal  work 
of  running  a  campaign  bulletin,  entitled  Rouyh 
and  Ready.  After  several  years'  work  at  this 
business,  Mr.  S.  became  dissatisfied  with  the 
printer's  work,  and  engaged  in  and  served  an 
apprenticeship  as  a  millwright  and  machinist. 
Subject  was  married  to  Miss  Amelia  Danbury 
in  1854,  in  Clermont  County,  Ohio.  Continued 
the  millwright  and  machinist  business  in  Ohio 
and  Illinois  for  a  number  of  years,  and  worked 
on  some  very  large  contracts,  one  of  which  was 
a  mill  built  in  Lexington,  McLean  Co.,  111.,  at  a 
cost  of  $40,000.  Mr.  Simontou  moved  to  Van- 
dalia in  1857,  bought  a  steam  saw  and  grist 
mill,  and  remained  there  until  1862,  when  he 
sold  out,  moved  from  Vandalia  to  P]ffingham  in 
1863,  bought  a  saw  mill,  and  located  about 
three  miles  west  of  Effingham.  After  four 
3-ears'  work  in  business  there,  sold  his  mill  and 
purchased  a  farm  of  138  acres  in  Moccasin  and 
Summit  Townships.  He  traded  his  land  in 
Moccasin  for  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Section 
16,  Jackson  Township,  and  sold  his  land  in 
Summit,  and  moved  to  Jackson  Township  in 
1872.     Bought  a  saw  mill  the  same  year  and 


JACKSON   TOWNSHIP. 


191 


put  it  up  in  Section  16.  Mr.  S.  has  an  excel- 
lent bottom  farm,  on  which  he  raises  a  great 
amount  of  grain  ;  he  makes  forming  his  prin- 
cipal employment,  running  a  mill  at  intervals 
of  leisure.  Mr.  Simonton  is  a  Democrat  of  a 
prominent  character  in  political  circles  of  the 
county.  Has  served  four  terms  as  Supervisor 
of  Jackson  Township.  He  has  a  family  of  four 
children,  viz.:  William  T.,  Carrie  B.  (wife  of 
D.  O.  Mitchell,  and  lives  in  Lucas  Township), 
Henry  Cla}-  and  Joseph  C. 

WILLIAM  T.  SIMONTON,  former,  P.  0. 
Dexter,  son  of  Hiram  P.  and  Amelia  Simonton, 
was  born  in  Clermont  County,  Ohio  ;  removed 
with  his  parents  when  ipiite  j'oung  to  Faj-ette 
Count}',  111.,  afterward  to  Effiugham  Count}-, 
111.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm  with  fair  facili- 
ties for  educating  himself,  and  he  improved  the 
opportunity  and  secured  fair  business  qualifi- 
cations. During  his  boyhood,  he  followed 
farming  and  working  in  his  father's  steam 
saw-mill.  He  takes  a  zealous  interest  in  poli- 
tics. He  is  a  Democrat ;  has  been  elected  to 
the  office  of  Highway  Commissioner  one  term. 
He  was  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic 
Congressional  Convention,  at  Vandalia,  111., 
August  10,  1882.  He  made  a  number  of 
political  speeches  during  the  fall  of  1882.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Sep- 
tember 26,  1882,  Mr.  S.  and  Miss  Mary  Arizo- 
na Miller  were  united  in  marriage.  He  located 
on  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Section  3,  Jackson 
Township,  to  which  he  has  added  120  acres, 
making  200  acres,  on  which  he  has  good  im- 
provements and  dwelling.  He  has  a  fomily  of 
two  children,  as  follows  :  Winfleld  S.  was  born 
August  9,  1879  ;  William  Clyde  was  born  Sep- 
tember 20,  1881. 

GEORGE  W.  SMITH,  farmer,  P.  0.  Wat- 
son, son  of  George  Smith,  was  born  August 
8,  1813,  in  Lancaster  County,  Penn.  He  was 
married  May  4,  1837,  in  Franklin  County, 
Penn.,  to  Miss  Maria  Adaire.  At  first  he  en- 
gaged in  blacksmithing,  which  he  followed  for 


some  time,  and  then  engaged  in  forming,  which 
he  followed  in  various  parts  of  Ohio.  In  1803, 
removed  to  Effingham  County,  111.  He  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  137  acres  in  Sees.  22  and  23. 
He  has  100  acres  in  cultivation,  mostly  bot- 
tom, which  is  very  fertile.  He  is  an  excellent 
farmer.  Subject  has  a  family  of  five  children, 
namely — Calvin  was  Ijorn  April  3,  1840.  and 
lives  in  Minnesota  ;  Harriet  M.  was  born  Au- 
gust 21,  1843;  Samuel  H.  was  born  March  19, 
1848,  and  lives  in  Kansas  ;  George  B.,  born 
August  8,  1850,  and  lives  in  Minnesota  ;  Adoni- 
ram  was  born  January  1,  1853,  and  lives  in 
Minnesota. 

JONATHAN  TREXLER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Ef- 
fingham, son  of  Jonathan  Trexler,  was  born 
March  19,  1821,  in  Jackson  County,  Ohio.  He 
was  married  September  3,  1844,  to  Miss  Dru- 
cilla  Foster,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Sarah 
Foster;  located  on  a  piece  of  land,  120  acres 
in  the  timber,  and  cleared  about  fifty  acres. 
In  1852,  he  sold  his  farm  in  Jackson  County, 
and  emigrated  to  Effingham  County,  111.,  and 
settled  a  farm  of  160  acres  in  Section  14,  Jack- 
son Township.  In  1853,  he  began  tiie  work  of 
clearing  a  farm  in  the  river  bottom,  and  has 
about  seventy-five  acres  in  cultivation,  mostly 
in  the  bottom  ;  has  good  buildings,  a  good 
orchard,  and  is  in  well-to-do  circumstances. 
Subject  has  a  family  of  two  children  living — 
Sarah  E.  was  born  January  7,  1848,  was  mar- 
ried to  John  C.  Reynolds,  April  1,  1871;  Eve- 
line was  born  May  31,  1857,  and  was  married 
to  Elijah  C.  Mitchell,  November  21,  1874. 
Subject  votes  the  Republican  ticket,  and  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church  since 
1847.  Mr.  Trexler's  wife  died  December  1, 
1866.  Subject's  father,  Jonathan  Trexler,  was 
born  in  New  Jersey  November  14,  1791.  At 
the  age  of  twenty,  he  enlisted  in  the  war  of 
1812.  Was  married,  in  1815,  in  Jackson 
County,  Ohio,  to  Miss  Rachel  Martin,  and  en- 
gaged in  forming.  In  1853,  he  moved  to  Jas- 
per County,  111.,  and  bought  a  farm   in  North 


192 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Muddy  Township.  Purchased  for  his  children 
and  himself  probably  500  acres  of  land.  Sub- 
ject raised  a  family  of  ten  children,  viz.:  John, 
Mar}',  Jonathan,  David,  Johnson,  Jackson, 
Catharine,  Vinton,  William  W,,  and  Rachel. 
The  father  died  Januury  29,  1880,  jn  Jasper 
Count}',  111. 

JAMES  TURNER.  "  That  whereunto  man's 
nature  doth  most  aspire,  which  is  immortality 
or  continuance;  for  to  this  tendeth  generation, 
and  raising  of  houses  and  families;  to  this 
buildings,  foundations  and  monuments;  to  this 
tendeth  the  desire  of  memor}-,  fame  and  cele- 
bration, and  in  etfect  the  strength  of  all  other 
human  desires.  We  see  then  how  for  the  mon- 
uments of  wit  and  learning  are  more  durable 
than  the  monuments  of  power  or  of  the  hands. 
For  have  not  the  verses  of  Homer  continued 
twenty-five  hundred  j'ears  or  more,  without  the 
loss  of  a  syllable  or  letter?  during  which  time, 
infinite  palaces,  temples,  castles,  cities  have 
been  decaj'ed  and  demolished.  But  the  image 
of  men's  wits  remain  in  books,  exempted  from 
the  wrong  of  time,  and  capable  of  perpetual 
renovation,  neither  are  they  fitl}-  to  be  called 
images,  because  they  generate  still,  and  cast 
their  seeds  in  the  minds  of  others,  provoking 
and  causing  infinite  actions  and  opinions  in 
succeeding  ages.  The  tj'pes  are  as  ships  which 
pass  through  the  vast  seas  of  time,  and  make 
ages  to  participate  of  the  wisdom,  illuminations 
and  inventions,  the  one  of  the  other." — Lord 
Bacon. 

A  proper  biographical  historj'  of  the  men  of 
the  world,  who  by  their  just  and  great  lives — 
no  matter  how  humble  the  sphere  in  which 
thej'  lived  and  toiled — men  who  have  molded 
and  made  possible  the  march  of  civilization, 
would  be  the  book  of  all  books  for  the  contem- 
templatiou  and  stud}'  of  men.  In  the  olden 
time,  it  was  only  kings  and  conquerors — 
tyrants  and  brutes  mostly — that  the  sycophancy 
of  history  deemed  worthy  of  mention.  It  has 
been  only  a  modern  conception  that  he  only  i^ 
great  whose  life  walk  has  been  good — who  has 
toiled  for  the  betterment  of  mankind — who  has 
made  two  blades  of  grass  grow  where  only  one 
grew   before;  in   short,   lie    who   has    thought 


some  thought  or  perfected  some  work  or  labor 
that  tends  to  better  and  lift  iip  and  perpetuate 
the  real  good  and  improvement  of  his  fellow- 
man.  These  are  the  earth's  great  men  and 
benefactors — the  men  incomparably  above  and 
beyond  wealth,  titles,  positions  or  power. 

James  Turner  was  born  in  Buckingham 
County,  Va.,  July  29,  1799.  His  father  was  a 
Revolutionary  soldier,  who  cast  his  fortune 
and  his  life  with  our  forefathers,  and  who 
came  out  of  that  long  and  suffering  struggle 
with  only  his  life  and  liberty.  When  the  war 
was  over,  he  returned  to  his  humble  black- 
smith shop  and  here  he  toiled  to  support  and 
rear  his  family  of  three  children.  He  died  in 
1806  after  long  sufferings,  first,  from  a  fall  from 
a  building  where  he  was  at  work,  and  then  from 
an  attack  of  rheumatism  that  eventually  caused 
his  death,  leaving  a  widow  and  three  small 
children,  two  boys  and  a  girl.  James  Turner 
was  the  youngest  of  these  children,  and  was 
seven  years  of  age  when  his  father  died.  Upon 
his  mother's  farm  he  toiled  unremittingly,  so 
much  so,  indeed,  that  where  there  were  very 
sparse  school  facilities,  he  was  wholly  deprived 
of  even  the  limited  advantages  they  could  give. 
December  16,  181S,  he  was  married  to  Elsah 
Pendleton,  of  Buckingham  County,  and  at  once 
commenced  life  for  himself  and  wife  at  the  age 
of  nineteen  years.  For  three  years  he  was  gen- 
eral manager  and  controller  of  different  planta- 
tions upon  a  small  salary.  In  1823,  he  moved 
to  Wilson  County,  Tenn..  taking  with  him  his 
mother,  wife  and  first  born  babe,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  small  farm,  and  hired  a  suflScient 
force  to  run  it  while  he  worked  four  years  at 
the  carpenter's  trade.  His  business  was  mod- 
erately prosperous  here,  and  he  accumulated 
some  property.  But  he  had  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances in  the  new  State  of  Illinois,  among 
whom  were  Judge  Broom,  Ben  Allen,  Stephen 
Austin  and  Duke  Robinson;  they  had  all  writ- 
ten him  just  and  glorious  accounts  of  this  new 
country,  and  responsive  to  these  letters  in  the 


JACKSON    TOAVNSHIP. 


193 


year   1829  he   came   here  to  see   for   himself. 
While  here  on  this  visit  of  inspection  he  made 
up  his  mind  to  cast  his  fortune  with    his  Illi- 
nois friends,  and  he  selected  the   spot  for  his 
future  and  permanent  home.     Tliere  was  much 
sincere  pleasure  among  his  friends  when  they 
learned  that  he  was  soon   to  bring  his  family 
and  to  come  and  to  be  one  of  them.     He  re- 
turned to  Tennessee,  sold  his  little  farm,  and  in 
November,  1830,  arrived  in  Effingham  County 
His  equipage  was   a    wagon    and    four    horse 
team,  a  wife  and  six  children,  and  they  had 
made  the  journey  of  over  300  miles  in  about 
two  weeks.     He  at  once  built  himself  a  cabin 
on  the  spot  where  he  yet   resides.     Tiiis  was 
then  heav^-  oak  timber  land.     While  engaged 
in  putting  up  his  little  house,  he  lived  in  a  house 
that  belonged  to  Stephen  Austin.     An  instance 
of  the  scarcity  of  able-bodied  men  ut  that  time, 
is  given  in  the  fact  that  he  had  to  appoint  five 
different  gatherings  of  house  raisers  before  he 
could  get  force  enough  to  put    up    the   logs 
This  little  old  cabin  is  still  standing,  and  Mr. 
Turner  takes  great  pride  in  telling  over   the 
winter's  hard  work  and  difficulties  it  cost  him. 
He  moved  into  his  own  house  March  14,  1831, 
and  the  great  old  oak  trees  that  stood  so  chick 
about  his  premises,  he  cut  down  and  cleared 
away,  working  by  the  light  of  the  moon,  after 
hard  days  of  toil  in  his  blacksmith  shop,  or  at 
the  carpenter's   bench,   doing   the   pressingly 
needed  work    for   the  people   of  the    county. 
Prior  to  his  coming,  men  had  to  go  to  Vauda- 
lia  or  Shelb3'ville  for  such  blacksmith  work  as 
he    now   wrought  for  them.      The  coming  of 
James  Turner  into  our  county  was  an  event  of 
the  greatest  importance  to  the  people.     It  was 
not  only  the  addition  of  one  of  the  best  of  fiim- 
ilies,  but  he  brought  with   him  more   of  this 
world's  goods  than  did  any  man  who  preceded 
him.     His  teams  and  wagons  were  a  greater 
necessit}'  to  the  people,  as  was  his  work  in  iron 
and  wood  of  the   greatest   importance   to  all. 
Until  he  could  raise  a  crop,  he  purchased  what 


corn  he  could  of  the  farmers,  but  this  giving 
out,  he  was  compelled  to  go  into  Edgar  Coun- 
ty, some  miles  beyond  Paris,  where  he  found 
some  moldy  corn.     It  was  wretched  stuflf,  but 
tiie  best  and  all  he  could  find.     He  was  accom- 
panied by  Jacob  Nelson  on  this  trip.     When 
they  secured  the  corn,  they  returned  by  way  of 
Shaw's  mill,  but  he  would  not  grind  their  grain, 
so  they  continued  their  way  to  Slover's  mill  at 
the  head  of  the  Little  Wabash.     The  trip  occu- 
pied  five   days.      Mr.    Turner    and    Abraham 
Pendleton  deadened  the  ti  mber,  and  the  first 
year  put  in  seven  acres  of  corn,  but  being  in 
the  bottom,  the  frost  ruined  it,  but  Pendleton's 
was  on  the  upland  and  his  four  acres  was  the 
bread  supply  from  the  first  crop.     Mr.  Turner's 
first  attempt  to  raise  wheat  was  in  1832.     He 
planted  four  acres,  and  tramped  it  with  horses, 
and  "fanned"  it  by  a  sheet  vigorously  plied  by 
two  men,  while  another  poured  it  in  a  stream 
standing  uptin  .some  object.     The  terrible  job 
was  eventually  completed,  but  such  work  de- 
termined Mr.  Turner,  and  at  once  he  went  back 
to  Tennessee  and  brought  back  with  him  a  fan- 
ning mill,  the  first  that  was  ever    brought  to 
the  settlements.     For  a  long  time  it  was  hauled 
all  over  the  country,  as  it  was  loaned  to  neigh- 
bors.    It  was  a  county  wind  mill,  and  was  lit- 
erally worn  out  in  the  service   of  the    people. 
Mr.  Turner  raised  several  crops  of  cotton,  se- 
lecting the  southern  exposure  of  the  hill  side, 
with  fair  success,  but  the  lint  was  short  and 
inferior  every  way  in  quality.     Finding  cotton 
growing  here  a  failure,  he  made  as  many  as  five 
trips  to  Tennessee  to  purchase  cotton  and  wool, 
which  he  carried  home  and   his  wife  spun  and 
wove  the  clothing  for  the  family.     On  one  of 
these  trips   he  brought  with   him  his    mother 
(who  had  again  become  a  widow),  and  here  she 
lived  until  her  death,  April  2G,  1839.     In  these 
communications  back  with  his  Tennessee  home 
friends,  he  iufiuenced  three  different  families  to 
move  here,  and  he  furnished  them  transporta- 
tion to  come.     In  1834,  he  was  enabled  to  enter 

M 


194 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


of  the  Government  the  eighty  acres  of  land 
where  he  made  his  first  improvement,  and  to 
this  he  added  as  he  could,  entries  adjoining, 
until  he  thus  owned  about  500  acres.  These 
entries  lay  on  both  sides  of  the  Little  Wabash. 
He  then  purchased  of  private  parties  until  he 
owned  about  1,000  acres.  He  was  a  success- 
ful farmer  and  stock-raiser,  and  his  services  as 
a  carpenter  and  blacksmith  were  invaluable  and 
of  great  convenience  to  all  the  people.  In  1834, 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  County  Com- 
missioners' Court,  and  served  out  the  term 
faithfull}'  and  well,  but  nothing  could  ever  in- 
duce him  to  accept  office  again.  His  time 
otherwise  was  too  valuable  to  his  family  and 
the  people  to  sacrifice  it  in  fulfilling  the  duties 
of  office.  The  wife,  and  the  good  mother  of  Mr. 
Turner's  children,  the  beloved  helpmeet,  died 
October  5,  1858,  having  borne  the  following 
children;  David,  born  June  21, 1822,  in  Virginia, 
a  farmer  near  Mason;  Robert  W.,  born  in 
Tennessee,  August  21,  1823,  died  when  twen- 
ty-one years  old;  James  S.  B.,  born  in  Tennes- 
see, October  21,  1824:,  a  wealthy  farmer,  living 
in  Shelby  County  in  this  State;  Lorenzo  H., 
born  in  Tennessee,  May  14,  1826,  residing  in 
Shelby  Count}',  111.;  Mary  Jane,  born  July  12, 
1827,  wife  of  Samuel  Winters,  of  Jackson 
Township;  John  J.,  born  October  5,  1828, 
died  November  11,  1832;  Henry,  born  De- 
cember 28,  1830,  in  Effingham  County,  a  farmer 
near  Mason;  Nathaniel,  born  April  14,  1832, 
living  on  the  old  homestead;  Nancy  E.,  born 
Februar}'  6,  1834,  wife  of  Charles  Kinse}-, 
living  in  San  Francisco;  Abram  P.,  born  Feb- 
ruary, 1836,  died  July  29,  1856;  Wilson,  born 
October  2,  1838,  farmer,  Mason  Township. 
There  are  now  thirty-eight  grandchildren, 
twenty-one  great-grandchildren  and  one  great- 
great-grandchild.  On  the  20th  of  January 
1860,  Mr.  Turner  was  married  the  second  time 
to  Mary  E.  Quigley,  who  was  spared  to  Iiim  in 
his  old  age  only  until  December  10,  1874, 
when  she  died  leaving  no  children.  '  Mr.  Turner 


has  been  for  many  years  an  exemplary  and 
consistent  member  of  the  Old-School  Baptist 
Church.  The  first  vote  he  ever  cast  for  Presi- 
dent was  for  General  Jackson,  and  all  his  life 
he  has  been  a  Democrat,  a  patriot,  a  Christian, 
an  exemplary  model  citizen  and  an  honest, 
good  man,  and  he  has  been  all  these  in  the 
broadest  and  truest  sense  of  those  terms.  His 
long  and  busy  life  has  been  a  priceless  one  to 
his  family  and  of  inestimable  value  to  the  peo- 
ple of  the  county.  An  honest  man  is  the 
noblest  work  of  God.  Here  is  a  man  not  only 
honest  but  full  of  that  k-indly  charity,  benevo- 
lence and  goodness,  who  never  had  an  enemy, 
and  over  whose  good  name  no  taint  or  shadow 
has  ever  passed.  His  education  was  confined 
wholly  to  his  own  observation  and  experience; 
the  books  have  been  sealed  books  to  him  yet 
his  strong,  active  mind  made  amends  largely 
for  this,  and  stored  his  mind  with  useful  knowl- 
edge. A  man  of  medium  stature,  blue  ej-es, 
and  although  carrying  eighty-three  years,  is 
erect,  active  and  springy  in  his  jnoveraents  as 
are  man}-  men  in  the  young  prime  of  their  man- 
hood. Mentally  and  ph3-sically  pure  and  clean- 
ly, no  base  word  or  thought  ever  escaped  his 
lips.  Although  a  picture  of  a  green  old  age — 
of  nature's  true  gentleman — that  wins  its  way 
to  the  respect  and  affections  of  all  who  behold 
it. 

JAMES  WHITE,  farmer,  P.  O.  Watson,  is  a 
son  of  Jesse  White,  and  was  born  August  8, 
1834,  in  Missouri,  and  moved  with  his  parents  to 
Effingham  County,  111.,  in  1835.  He  was  married, 
September  7,  1854,  to  Miss  Phebe  Keltner, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Susan  Keltner.  Sub- 
ject engaged  in  farming  a  rented  farm  of  forty 
acres,  which  he  purchased  of  his  father  the  fol- 
lowing year,  to  which  he  added  eighty  acres 
making  120  acres  in  Section  24.  In  1870,  he 
purchased  a  bottom  form  of  160  acres  in  Sec- 
tions 14  and  15.  Mr.  White  raises  a  great  deal 
of  grain,  principally  corn,  which  he  has  sold 
owing  to  the  demand  for  corn  the  past  few 


JACKSON   TOWNSHIP. 


195 


j-ears.  Subject  has  met  with  the  raistoitune  to 
have  to  pay  securit}-  debts  exceeding  SI, 000 
from  1879  to  1881.  Subject  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  fraternitj',  and  is  a  model  Democrat  ; 
has  filled  the  office  of  Supervisor  four  terms, 
and  held  the  office  of  School  Director  the  re- 
markable time  of  twentj'-five  years.  Mr.  White 
has  a  familj'  of  eight  children  living,  viz.:  Dan- 
iel J.  was  born  August  24,  1855,  and  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Louisa  Robertson,  daughter  of 
William  Robertson,  February  5,  1877;  Cathar- 
ine L.  was  born  Octobers,  1857,  and  was  mar- 
ried to  Elisha  Thr.asher  August  13, 187G;  James 
A.  was  born  November  7,  1859,  and  was  mar- 
ried November  19,  1881,  to  Miss  Loretta  Riley; 
Branson  S.  was  born  March  6,  1861,  and  was 
married  April  15,  1882,  to  Miss  Sarah  Ellen 
Hatcher;  Isaac  L.  was  born  January  30, 1867; 
Charles  L.  was  born  December  31,  18G8;  Van 
C.  was  born  March  23,  1873;  Sanford  N.  was 
born  December  24, 1876;  Jesse  White,  subject's 
father,  was  born  May,  1811,  in  North  Carolina; 
at  the  age  of  twenty  went  to  Alabama,  and  then 
Tennessee,  and  moved  to  Effingham  County, 
111.,  in  1830;  was  married  in  1831,  to  Miss 
Catharine  Neavill,  daughter  of  George  and 
Elizabeth  Neavill,  and  moved  to  Missouri  in 
1834,  and  back  in  1835.  In  1840,  he  located 
on  160  acres  of  land  in  Sections  23  and  24, 
Jackson  Township,  which  he  afterward  bought; 
added  120  acres,  making  380.  Mr.  White  was 
a  very  strong  man  till  1848,  when  he  became 
disabled  by  bone  erj-sipelas,  of  which  he  died 
May  29,  1881.  Of  a  family  of  fourteen  chil- 
dren, ten  are  living — James,  Mary  Ann  Stif- 
fler,  Elisha  R.,  Caroline  Real,  Catharine  Norris, 
Jesse,  Henry  and  Jane  (twins),  Franklin,  Cas- 
tilia. 

HARVY  WILMETH,  farmer,  P.  0.  Watson, 
is  a  son  of  Joseph.  Wilmcth;  was  born  in  1826, 
in  Pickaway  County,  Ohio.  He  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade  under  his  father  during  his 
boyhood,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  went  to 
the  town  of  Marion,  Ohio,  to  work  at  his  chosen 


trade.  Subject  was  married  to  Miss  Julia  A. 
Monday  in  1853,  in  Marion,  Marion  Co..  Ohio. 
He  continued  his  trade  there  till  1858,  when  he 
sold  out  and  moved  to  Effingham  County,  111., 
purchased  1()0  acres  of  land  parti v  in  Section 
15,  Jackson  Township.  Subject  has  a  farm  of 
over  two  hundred  acres,  about  one  hundred 
acres  in  cultivation,  bottom  and  upland,  mak- 
ing a  desirable  as  well  as  a  ver}'  profitable  farm, 
on  which  there  are  good  buildings  and  an  es;cel- 
lent  orchard.  Farms  principally  corn  and 
wheat;  usually  feeds  most  of  his  corn  to  stock, 
and  makes  quite  a  specialtj^  of  stock-raising. 
Politically,  a  Republican.  Subject  has  a  family 
of  six  children,  viz.,  Carless  (married  Miss 
Eliza  Ballard),  Franklin,  Mar3-  (wife  of  George 
D.  Loveless),  Chester,  Presley-  and  Bertha. 

WILLIAM  WILSON,  farmer,  P,  0.  Watson, 
was  born  in  Larno,  Antrim  Co.,  Ireland,  April 
27,  1826,  son  of  William  and  Margaret  (Eng- 
lish) Wilson,  who  were  married  in  1820,  in  Ire- 
land. Our  subject  is  their  only  child,  the 
mother  died  in  182G.  The  father,  in  after 
years,  married  Margaret  McKay,  by  whom  was 
born  five  children,  all  surviving  aud  residing  in 
Scotland.  William  came  to  America  in  1851, 
landing  in  New  York  City;  he  soon  after  settled 
at  Westfield,  Chautauqua  Co.,  State  of  New 
York,  remaining  nearl}-  two  years,  working  on 
a  farm  owned  by  Asa  Hall.  He  then  came  to 
Effingham  Count}-,  followed  railroading  for  a 
short  time,  and  finally  settling  on  the  farm  he 
now  owns.  He  served  four  months  under  the 
call  for  75,000  men  during  the  rebellion.  Our 
subject  married  Elizabeth  Le  Crone  July  26, 
1853.  Mrs.  Wilson  was  born  April  7,  1826, 
and  unto  them  were  born  eight  childroii,  two  of 
whom  are  living  —  Alfred  Dennj-  Wilson 
and  Mattie  Boyce  Wilson,  both  married.  The 
familj-  were  educated  in  the  Presbyterian  faith, 
to  which  the  descendants  still  adhere.  Mr. 
Wilson  has  always  acted  with  the  Democratic 
party,  and  has  been  elected  Supervisor  of  his 
township   several    terms.     He  settled   on   the 


196 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


raw  prairie,  on  the  edge  of  the  timber  line, 
grubbed,  cleared,  and  turned  the  high  wild 
grass  under,  until  he  has  240  acres  of  farm 
under  good  cultivation.  He  cleared  from  the 
stump  200  acres  of  this  land;  most  of  his  neigh- 
bors who  began  life  with  him,  have  passed  away. 
Mr.  Wilson  notes  that  this  countr}-  for  farming 
purposes,  is  superior  to  Ireland,  or  any  part  of 
the  old  countr}',  for  the  reason  that  more  of 
any  kind  of  grain  can  be  raised  per  acre  here, 
with  the  same  amount  of  labor  used  there.  An 
additional  reason  that  crops  of  Indian  corn  and 
various  fruits  can  be  raised  here  that  cannot  be 
produced  in  Irish  soil,  he  thinks  that  if  the  dis- 
contented people  of  his  native  land  would  come 
out  here,  and  worked  the  soil,  as  he  did,  instead 
of  quarreling  with  their  Government,  it  would 
be  better  for  them  and  for  Ireland.  He  pro- 
duces one  more  argument  in  favor  of  this  coun- 
try for  farming  purposes  over  Ireland,  that  the 
sea  storms  threshes  the  grain  in  the  fields  be- 
fore garnered,  which  causes  great  loss,  this  being- 
caused  l\y  Ireland  being  surrounded  by  water. 
SAMUEL  WINTER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mason, 
is  a  son  of  Benjamin  Winter,  and  was  born 
November  12,  1817,  in  Fairfield  County,  Ohio. 
Began  life  for  himself  at  the  aee  of  iourteen, 


worked  on  a  farm  a  short  time,  and  then  served 
an  apprenticeship  to  the  tanner's  trade  till 
18-10,  and  came  to  Effingham  County,  111.  He 
was  married  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Turner, 
daughter  of  James  Turner,  September  5, 
1842,  and  settled  on  a  piece  of  land  in  Sec- 
tion 32.  Subject  followed  the  tanner's  trade 
till  1852,  and  then  abandoned  that  and  took  up 
farming  as  a  livelihood.  His  farm  consisted 
at  first  of  200  acres  of  timber  and  prairie,  part 
of  which  he  has  donated  to  his  children.  Sub- 
ject voted  the  Whig  ticket,  after  the  Whigs 
went  down,  voted  with  the  Republicans  a  short 
time,  then  left  them  and  joined  the  Democracy. 
Subject  was  Deputy  Sheriff  of  Effingham  Coun- 
ty, under  0.  L.  Kelley,  1857-58,  and  was  elected 
to  the  office  of  Sheriff  in  1859,  and  served  one 
term.  Mr.  Winter  has  five  children — Caroline, 
wife  of  Elzie  Hardsock,  was  born  August  13, 
1843;  James  B.  was  born  June  14,  1845;  Abra- 
ham F.  was  born  December  1,  1848;  William  H. 
was  born  February  5,  1851;  Charles  Walker 
was  born  May  16,  1853.  Subject's  father  was 
born  in  1790,  was  a  farmer,  owned  a  farm  of 
eighty  acres  near  Mount  Vernon,  Ohio,  which 
he  traded  for  a  farm  near  Baltimore,  Ohio, 
where  he  died  August  5,  1832. 


LIBERTY 

WILLIAM  ALLSOP,  farmer,  P.  0,  Beecher 
City,  is  the  second  son  living  that  was  born  to 
John  Allsop  and  3Iary  Slater,  his  wife.  Her 
uncles,  Samuel  and  William  Slater,  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1790,  and  were  the  originators 
and  builders  of  the  first  cottou  factory  in 
America.  William,  the  subject  of  these  lines, 
was  born  March  18,  1836,  and  came  to  Amer- 
ica with  his  parents  in  1845,  and  removed  with 
them  to  the  State  in  December,  1847,  and  has 
since  been  a  resident  of  this  count}-  and  town- 
ship. He  remained  with  his  parents  on  the 
homestead  until  his  marriage,  which  occurred 


TOWNSHIP. 

December  21,  1862,  to  Sarah  H.  Zeigler,  a  na- 
tive of  Michigan,  daughter  of  Jacob  Zeigler 
and  Alvira  Tubbs.  Jacob  Zeigler  was  born  in 
Butler  County,  Ohio,  and  died  August  13, 1882. 
His  wife,  Alvira,  came  from  New  York  State. 
Mr.  AUsop's  wife  died  September  29,  1869, 
leaving  two  children — Charles  and  Lillie  May. 
Charles  was  born  December  17,  1863  ;  Lillie 
M.,  February  23,  1866.  After  this  he  located 
on  the  farm  he  now  owns.  He  was  mar- 
ried on  January  1,  1872,  to  Mary  J.  Blar- 
shall.  She  was  born  November  21,  1838,  in 
Monroe    Countv,    N.    Y.,  daughter   of  Samuel 


LIBERTY    TOWNSHIP. 


197 


Marshall  and  Lucinda  Gutherie.  lie  was  born 
in  Barron  Count3-,K3-.  She  onClincli  Ri  ver,Teun. 
Bj-  last  marriage  he  had  one  child,  Ida  S.  B., 
bora  Jauuarj-  30,  1873.  Mr.  Allsop  is  Demo- 
cratic, and  a  member  of  Southern  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 

THOMAS   ALLSOP,  farmer,  P.  O.  Beeeher 
City.       Among    the     substantial    and     lead- 
ing   farmers    of    this    township    is     Thomas 
Allsop,    who    was    born    Maj-    23,    1838,    in 
Derbyshire,     England,     the     fourth     son     of 
John  Allsop  and  Mar^- Slater.     The  family  em- 
igrated  to  this  country   prior  to   the  Mexican 
war,  locating  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  where 
they  lived  two  years,  and  in  December,  1847, 
the  father  of  Thomas  came  to  this  State  with 
his  family  and  located  on  laud  in  this  township, 
which  he  had  traded  for  while  in  the  district. 
He  owned  here  C50  acres,  330  acres  in   this 
township,   the   remainder   in    Shelby    County. 
Here  he  settled  and   remained   in  the   county 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  Ma}-  10,  1878, 
at  his  son's  in  Effingham.     He  was  born  in 
March,  1804.     His  wife  died  March  27,  1848, 
born  December  27,  1802.     To  them  were  born 
six  children — Sarah,    Sanuiel,  John,    William, 
Thomas,  Mary.     Mar}-  and  John  are  deceased. 
^Mary   married  George   Eccles ;    John  died  in 
Effingham  ;    Sarah  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  D. 
Tennery,   this    township.      Thomas   remained 
with  his  father  until   he  was  twent3--one,  then 
began  in  business  for  himself  in  1859,  locating 
where  he  now  resides.     Was  married  first  time 
to  Elizabeth  Hunt,  born  in  Manchester,  Eng- 
land, daughter  of  John   Hunt  and   Elizabeth 
Mapplebeck.     She  died  April  2,  1873,  leaving 
six  children — Lizzie,  John,  Emma,  Sarah,  Mar- 
tha.    Lizzie   resides    in    Moccasin    Township, 
this  county,    wife  of  Joseph  Syfert.     Second 
wife  was  Sarah   Getz,   of  Ohio,  daughter  of 
William    Getz ;    she  died    leaving  one   child 
Bertha.      Last   wife  was   Sarah   Mahin,    born 
in    this    county,    daughter    of    Edward    and 
Elizabeth  (Powell)   Mahin,  he,  of  Ohio,  she  of 


Tennessee.  B}-  last  marriage  two  children — 
Clarence  and  Nellie.  He  has  200  acres  in  this 
township,  IGO  acres  in  Shelby  County,  and 
farm  in  Moccasin  Township.  He  has  done 
much  toward  encouraging  the  breeding  of  fine 
stock.  Democrat,  and  of  the  Southern  Method- 
ist Church.  He  has  put  all  the  substantial 
improvements  on  this  farm. 

WILLIAM     H.     ANDERSON,     furniture, 
Beeeher   City.     The    subject    of    this   sketch 
was    born    in    Fayette    County,    now    London 
Township,    December    IG,    1843,    the    fourth 
son   of  a   famil}-   of    eight  children,  born    to 
Samuel    Anderson,  a    native   of   South  Caro- 
lina, and    left  here  when  a  young   man   and 
afterward    served   five   years    in    the    regular 
army,  and  about  the  year  1829  or  1830  came 
to  Fayette  County,  where  he  settled  and  re- 
mained until  his  death  in  the  year  1848.     His 
wife  was  Nancy   Amerman,  a   native  of  Ten- 
nessee,  daughter  of    Stephen  Amerman.     To 
Samuel  Anderson  and  wife  were   borne  seven 
children,  who  lived  to  man  and  womanhood, 
viz.  :     James,  Jonathan,  Caroline,  Stephen  J., 
Elizabeth,   William   H.,    Emma  and   Matthew. 
William  H.  was  but  four  j-ears  of  age  when  his 
father  died  ;  he  then  went  to  live  with  his  un- 
cle, with  whom  he  lived   until   his  death.     He 
was  at  this  time  thirteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
turned  out  for  himself  and   up  to  the  fall  of 
18G1  he  worked  out  by  the  month.     October  3, 
1861,  he  responded  to  the  Nation's  call,  and 
enlisted  in  Company  B,  Tenth  Iowa  Volunteer 
Infantry,    and    served    three    j'ears    and    two 
months,  receiving  his  discharge  in  December, 
1864.     During  this  time  he  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Belmont,  Corinth,  New  3Iadrid,  siege 
of  Nashville,  Mission  Ridge,  siege  of  Knoxville, 
Buzzard's    Roost,    Resaca^   Rome,    Ga.,    and 
Dallas,  where  he  was  severely-  wounded  in  le.ft 
arm,  ball   passing  through  same  and  through 
the  left  hip  and   lodged  in  the  left   hip  joint 
where  the  ball  still  lies.    Upon  his  return  from 
service  came  to  Fayette,  he  attended  school  for 


198 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


one  year  after  which  he  taught  school  one  j'ear, 
then  engaged  in  farming,  continuing  until  1873, 
after  which  he  sold  goods  at  Greenland  one 
year  and  then  farmed  until  1882,  at  which  time 
he  came  to  Beecher  City  where  he  bought 
property  in  fall  of  1881,  and  in  1882  built  a 
business  house  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  fur- 
niture business.  He  was  married  October  3, 
1867,  to  Hester  E.  Miller,  born  in  Fayette 
County,  daughter  of  William  and  Callista 
(Beck)  Miller.  By  this  marriage  of  Mr.  Ander- 
son six  children  have  been  born,  four  living, 
viz. :  Lillie  M.,  Callista  A.,  Isadora  and  Sa- 
mautha  P.  Deceased  were  Emma  J.  and  Liz- 
zie M.,  members  of  the  Missionarj'  Baptist ; 
also  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Greenland  Lodge,  No.  665. 
Bepnblican  and  strong  temperance  man,  Mr. 
Anderson  had  four  brothers  who  served  in  the 
army.  James,  Jonathan,  Stephen  J.  and 
Matthew.  Matthew  served  in  the  Seventh  Cav- 
alry. The  other  four  served  in  Company  B, 
Tenth  Iowa  Volunteer  Infantry.  Jonathan 
had  left  arm  shot  oft'.  James  had  three  Au- 
gers shot  off  from  left  band. 

H.  L.  BEECHER,  merchant,  Beecher  City. 
The  subject  of  the  following  sketch  descended 
from  a  long  line  of  distinguished  ancestors,  of 
various  avocations,  whose  decisory  character- 
istics are  prominently  perceivable  in  the  por- 
trait in  this  book,  of  him  whose  name  heads 
this  biograpliy.  He  is  a  native  of  Licking 
County,  Ohio,  and  was  born  March  14,  1844. 
His  parents,  Lyman  and  Jane  (Willoughbj') 
Beecher,  were  natives  of  Herkimer  County,  N. 
Y.  The  former  was  Ijorn  March  26,  1817,  and 
in  1836,  he  moved  with  his  father's  family-  to 
Licking  County,  Ohio.  The  latter  was  born 
March  4,  1820,  and  blessed  her  consort  with 
three  children,  viz.:  Sarah  A.,  born  April  4, 
1841.  married  H.  B.  Howe,  and  is  living  in 
Cleveland,  Ohio;  H.  L.;  and  Julius  S.  born 
October  2,  1846,  married  Ella  Norton,  of  Shaw- 
neetown,  111.,  and  resides  in  Columbus,  Ohio  ; 
H.    L.   received   such     an    education   as    the 


country  schools  and  one  year  at  college  afford- 
ed. He  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  early  life 
as  a  tiller  of  the  soil.  November  4,  1869,  he 
was  married  to  Emma  L.,  a  daughter  of  ^Yes- 
ley  and  Charlotte  (Charles)  Hancock.  Her 
father  left  his  native  State,  Virginia,  at  the  age 
of  sixteen  years,  and  came  to  Licking  Count}-, 
Ohio,  where  he  subsequentlj'  married  her  men- 
tioned above,  whose  ancestors  were  from  Penn- 
sylvania. Her  parents  were  blessed  with 
twelve  children,  ten  of  whom  grew  to  maturity. 
Four  of  3Irs.  B.'s  brothers  held  that  all  men 
should  be  unfettered  in  running  the  race  of  life, 
hence  the  system  of  human  slaverv  found  in 
them  an  honorable  but  unrelenting  foe  ;  and 
when  the  accursed  S3'stem  organized  a  rebellion 
against  our  Government,  they  took  up  arms  to 
uphold  and  sustain  the  just  cause  of  their 
country.  The  j-ounger,  Charles,  enlisted  at  the 
age  of  sixteen,  in  the  One  hundred  and  itwentj'- 
sccond  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantrj-;  was  in  forty- 
two  battles  during  three  j-ears'  service.  James 
C.  was  First  Lieutenant  in  the  One  Hundred 
and  Thirty-fifth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  Eph- 
raim  and  Jesse  each  served  three  years,  and 
the  latter  was  captured  by  the  rebels,  and  by 
some  shrewdness  he  escaped.  Our  subject, 
with  his  wife,  removed  to  Fairfield,  Wayne  Co., 
111.,  in  February,  1871,  and  about  one  year 
later,  to  Beecher  Citj*,  this  county.  They  lived 
for  awhile  in  the  railroad  depot.  In  June, 
1872,  they  transferred  their  small  amount  of 
this  world's  goods  to  a  house  which  the  subject 
had  prepared,  Sir.  B.  served  as  depot  and  ex- 
press agent  for  many  j-ears  at  this  village.  In 
1874,  he  obtained  permission  from  the  railroad 
companj-  to  put  in  the  depot  a  stock  of  dry 
goods,  notions,  etc.;  aside  from  this  he  dealt  in 
grain,  railroad  ties  and  hoop-poles.  He  was 
commissioned  Postmaster  in  1874,  and  is  the 
present  incumbent.  In  the  fall  of  1876,  he 
purchased  property  of  the  Jennings  Brothers, 
and  afterward  improved  the  same.  He  now 
enjoys  a  large  trade  in  the  general  mercantile 


LIBERTY  TOWNSHIP. 


199 


business,  the  result  of  his  own  economj-  and 
frugal  dealings.  His  union  gave  him  two 
children,  viz.:  Florence  M.,  born  Juue  18,  1872, 
and  a  son,  born  August  27,  1880,  and  deceased 
in  a  few  daj-s.  In  politics,  he  is  a  consistent, 
intelligent  and  active  Republican.  In  a  word, 
he  is  an  honest,  truthful  and  capable  man.  both 
in  public  and  in  private  life,  ardently  attached 
to  those  things  which  are  true,  good  and  just, 
hating  oppression  in  all  its  forms,  ever  readj' 
to  rebuke  meanness  wherever  it  shows  its  head. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church, 
while  his  wife,  a  ladj-  of  rare  beauty  of  person, 
of  the  most  amiable  temper  and  engaging  man- 
ners, of  high  intellectual  and  social  attain- 
ments, is  au  exemplary  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian organization.  Mi".  B.  served  four  months 
in  the  late  war.  C.  A.  Beecher,  after  whom 
Beecher  City  was  named,  was  born  August  27, 
1829  ;  he  is  an  uncle  of  our  subject ;  was  Vice 
President  of  the  company,  the  constructors  of 
the  Springfield  &  Southeastern  Railroad,  now  the 
Springfield  Division  of  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi. 
Hezekiah  Beecher,  the  great-grandfather  of  H. 
L.,  was  born  July  29,  1755,  in  Woodbridge, 
Conn.  He  married  Philena  Johnson,  born  in 
the  same  place  October  5,  1761.  The  union 
resulted  in  eleven  children  ;  Zina,  the  second 
child,  was  the  grandfather  of  our  subject  ;  was 
born  in  Woodbridge,  and  in  180(5  went  to  Her- 
kimer County,  N.  Y.;  in  1809,  married  Lucretia 
Sanford,  born  in  Hamden,  Conn.,  October  27, 
1789,  the  result  being  ten  children.  Zina  died 
October  24,  1865,  and  Lucretia  died  February 
26,  1880.  The  mother  of  H.  L.  Beecher  died 
June  8,  1868,  and  the  father  was  again  married 
to  Almeda  Bloomer,  October  27,  1873,  Rev. 
Lyons  officiating  ;  they  are  living  in  Licking 
County,  Ohio,  on  the  farm  bought  bj-  Zina 
Beecher  in  1836. 

GEORGE  W.  BROWN,  grain  dealer,  Beech- 
er City,  was  horn  in  Shelby  County,  111., 
1840,  March  19,  of  a  famil}-  of  twelve  children, 
the  fifth  in  number  born  to  Joseph  M.  Brown, 


born  1811,  August  2,  in  North  Carolina,  and 
removed  to  Tennessee  with  his  parents  when 
young,  where  he  was  raised  to  manhood.  He  was 
married  in  nineteenth  year  to  Theresa  N.  Parks, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Phebe  (Caldwell) 
Parks;  she  died  aged  one  hundred  and  seven 
3'ears;  said  to  be  one  hundred  and  eighteen. 
Phebe  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Caldwell,  one 
of  the  Revolutionary  soldiers.  Joseph  M. 
afterward  removed  to  Shelbj'  Countj,  this  State, 
arriving  November,  1839,  and  lived  here  for 
several  j-ears,  and  served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace 
manj"  j-ears,  and  removed  to  this  count}-,  where 
he  has  since  remained.  George  W.  was  raised  at 
home,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  began  teach- 
ing in  county,  and  continued  for  several  years. 
Came  to  Beecher  City  in  1873,  spring,  and 
since  remained.  He  learned  the  tinner's  trade, 
and  started  the  first  tin  shop  in  Altamont,  and 
the  first  in  this  place;  since  1880  has  been  en- 
gaged in  the  grain  business,  agent  for  Brown- 
back  Bros.  He  was  married,  1860,  November 
1,  to  Jane  Fortner,  born  in  Shelby  County,  the 
daughter  of  Elisha  and  Elizabeth  Carr  Fortner. 
He  has  four  sons — John  M.,  Elisha,  Samuel 
H.  and  William  H.  Was  elected  Justice  in 
spring  of  1881;  served  as  Township  Clerk  five 
years  previous;  member  of  I.  0.  0.  F.,  No.  690. 
Member  of  Universalist  Church;  Clerk  of  same. 
A.  J.  BURKE  (deeeased),  was  born  1829, 
November  2,  in  Harrison  County,  Ohio, 
eldest  son  of  John  J.  and  Nanc}'  (Snyder) 
Burke,  botii  natives  of  the  Carolinas.  Andrew 
Jackson  remained  in  Ohio  with  his  parents 
until  ten  years  of  age,  when  he  moved  with  his 
parents  to  Fayette  County,  Ind.,  where  he  mar- 
ried November  3,  1850,  to  Mary  H.,  born  No- 
ember  11,  1828,  in  Union  County,  Ind.,  the 
second  daughter  and  fifth  child  of  James  and 
Annie  (Johnson)  Geary.  James  was  a  son  of 
John  Geary,  of  Maryland.  Annie,  born  in 
Kentucky,  daughter  of  Ezekiel  Johnson.  After 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  A.  J.  Burke,  he  settled  on 
a  part   of  his   father's  farm,  and  engaged  in 


200 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


farming,  and  remained  here  until  the  fall  of 
1865,  when  he  removed  to  Illinois,  and  settled 
on  the  edge  of  Shelb}-  County,  just  across  the 
line;  here  he  lived  three  j'ears,  when  he  moved 
across  the  line  into  Liberty  Township,  where  he 
had  built,  and  remained  here  until  his  death, 
November  10,  1877.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Olive  Branch  Church,  and  Trustee  of  same, 
and  in  politics  was  Democratic,  and  a  man 
esteemed  for  his  good  qualities  of  mind  and 
heart.  Surviving  him  are  his  widow  and  five 
children— Frank  M.,  George  W.,  John  Thomas, 
Rachel  A.  and  Charles;  deceased  are  Erastus, 
died  1881,  aged  twenty-three;  Ehoda  E.,  died 
March  7,  1881,  aged  eighteen  years,  and  Angie 
E.,  infant. 

JOHN  COOK,  M.  D.,  Beecher  City.  Of  the 
practitioners  of  Materia  Medica  in  Effingham 
County,  none  are  more  deserving  of  success 
than  Dr.  John  Cook,  who  though  young,  has 
had  a  marked  and  a  successful  career,  which 
has  been  fairlj'  earned,  as  he  is  purely  self- 
made.  He  was  born  January  4,  1849,  in  Kent, 
England,  son  of  John  and  Lucy  (Sharp)  Cook. 
His  father  was  born  April  22,  1821,  son  of 
John  Cook,  whose  ancestors  for  three  hundred 
years  were  born  in  the  same  house,  which  was 
once  part  of  an  ancient  castle,  in  which,  tradi- 
tion says,  that  the  son  of  Richard  III  was 
also  born;  under  this  same  roof  our  subject 
first  saw  the  light  of  da}-.  His  bo3'hood  days 
were  spent  at  home  on  the  farm  and  attending 
school.  He  received  the  advantages  afforded 
at  the  academ\',  where  he  not  only  acquired  a 
good  English  education,  but  a  knowledge  of 
classics,  and  leaving  school  at  the  age  of  thir- 
teen, he  engaged  as  clerk  in  a  store  for  about 
six  years.  His  father  having  been  at  one  time 
possessed  of  considerable  wealth,  but  was  un- 
fortunate, and  in  the  changing  vicissitudes  of 
business  lite,  was  left  devoid  of  property,  which 
threw  our  subject  mainlj-  upon  his  own  re- 
sources. In  the  fall  of  1868,  he  came  to 
America,  and  for  a  time  lived   with   his  uncle 


in  Chicago.  In  1869,  he  came  to  this  town- 
ship, and  engaged  as  teacher  in  the  public 
schools  in  this  township,  where  he  continued 
until  1878,  at  which  time  he  began  reading 
medicine  with  Dr.  John  Wills,  of  this  township, 
after  which  he  attended  two  terms  of  lectures 
in  the  St.  Louis  Medical  College,  graduating 
March  4,  1880,  where  he  took  the  gold  medal, 
in  nervous  diseases;  first  prize  in  surger}-; 
second  in  gynecology  and  in  fact,  his  record 
was  such  that  he  took  the  highest  honors  that 
had  ever  been  awarded  to  any  student  since 
the  establishment  of  the  college.  Immediately 
after  his  graduation,  he  returned  to  this  county, 
and  formed  a  copartnership  with  Dr.  J.  M. 
Phifer  at  Shumway,  which  lasted  about  one 
vear,  when,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  friends, 
he  was  induced  to  locate  at  Beecher  City, 
where  he  located  in  April,  1881,  and  has  been 
erainentlj-  successful,  being  favored  with  a 
liberal  patronage.  August  24,  1873,  he  mar- 
ried Julia  E.,  daughter  of  Thomas  D.  Tennery; 
this  union  has  been  crowned  b}'  the  birth  of 
two  daughters — Bertha  A.  and  Sarah  L.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Universalist  Church,  and 
of  Beecher  City  Lodge,  No.  690,  L  0.  O.  F. 

CHARLES  ECCLES,  farmer,  P.  0.  Beecher 
Citj-,  was  born  in  Maucliester,  Eug.,  February 
5,  1834,  to  George  Clark  and  Mary  (Witting- 
ham)  Eccles.  He  was  born  May  13,  1803,  in 
Strctford,  Eng.  She  was  born  in  Cheshire, 
Eiig.,  in  1802,  and  died  about  1857,  in  this 
township.  By  trade,  he  is  a  weaver,  and  was 
overlooker  or  overseer  in  the  mill  of  Richard 
Birlej-  for  about  sixteen  years.  Before  he 
came  to  America,  he  quit  the  mill  and  went  into 
a  provision  store,  and  was  in  that  for  several 
j-ears,  and  then  went  into  the  coal  business,  and 
followed  tliat  for  six  years,  and  then  came  to 
America  in  the  spring  of  1849.  He  started 
with  the  intention  of  settling  in  Ohio,  but  on 
board  the  ship  he  formed  the  acquaintance  of 
John  Allsop,  who  told  him  this  country  was 
much  better  than  Ohio,  so  he  came  on  to  Effing- 


LIBERTY  TOWNSHIP. 


201 


ham  County  and   bought  fortj-  acres  of  land, 
boirowing  money  of  the  school  funds  to  pay 
for  it.     He  put  up  a  small  log  house,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1849,  his  family  came  from  England  to 
him.     In  his  trip  across,  he  landed  at  Philadel- 
phia, but  his  family  came  to  New  Orleans,  and 
came  up  the  river  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  was  to 
meet  the  family,  but  did  not  meet  them  on  ac- 
count of  mails  being  so  irregular,  so  they  went 
out  to  Naples,   and  from   Naples  they  went  to 
Springfield  by  train,  and  then  hired  a  four-horse 
team  to  bring  them  to  Shelbyville.     Mr.  Eccles 
followed  farming  after  coming  here  till  a  few 
years  ago  he  retired   from  active  life.     By  his 
energy,  he  accumulated   property  till  he  had 
260  acres  of  land,  besides   personal  property. 
Of  this,  he  deeded  eighty  acres  to  each  of  his 
eldest  sons,  Thomas  and  Charles,  and  has  since 
deeded  the  home-place  to  his  youngest  sou,  but 
reserved  a  life  interest.     Mr.  Eccles   has  been 
married  three  times;  by  the  first  wife  he  had 
five  children,  three  sons  and  two   daughters, 
only  two  living  now — Charles  and  George.    By 
his  second  wife,   Mrs.   Nancy  (Askins)  Eccles, 
he  hud  one  son,  which  died  young;  his  third 
wifip,  Mrs.  Mary  (Flowers),  is  still  living.     He 
is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church.     He  has 
always  been  Democratic  in  politics.     Our  sub- 
ject, Mr.  Charles  Eccles,  spent  his  early  life  in 
England,  attending  the  common  schools,  etc., 
but  commenced  work  at  an  earl}-  age,  helping 
bis  father  with  the  coal  business,  hauling  coal 
from  pit,  etc.     After  coming  to  America,  he  at- 
tended the  common  schools  of  this  township, 
and    worked   on   the  farm.     He   remained    at 
home  with  his  father  till  he  was  about  twent}-- 
two  years  old,  and  was  married,  April  18, 1858, 
in  Shelby  County,  to  Amanda  Miller;  she  was 
born  in  Shelby  County,  on  what  was  called  the 
Baker  place,    to   John    and    Sarah    (Sanders) 
Miller.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eccles  have  five  children, 
four  girls  and  one  boy — Emma  V.,  Sarah  Ellen, 
Kebecca  J.,  Ida  Florence  and  Charles.     Mr.  Ec- 
cles is  Democratic  in  politics.     He  came  to  his 


present  farm  as  soon  as  he  was  married,  and 
has  been  on  it  since.  His  farm  consists  of 
nlnet3'-two  acres,  eighty  in  prairie. 

GEORGE  ECCLES,  farmer,  P.  0.  Beecher 
City,  was  born   in   Manchester,  Eng.,  January 
18,  1840,  to  George  Clark  Eccles.     Mr.  George 
Eccles  is  brother  of  Cliarles  Eccles,  whose  sketch 
appears.     Mr.  Eccles'  early  life  was  the  same 
as  his  brother's.     In  1849,  he  came  to  America 
with  the  family.     In  1854,  he  left  home  and 
went  to  live  with    his    brother-in-law,   Jarvis 
Cles.son,  in  Shelby  County.     He  made  that  his 
home  for  some  years,  but  would  work  out  by 
the  month  with  farmers  around.      In  186.j,  he 
was  married,  in   Effingham  County,  to  Mary 
Allsop;  she  was  born  in  England  April,  1841, 
daughter  of  John  and  Mar}-  Allsop.     The}-  were 
from  Belper,  Eng.  They  both  died  in  this  county. 
Our  subject's  wife  died  December  2.  1872.     By 
this  wife  he  has  one  child — Mary  Lillian.     In 
October,  1877,  he  was  again  married,  in  Shelby 
County,  to  Louisa   Banning;  she  was  born  in 
Shelby  County,  111.,   April,   1853,  to  William 
Banning  ancl  I]lizabeth  (Barr)   Banning.     By 
this    wife  he  has  three  ciiildren — Hilda   Ada, 
Henry  Wittingham  and  Viola  D.     When  first 
married,   he  went  onto  a  farm  owned  b}-  Mr. 
John  Allsop,  in  Moccasin  Townsliip,  and  lived 
there  till  his  wife's  death;  he  then  moved  to  his 
present  place.     His  farm  consists  of  100  acres. 
He  is  Democratic  in  politics.     Is  a  member  of 
the  I.  0.  0.  P.,  of  Beecher  City.     He  received 
his  education  in  Manchester,   Eng.,   and   the 
schools  of  this  county,  going  to  the  early  schools 
of  this   county.     The   spelling-book   was    tlie 
main  book  in  use. 

IRA  C.  HUBBARTT,  farmer,  P.  0.  Beecher 
City.  Among  the  leading  farmers  of  this  town- 
ship is  the  above  gentleman,  who  was  born 
June  22,  1834,  in  Fayette  Countj',  Ind.,  the  eld- 
est son  of  John  Hubbartt  and  his  wife  Eliza- 
beth Hubbell.  Mr.  H-ubbartt  came  to  this 
State  with  his  parents  in  September,  1853,  who 
settled  on  the  edge    of   Shelby  County,  just 


203 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


across  the  EfHnghaiii  line.  He  remained  witli 
liis  father  until  he  attained  his  majority  and  a 
short  time  afterward,  and  assisted  in  improving 
the  homestead.  In  Octolier,  1855,  he  married 
Marj'  A.,  a  native  of  Shelb}-  County,  daughter 
of  Elijah  Parkhurst.  Shortly  after  his  mar- 
riage, he  moved  to  Fayette  County,  where  he 
had  purchased  land.  Here  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. He  remained  here  about  five  years,  when 
he  exchanged  his  property  there  for  the  place 
he  now  owns,  and  added  more  to  the  same  by 
purchase.  He  located  on  the  northeast  quarter 
of  Section  22,  and  has  since  remained  and  giv- 
en his  attention  to  farming.  He  has  now  321 
acres  of  land,  160  here,  and  the  remainder  in 
the  adjoining  count}'.  He  has  eight  children 
living,  viz.:  Charles  C,  Eliza  J.,  Elisha  H., 
Rebecca  A.,  Ira  K.,  Laura  A.,  John  E.,  Mary 
N.  Member  I.  0.  0.  F.,  Beecher  City  Lodge, 
No.  690;  Greeubacker. 

W.  H.  JENNINGS,  merchant,  Beecher  City. 
Among  the  leading  business  interests  of  this 
township  is  that  carried  on  by  the  above-men- 
tioned gentleman,  who  was  born  in  this  county 
in  December,  1838,  son  of  Isom  Jennings,  a 
native  of  Warren  Countj',  Tenn.,  who  emigrated 
to  this  State  in  the  fall  of  1829.  He  was  born 
in  March,  1805  ;  died  in  October,  1877.  His 
wife  was  Prances  Smith,  a  native  of  North  Car- 
olina, daughter  of  Peter  Smith.  William  Hay- 
den  was  raised  on  the  farm;  began  for  himself 
at  twenty -oue  at  farming.  Made  his  father's 
house  his  home  until  the  summer  of  1861,  when 
he  left  home.  June,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany K,  Thirty-fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, and  served  until  September,  1864.  During 
this  time,  he  particijjated  in  all  the  engagements 
that  his  company  was  engaged  in.  Served  in 
Pea  Ridge,  Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  Resaca, 
and  in  all  the  battles  up  to  Atlanta.  Upon  his 
return  home,  resumed  farming,  which  he  con- 
tinued until  1871.  That  fall  he  came  to  this 
township  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness with  J.  D.  Jennings  &  Brother,  which  con- 


tinued four  j'cars.  He  then  sold  out  his  interest; 
then  returned  to  Fayette  County  and  went  to 
Holliday  and  resumed  the  mercantile  business 
there,  continuing  until  May,  1880,  when  he 
came  to  this  place  and  set  up  in  business  with  his 
brother  Noah,  who  built  the  business  house  he 
now  occupies,  and  continuefl  together  about 
eighteen  months,  when  he  purchased  his  broth- 
er's interest  and  has  since  continued  alone. 
Building,  24x60  feet,  well  stocked  with  a  gen- 
eral assortment  of  goods.  Married  in  1866  to 
Mary  J.  Musser,  born  in  Knox  County,  Ohio, 
daughter  of  William  and  Blary  Musser.  Mem- 
ber of  the  Universalist  Church.  Member  of 
the  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Greenland  Lodge,  No.  665  ; 
Democrat. 

T.  L.  D.  LARIMOKE,  retired  farmer,  P.  0. 
Beecher  City,  was  born  October  25,  1808,  in 
Stokes  Count}',  N.  C.,  and  when  a  lad  removed 
with  his  parents  to  Faj'ette  County,  Ind.,  where 
he  lived  until  twenty-five  years  of  age.  His 
father  was  Thomas  J.  Larimore,  a  native  of 
Virginia,  and  when  a  young  man  removed  to 
North  Carolina,  where  he  married  Nancy 
Wright,  a  daughter  of  John  Wright,  who  came 
from  Ireland  and  settled  in  North  Carolina. 
The  paternal  graudsire  of  our  subject  was 
James  Larimore,  who  was  a  Revolutionary 
soldier,  and  for  manj-  years  afterward  drew  a 
pension.  He  married  Katie  Daniels.  Thomas 
J.  Larimore  removed  to  Rush  County,  Ind.,  in 
1815,  and  was  a  pioneer  of  that  locality,  and 
remained  here  until  his  death  in  1852.  Thomas 
L.  D.,  our  subject,  was  raised  to  farming,  and 
received  but  a  common  school  education,  and 
verj-  common  at  that.  He  married  Mary  J. 
Hubbard,  a  native  of  Fayette  County,  Ind.i 
where  she  was  born  January  31,  1814.  Her 
parents  were  Charles  Hubbard  and  Lillie  Hol- 
land, the  latter  a  daughter  of  Laban  Holland 
and  Elizabeth  Hales,  of  English  ancestry. 
Charles  Hubbard  was  a  native  of  Marj'land, 
his  wife  Lillie  of  Virginia.  One  year  after  Mr- 
Larimore's  marriage  he  removed  to  Hancock, 


LIBEKTY    TOWNSHIP. 


203 


Tnd.,  where  he  entered  land  and  settled  in  the 
woods,  remaining  there  ahont  nineteen  j-ears 
when  he  sold  out  and  came  to  this  State,  locat- 
ing in  this  township  September  20,  1851?,  where 
he  has  since  lived.  His  first  purchase  was  520 
acres,  some  of  which  lie  entered.  The  piece 
he  located  on  had  a  small  cabin  thereon  and  a 
few  acres  broken.  He  has  now  160  acres  left 
after  dividing  out  among  his  children,  of  which 
he  has  eight  in  number,  whose  names  are  as 
follows  :  Charles  T.,  born  July  19,  1834  ;  Eliz- 
abeth, born  Februarj-  14,  1836  ;  John  L.,  born 
January  C,  1840  ;  Louann,  born  October  3, 
1847;  Albert,  born  November  3,  1849  ;  Aza- 
riah,  born  June  3,  1852  ;  Sarah  C,  born  July 
23.  1854  ;  WilKam  F.,  born  August  15,  1857. 
Children  deceased  are  Nancy  E.,  Mary  I.  and 
William  H.  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Thomas  Holli- 
day,  resides  in  Fayette  County  ;  Louann,  wife 
of  Noah  Jennings  :  other  children  are  residing 
at  or  near  the  homestead.  Mr.  Larimore  is  a 
member  of  the  Universalist  Church  and  a 
Democrat,  and  cast  his  first  vote  for  Andrew 
Jackson. 

S.  D.  LORTON,  farmer,  P.  0.  Beecher  City, 
was  born  January  17,  1822,  in  the  State  of 
Arkansas,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  Madi- 
son County,  this  State,  in  1823,  and  the  follow- 
ing year  came  to  Fayette  County,  where  he 
lived  until  1843,  when  he  came  to  this  county, 
and  has  since  been  a  resident  of  this  township. 
His  father's  name  was  Henry,  a  native  of  Henrj- 
County,  Va.;  son  of  Robert  Lorton  and  Tabitha 
Ganaway,  both  natives  of  Virginia,  and  re- 
moved with  their  family  at  an  early  day  to 
Cumberland  County,  Ky.,  about  1813,  where 
they  remained  until  1819,  when  they  located  in 
Green  County,  near  White  Hall ;  here  Robert 
Lorton  died  about  1833,  in  his  eighty-sixth 
year.  He  served  all  through  the  Revolutionary 
war.  Henry,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  the 
sixth  son  of  Robert,  and  was,  born  August  4, 
1799,  and  was  raised  a  farmer,  and  while  in 
Madison  County,  now  Bond,  about  1820,  he 


married  Sarah  Carson,  a  native  of  South  Caro- 
lina, daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth  (West) 
Carson.  After  the  marriage  of  Henry  Lorton, 
he  moved  to  Arkansas  in  1821,  and  the  follow- 
ing 3-ear  returned  to  Madison  Count}';  stayed 
one  year,  and  in  1824  located  in  Fayette 
County,  where  he  purchased  land  and  engaged 
in  farming,  and  remained  here  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  October  11,  1851.  His  wife 
died  September  20,  1866.  He  served  in  the 
Black  Hawk  war,  and  was  a  life-long  Whig. 
He  raised  to  maturity  four  children — Samuel 
D.,  Greenup,  John  and  Sarah,  all  now  living. 
The  boys,  John  and  Greenup,  reside  in  Fayette 
County  and  are  engaged  in  farming,  Sarah  re- 
sides in  Shelby  Count}-,  wife  of  James  Askins, 
Samuel  D.  being  the  only  one  of  the  family  re- 
siding in  the  county.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he 
began  for  himself,  which  was  in  1843.  His 
father  gave  him  100  acres,  upon  which  he  lo- 
cated and  has  since  remained.  In  1843,  March 
28,  he  married  Lucy  A.,  born  in  Fayette  Coun- 
ty, 1824,  December  12,  daughter  of  Isaiah  and 
Eliza  (Reed)  Nichols.  He  was  born  in  Mason 
County,  Ky.,  July  6,  1800;  son  of  Thomas 
Nicholas  and  Dulcibela  Berry.  Eliza  was  born 
1806,  August  3,  in  Randolph  County,  this  State, 
daughter  of  Oliver  and  Elizabeth  (Doyle)  Reed. 
After  Mr.  Lorton  married,  he  located  in  a  cabin 
which  he  built,  which  was  burned  in  the  spring 
of  1845.  He  then  built  a  cabin  where  he  now 
lives,  in  which  he  lived  about  six  years,  when 
he  built  a  frame  house,  in  which  he  lived  until 
1874,  when  he  built  the  brick  house  he  now 
occupies;  has  five  children  living — James  K., 
Samantha,  Elana  J.,  Sarah  and  Henry;  de- 
ceased— Julia  A.,  who  died  at  seventeen;  other 
died  in  infancy.  James  K.,  resides  in  London 
Township,  Payette  County;  Samantha  resides 
in  this  township,  wife  of  C.  W.  Larimore;  Elana, 
wife  of  Harmon  Buzzard,  of  Fayette  County; 
Sarah  and  Henry,  unmarried.  Has  200  acres 
and  the  same  amount  in  Fayette  County.  Had 
at  one  time  660  acres  before  dividing  among 


204 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


his  children.  Democratic,  and  served  as  Col- 
lector several  terms — now  Assessor.  Is  Uni- 
versalist  in  doctrine,  and  a  Mason  since  1856; 
now  of  Greenland  Lodge,  No.  665;  always  been 
a  temperate  man. 

J.  P.  ROBERTSON,  stock-dealer,  Beecher 
City.  The  resident  stock-dealer  of  this  town- 
ship is  James  Polk  Robertson,  who  was  born 
in  Todd  County,  Ky.,  March  28, 1843,  third  son 
and  fifth  child  born  to  Jesse  B.  Robertson  and 
Harriet  Key,  he  born  in  Virginia,  and  removed 
with  his  father,  David,  to  Tennessee  when 
twelve  years  old.  In  1842,  he  (Jesse  B.), 
located  in  Todd  County,  Ky.,  where  he 
lived  until  1861,  and  came  to  Washington 
County,  this  State,  and,  1870,  removed  to  Ef- 
fingham Countj-,  this  State,  where  he  died  in 
1876.  Harriet  was  born  in  Tennessee,  daughter 
of  William  Key.  James  P.  was  raised  on  a 
farm,  and  located  in  Todd  County  until  1878, 
wheu  he  came  to  Washington  Countj-,  this 
State ;  remained  here  until  February,  1880, 
when  he  came  to  Beecher  Citj-  and  since  re- 
mained; was  in  Kentuck}-  during  the  war;  in 
1874-75,  was  selling  goods  in  Todd  County;  in 
1875-76,  was  Constable;  1877-78,  was  engaged 
in  the  leaf  tobacco  business.  From  there  to 
Washington  County,  this  State,  1878,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  two  years.  Then  acted  as 
foreman  for  Osgood  &  Kingman  (railroad  con- 
tractors), for  twelve  months.  Went  to  the  Hot 
Springs;  stayed  one  year  for  his  health,  when  he 
came  here  and  engaged  in  butchering.  Since 
August,  1882,  been  engaged  in  stock  business, 
buying  and  selling  cattle,  sheep,  hogs,  etc. 
Married,  June,  1863,  to  Rebecca  Starks,  a  native 
of  Simpson  County,  Ky.,  daughter  of  Aquilla 
Starks.  Has  three  children — Martha  J.,  Jesse 
F.  and  Mary  S.  Member  of  A.,  P.  &  A.  M., 
Dayville  Lodge,  Ky.,  No.  587;  of  L  0.  0.  F., 
Beecher  Lodge,  No.  690.  He  was  formerly 
Democratic,  politically,  but  having  seen  and 
experienced  the  evil  effects  attending  the  liquor 
traffic,  he  is  now  a  Prohibitionist,  in  the  stFong- 
est  sense  the  term  implies. 


AMAZIAH  SPARKS,  deceased,  Beecher 
City,  was  born  August  9,  1826,  in  Indiana, 
son  of  John  Sparks  and  Mary  Campbell.  He 
from  Pennsylvania,  she  from  Virginia,  and 
were  early  settlers  in  Indiana.  Subject  was 
raised  a  farmer,  and  lived  with  hi»\.parents 
until  twenty-seven  3'ears  of  age.  Febrnar^-  23. 
1854,  he  was  married  to  Amanda  Steele,  a  na- 
tive of  Rush  County,  Ind..  born  September  17, 
1834.  She  was  the  eighth  child  of  James 
Steele  and  Sarah  Reeves.  He  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania  November  6,  1799.  She  was 
born  in  Kentucky  Juh-  29,  1798,  and  removed 
to  Indiana  in  an  early  day.  He  died  January 
30,  1839;  she  January  12,  1864.  He  was  of 
Presbyterian,  she  of  Christian  Church.  After 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  Sparks,  he  lived  nearly 
ten  years,  and  in  the  fall  of  1 855  moved  to 
Illinois,  lived  two  3'ears  in  the  northwest  part 
of  the  township;  removed  then  here,  north 
half  of  southeast  quarter  of  Section  22,  bought 
of  railroad  eight}-  acres  ;  no  improvements  on 
same.  He  remained  here  until  his  death,  April 
4, 1871;  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church; 
Republican.  Since  war,  was  a  man  highly  re- 
spected in  the  community  in  which  ho  lived. 
Surviving  him  are  his  widow  and  six  children 
—Sarah  M.,  James  W.,  George  B.,  Ila  U.,  Will- 
iam H.,  Charles  F.     They  have  110  acres. 

WILLIAM  R.  SPIVEY,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Beecher  Cit}-,  was  born  in  Butler  Count}-,  Ohio, 
May  3,  1828,  to  John  and  Hannah  (Frazey) 
Spivey.  He  was  a  native  of  Penns3"lvania, 
born  on  November  25,  1800.  She  was  born 
December  25,  1802,  in  New  Jersej-.  He  came 
to  Ohio  in  1813,  and  settled  in  Butler  Count}-. 
He  carried  the  mail  for  seven  years,  from  Cin- 
cinnati to  Xenia,  carr^-ing  out  of  Cincinnati  the 
first  paper  that  was  ever  published  there.  In 
1839,  he  moved  to  Faj'ette  County,  Ind  ,  and 
remained  there  till  his  death,  November,  1878. 
She  died  there  also  in  September,  1874.  Our 
subject  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Indiana.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm, 
and  that  has  been  his  occupation  through  life- 


LIBERTY   TOWNSHIP. 


205 


He  remained  at  home  till  he  was  twenty-five 
years  old,  working  ou  the  farm,  and  then  went 
to  the  then  far  northwest,  Wisconsin,  Iowa  and 
Northern  Illinois,  and  was  gone  for  three  years, 
farming  one  season  while  gone,  and  for  two 
years  was  railroading,  being  with  an  engineer- 
ing party.  On  November  17,  1856,  in  Milwau- 
kee, Wis.,  he  was  married  to  Harriet  Williams. 
She  was  born  iu  Ohio,  near  Cleveland,  to  Abram 
Williams;  both  her  parents  died  when  she  was 
small.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spivey  had  ten  children, 
nine  living — Ida,  Jessie,  Charles,  Susan,  Har- 
riet, Georgiana,  Omer,  Everett,  Dolly.  After 
his  marriage,  he  went  back  to  Indiana,  and 
farmed  on  his  father's  farm,  for  twenty  years, 
and  then  came  to  EtHngham  County  in  1875, 
to  his  present  farm,  which  he  had  bought  be- 
fore coming.  His  farm  consists  of  120  acres; 
about  100  being  improved.  He  is  a  life-long 
Democrat.  The  next  year  after  coming  to  Illi- 
nois, he  was  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace,  but 
not  liking  it  soon  resigned. 

DAVID  SWEAZY,  farmer,  P.  0.  Beecher 
City,  was  born  in  November  12, 1833,  in  Hock- 
ing County,  Ohio,  the  third  son  of  Rev.  An- 
thony Sweazy  and  Susana  Clark.  He  (Rev. 
Anthony),  was  born  November  20,  1800,  in 
New  Jersey;  son  of  Henry,  whose  wife  was 
a  Cramer.  Subject  is  of  Grei-raan  descent. 
Henry  Sweazy  removed  with  his  family  at  an 
early  day  from  New  Jersey,  and  settled  in  Hock- 
ing County  as  early  as  1814,  where  he  died. 
He  raised  a  family  of  eleven  children,  who  set- 
tled in  Ohio  and  Indiana.  David  came  West 
to  this  locality  in  the  fall  of  1853;  his  father 
had  been  out  the  ^-ear  previous  and  purchased 
400  acres  in  this  township;  cost  $4.50  per  acre. 
He  remained  here  until  his  death,  September 
2,  1864.  He  was  for  many  years  a  member  of 
the  United  Brethren;  he  first  united  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  afterward  joined 
the  United  Brethren  Church,  and  in  1840  was 
licensed  as  minister  in  same,  and  was  ordained 
in  1844.     On  account   of  ill   health,  could  not 


travel,  and  worked  in  a  local  way,  and  for  one 
of  his  advantages  was  past  the  mediocre  of 
his  profession.  In  early  life,  was  a  Democrat; 
later  in  life  was  a  stanch  Republican.  His 
wife  died  in  June,  1861.  To  them  eleven  chil- 
dren were  born,  ten  grew  up — Henry,  William, 
David,  Henderson  D.,  Anthony,  Louis  C,  Jane, 
Melinda,  Hannah,  Susanah.  William,  Hender- 
son D.  and  David  lives  in  this  township.  Sub- 
ject came  out  here  and  engaged  in  making  im- 
provements; remained  with  his  father  about 
eighteen  months,  when  he  began  for  himself,  and 
in  March,  1856,  married  Mary  E.,  daughter  of 
John  Miller,  and  Susan  Wantland,  of  Knox 
Count}',  Ohio.  After  marriage  he  located 
where  he  now  lives,  and  since  remained.  Has 
!  190  acres.  Has  eleven  children  born,  eight 
living — Charles  M.,  Amanda  J.,  Alverda  V., 
Jessie  W.,  Eliza  J.,  Emma  F.,  Jlarj'  A.  and 
Louis  E.,  deceased,  died  young;  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  United  Brethren  Church  since 
nineteen  years  old;  Trustee  of  church  and 
Class-leader, '  and  Superintendent  of  Sundaj- 
school. 

H.  D.  SWEAZY,  farmer,  P.  0.  Beecher  City. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Hocking 
County,  Ohio,  Ma}'  8,  1835,  to  Anthony  and 
Susannah  (Clark)  Sweazy  (see  sketch  of  David 
Sweazy).  His  early  life  was  spent  on  his 
father's  farm,  and  in  attending  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  county.  In  the  spring  of 
1855,  he  left  the  old  home,  and,  in  company 
with  his  father,  came  to  EtHngham  County,  set- 
tling in  Liberty  Township,  and  since  that  time 
his  fortunes  have  been  cast  witii  this  township. 
Although  farming  has  always  been  his  occupa- 
tion, still  he  has  had  enough  practice  to  make 
him  handj'  either  with  the  carpanter's  square  or 
tiie  mason's  trowel.  He  remained  at  home 
with  his  father  till  his  marriage  in  the  spring 
of  1861,  when  he  was  married,  in  Hocking 
County,  Ohio,  to  Miss  Mary  B.  Wilson;  she  was 
born  in  Perry  Count}',  Ohio,  February,  1836,  to 
Hiram    and    (Tucker)    Wilson.     They 


206 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


were  both  born  in  Ohio.  He  is  still  there,  but 
she  is  dead.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sweazy  have  two 
children — Nancy  Ellen  and  Henrietta.  As  soon 
as  he  was  married,  he  moved  to  his  present 
farm,  and  has  since  been  actively  engaged  in 
farming.  His  farm  consists  of  175  acres,  of 
which  he  inherited  sixty,  but  the  remainder  he 
has  made  by  his  own  energ3'  and  industiy.  Be- 
sides his  fiirm,  he  has  a  number  of  town  lots  in 
Beeeher  City.  He  and  wife  are  members  of 
the  United  Brethren  Church,  and  each  has  been 
connected  with  that  church  for  over  thirty 
years.  His  first  vote  was  cast  for  John  C. 
Fremont,  and  he  has  kept  by  the  party  ever 
since.  Up  to  the  time  the  railroad  passed 
through,  his  house  was  opened  to  any  in  the 
county,  and  never  charged  a  cent  for  lodging 
or  a  meal  of  victuals  to  any  one  belonging  in 
the  county;  but  after  the  railroad  was  built,  he 
was  soon  over-run,  and  so  had  to  change  his 
way  and  go  to  charging.  He  boarded  the 
hands  as  they  were  laying  the  track  for  the  rail- 
road, also  as  the}-  were  building  the  depot  and 
laying  out  the  town.  Part  of  Beeeher  City  is 
laid  out  on  his  farm.  The  first  twelve  years 
after  his  marriage,  he  ran"  a  threshing-machine 
in  its  season,  and  made  quite  a  success  of  it. 

T.  D.  TENNERY,  farmer,  P.  0.  Beeeher. 
Among  the  old  settlers  of  Liberty  Township  is 
Thomas  Douthad  Tennery,  who  was  born  in 
Greenup  County,  Ky.,  December  22,  1819,  the 
sixth  sou  of  a  family  of  twelve  children.  There 
were  eight  sons  and  four  daughters,  T.  D.  be- 
ing the  ninth  child  in  order  of  birth.  His  par- 
ents were  Thomas  and  Jane  (Wilson)  Tannery, 
both  natives  of  East  Tennessee.  His  father 
was  Zophar  Tennery.  In  the  fall  of  1820,  our 
subject  removed  with  his  parents  to  Edgar 
County,  this  State,  and  located  on  land  south 
of  Paris,  which  he  afterward  entered  from  the 
Government.  He  remained  here  until  about 
the  year  1845.  He  removed  to  Jasper  County, 
where  he  laid  out  the  town  of  Granville,  after- 
ward deceased  in  that  county  about  the  year 


1867.  Thomas  D.  remained  with  his  father 
until  he  was  twent3'-two  3'ears  of  age  ;  had  fair 
school  advantages  for  that  time.  After  lea\-ing 
home,  he  engaged  in  farming,  where  he  contin- 
ued until  April,  1846,  when  he  came  to  this 
township,  locating  on  Section  30,  on  land  he 
had  purchased  in  1845  of  Christopher  Arms, 
at  about  $1.33^  per  acre ;  no  improvements  on 
the  same.  In  June,  1846,  he  went  out  in  the 
Mexican  war.  Company  E,  Fourth  Illinois 
Volunteers,  under  Col.  E.  D.  Baker.  He 
served  one  year ;  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of 
Cerro  Gordo,  and  was  at  the  taking  of  Vera 
Cruz,  and  was  left  in  the  hospital,  and  returned 
home  June  31,  1847.  Soon  after  his  coming 
home,  he  purchased  forty  acres  on  Section  31  ; 
cost,  $2.50.  Began  improving  this,  and  after- 
ward, in  1~851,  located  on  the  land  owned  by 
T.  L.  D.  Larimore,  which  he  had  first  bought. 
Here  he  lived  until  the  fall  of  1853,  when  he 
sold  his  land  to  Mr.  Larimore  and  purchased 
(where  he  now  owns)  120  acres  ;  cost,  S400. 
Afterward  added  fortj-  acres  for  $75.  Located 
here  in  the  fall  of  1853,  and  since  lived  here. 
Has  now  200  acres.  Was  married,  February 
7.  1850,  to  Sarah  E.  Allsop,  born  in  Belper, 
Derbyshire,  England,  on  February  5,  182G, 
eldest  child  of  John  Allsop  and  Mary  Slaterr 
who  came  to  America  in  1845.  Mrs.  Tennery 
came  out  to  this  State  in  the  spring  of  1848- 
Mr.  Tennery  has  had  eleven  children  born  to  him, 
seven  living :  Sarah  A.,  Julia  E.,  John  H.,  Rich- 
ard W.,  Samuel  C,  Thomas  C,  Flora.  Deceased, 
Mary  J.,  Adelaide,  George  W.,  Mattie  C.  Mat- 
tie  C.  died  March  1,  1880,  aged  twenty -four  ; 
Mary  J.  died  aged  ten ;  others  died  j-oung. 
Julia  E.  resides  in  Beeeher,  wife  of  Dr.  John 
Cook  ;  John  and  Samuel  are  in  Kansas  ; 
Thomas  C.  in  Menard  Count}'  ;  member  Uni- 
versalist  Church;  member  of  the  Masonic  Order> 
Greenland  Lodge,  No.  665  ;  charter  member  of 
the  same.  Been  a  Mason  since  1857.  In 
politics,  he  is  Democratic ;  has  served  the 
township  several  terms  in  important  offices  of 


LIBERTY    TOWNSHIP. 


207 


trust,  as  Justice  of  the  Peace,  Supervisor  and 
others,  with  satisfaction  to  the  people. 

CHARLES  WHATELY,  former,  P.  0. 
Beecher  City.  Among  the  self-made  men  of 
this  township  is  Charles  Whatelj',  who  was 
born  in  1837,  September  18,  in  "Warwickshire, 
England,  and  emigrated  to  America  in  his 
eighteenth  3'ear.  His  father's  name  is  Charles 
Whatel)-,  sou  of  Richard.  Subject's  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Hannah  Sharp.  To  sub- 
ject's father  and  mother  were  born  three  chil- 
dren— Richard  and  Charles  ;  one  sister  died  in 
infancy.  Subject  was  raised  ou  a  farm  and 
emigrated  to  Wisconsin,  and  he  remained  here 
a  short  time  and  then  came  to  this  State  the' 
same  fall.  Stayed  in  Stephenson  County  about 
two  years.  Worked  here  by  the  month.  Then, 
in  September,  1857,  he  came  to  this  locality, 
and  at  once  hired  out  by  the  month  to  Stephen 
Riggs,  with  whom  he  lived  about  fourteen  years. 
During  the  time,  he  worked  b}'  the  month  and 
''cropped."  Saved  his  means  and  made  his 
first  purchase  in  1859  in  this  township  of  forty 
acres,  where  he  now  resides ;  cost,  $320. 
About  1867,  he  purchased  sixty  acres,  forty 
here  where  he  now  lives  and  twenty  in  Shelby 
County,  at  SI 5  per  acre.  In  1876,  he  added 
lift}-  acres  more,  costing  $20  per  acre^forty 
acres  in  Libert}-  Township,  ten  acres  in  Shelbj-. 
Has  now  120  acres  in  this  township,  and  thirty 
acres  in  Shelby  Countj",  all  of  which  he 
has  earned  himself,  never  having  a  dollar 
given  him,  and  assisted  in  supporting  his 
father  in  the  meatatime,  and  lost  money 
through  others.  A\'as  twice  married,  first  in 
1869  to  Priscilla,  born  in  Ohio.  She  died  one 
year  after  ;  no  issue.  February,  1872,  he  mar- 
ried Susan  Oliuger,  born  in  Ohio,  daughter  of 
Peter  Olinger.  By  this  marriage  he  has  four 
children— Stella  J.,  John  E.,  William  H.  and 
Mary  I.  Member  of  Beecher  City  Lodge,  No. 
690,  L  0.  0.  F. 

JOHN  WILLS^  physician,  Beecher  City.   In 
all    professions,     and     more     especially     the 


medical,  we  find  men  of  different  qualifications. 
There  are  those  who  claim  the  title  of  M.  D., 
upon  the  fact  of  a  diploma  having  been  granted 
them,  and  others  who  have  earned  this  b}' 
years  of  hard,  comprehensive  study.  Included 
in  the  latter  class  is  Dr.  John  Wills,  whose 
portrait  is  in  this  work,  and  who  is  a  thorough- 
13-  educated  gentleman  in  literarj-  lore  as  well 
as  in  the  science  of  medicine.  He  is  a  native 
of  Cliarles  City  County,  Va.,  and  was  born 
November  20,  1825.  He  is  descended  from  an 
ancient  English  ancestry.  He  is  a  son  of 
Robert  C,  born  February  16,  1792,  in  Charles 
Cit}'  County,  Va.;  was  a  farmer  and  died  x\u- 
gust  4,  1878,  and  Elizabeth  T.  Rock,  born 
January  29,  1802,  and  died  February  13,  1881. 
The  parents  were  blessed  with  ten  children. 
Dr.  Wills  obtained  a  good  academic  education 
and  early  learned  the  art  of  farming.  Januar}- 
17,  1848,  he  left  his  native  State,  and  located 
in  Ohio,  where  he  clerked  in  a  general  store 
for  about  one  year.  Here  he  began  the  stud}- 
of  medicine.  He  graduated  at  the  Cleveland 
Medical  College  in  March,  1853.  He  at  once 
began  practicing  at  West  Bedford,  Ohio,  and 
soon  after  transferred  to  West  Carlisle,  where 
he  remained  until  July,  1857,  at  which  time  he 
came  to  Fayette  County,  111.,  settling  in  a  little 
village,  a  ghort  distance  from  his  present  farm 
residence.  Here  he  built  up  a  lucrative  prac- 
tice. In  1873,  he  located  where  he  now  resides, 
in  Liberty  Township,  where  he  possesses  a 
fine  farm  under  excellent  cultivation.  He  also 
owns  go6d  land  in  Fa3-ette  County  and  ]Mis- 
souri,  all  of  which  fortune  he  is  the  artificer. 
August  10,  1854,  he  married  Josephine  E. 
Metham,  a  daughter  of  P.  and  Eliza  (Bowman) 
Metham.  The  former  was  born  Ma)'  26,  1785, 
in  England,  and  the  latter  November  11,  1789, 
in  New  Jersey.  Mrs.  Wills  was  born  May  12, 
1855,  in  Coshocton  Count}-,  Oiiio.  Tlie  Doctor's 
union  has  given  him  nine  children,  four  of 
whom  are  living,  viz.:  Clarella  E.  V.  E.,  Robert 
P.  K.,  Walter  P.  C,  Eolia  C.  and  Ida  E.     He 


208 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


is  a  member  of  the  Greenland  Lodge,  No.  665, 
A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Beeclier  City  Lodge,  Xo.  690, 
I.  0.  0.  F.  He  holds  to  the  Protestant  religion. 
He  has  been  identified  with  the  Republican 
party  since  its  organization,  and  adheres  strict- 
ly to   the  principles    of    the    same.     He  has 


always  been  averse  to  office,  and  has  attended 
to  his  profession,  which  he  likes,  and  con- 
sequently is  successful.  He  has  for  a  long 
time  given  some  of  his  personal  attention  to 
rural  pursuits,  and  ranks  among  the  very  best 
as  a  farmer  and  stock  grower. 


WEST 

JAMES  BECK,  farmer,  P.  0.  AVelton,  was 
born  in  Harrison  County,  Ohio,  Januar}'  11, 
1818,  to  William  and  Amelia  (Ford)  Beck. 
His  father  was  born  in  Delaware;  after  his  mar- 
riage, removed  to  Ohio,  and  settled  in  Harrison 
and  afterward  Knox  Countj',  and  in  1850  re- 
moved to  Effingham  Count}^,  111.,  where  he  died 
in  1857,  aged  seveutj--eight  years.  He  was  a 
farmer.  He  served  in  the  war  of  1812.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Delaware, 
and  died  in  Effingham  Count}',  111.,  in  1861, 
aged  eighty-eight  years.  She  was  the  mother 
of  twelve  children,  of  whom  John  was  the  fourth 
child.  His  earlj'  life  was  spent  iu  assisting  to 
till  the  soil  of  his  father's  farm.  He  left  home 
when  he  was  twentj'-two  3'ears  old,  and  spent 
four  )'ears  in  boating  on  the  Mississippi,  Mis- 
souri and  Ohio  Rivers.  In  184:3,  he  married, 
and  settled  down  at  farming  in  Ohio.  In  1850, 
came  to  Effingham  County,  111.,  where  he  is 
still  actively  engaged  in  farming.  He  is  the 
owner  of  about  500  acres  of  good  land  in  the 
county,  and  is  considered  one  of  the  most  practi- 
cal farmers  of  the  county.  He  first  married  Miss 
Maria  Van  Wiucklo,  who  died  in  1852,  leaving 
three  children  as  the  result  of  their  union. 
Sarah,  wife  of  John  Leonard  is  the  onlj-  surviv- 
ing child.  In  July,  1853,  he  married  Miss 
Susan  Hardsock,  who  has  borne  him  six  chil- 
dren, of  whom  five  are  now  living,  viz.,  William, 
Maria,  Margaret,  Hester  L.  and  Susan  A.  Mr. 
Beck  is  an  active  member  of  the  Masonic  order 
at  Altamont.  Politically  his  sympathes  are 
with  the  Democratic  party. 


TOWK^SHIP. 

HEXRY  BESING,  deceased,  Altamont,  was 
bora  in  Hanover,  Germanj-,  June,  1822;  when 
quite  young,  went  on  a  sailing  vessej  as  cabin 
boy,  and  followed  the  same  for  some  time. 
His  education  was  principall}-  received  while 
on  the  ocean.  In  1852,  he  married  Miss  Louise 
Votmer,  a  native  of  Hanover,  German}'.  She 
is  the  mother  of  five  children — Charles,  Frank, 
William,  Rosa  and  Alvina.  Mr.  B.  after  arriv- 
ing in  America,  made  his  first  settlement  in 
Cook  Count}',  111.,  in  1852,  where  he  remained 
until  1865,  when  he  came  to  Effingham  County, 
and  located  on  240  acres  of  prairie  and  twenty 
timber.  He  died  November  18,  1872.  He  com- 
menced life  poor,  and  by  hard  work  and  econ- 
omy succeeded  in  accumulating  a  good  prop- 
erty. He  was  a  member  of  the  German 
Lutheran  Church,  and  an  active  worker  for  the 
Republican  party.  Mrs.  B.  and  family  are  all 
members  of  the  German  Lutheran  Church. 

JOHN  BIRCH,  farmer,  P.  0.  Edge  wood, 
was  born  in  Lancashire,  England,  1843,  to 
Henry  and  Alice  (Houth)  Birch,  both  natives 
of  England.  He  was  a  teamster  and  engineer 
in  his  3'ounger  da3S,  and  is  now  farming  in 
West  Township.  His  wife,  and  mother  of  our 
subject,  died  in  1879,  aged  fifty-nine  j'ears. 
She  was  the  mother  of  two  children — John, 
our  subject,  and  Mar}'  Ann,  wife  of  I.  Flahar- 
ty,  a  farmer  in  Mason  Township.  John  was 
brought  to  America  by  his  parents  in  1856  ; 
they  located  in  Rhode  Island,  where  he  attend- 
ed the  common  schools.  In  1859,  he  was 
brought  to   Effingham  County;  his  parents  lo- 


WEST   TOWNSHIP. 


209 


cated  in  Mason  Township.  Jolin  left  home  at 
the  age  of  twenty  seven,  and  embarlsed  on  his 
career  in  life  as  a  farmer  upon  a  portion  of  his 
present  farm.  lie  then  bought  forty  acres, 
and  he  has  made  all  necessar}-  improvements. 
In  Effingham  County,  1868,  he  married  Mary 
E.  Gillmore.  a  daughter  of  J.  L.  Gillmore 
The}-  have  had  seven  children,  of  whom  four 
are  now  living,  viz.:  Roj',  William,  Jennie, 
Ada.  Politically,  he  is  independent,  and  in 
countj'  offices  he  votes  a  Democratic  ticket. 
In  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Fift3'-fourth  Illinois  In- 
fantry, under  command  of  Col.  Harris  (Com- 
pany D).  He  served  three  3'ears  and  six 
months. 

WILLIAM  COLWELL,  deceased,  was  born 
in  Devonshire,  England.  December  18,  1834' 
He  left  his  home  at  sixteen  years  of  age 
and  came  to  America  and  worked  as  a 
farm  hand  in  Ohio.  In  1852,  he  went  to 
New  York  City  and  drove  a  four-horse 
stage  on  Broadwaj',  and  remained  one  year. 
In  1853,  he  returned  to  Ohio,  and  in  1858 
came  to  Illinois  and  settled  on  Section  13 
West  Township,  Effingham  County,  upon  forty 
acres  of  laud,  and  continued  to  add  to  it  untij 
at  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned  about  200 
acres.  He  commenced  life  poor,  and  worked 
hard  in  England  to  earn  enough  money  to  pay 
his  passage  to  the  New  World.  He  served  in 
the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  ten  }-ears. 
In  1864,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Prances  Fur- 
neaus.  She  is  the  mother  of  four  children,  viz.: 
Charles,  born  November  28,  1864  ;  Herbert, 
born  April  3,  1870  ;  Jeunette,  born  September 
2,  1872;  Winaford,  l)orn  January  18,  1S77. 
Mrs.  Colwell  lives  upon  the  old  homestead, 
surrounded  b}-  the  comfort  and  convenience  of 
a  well-earned  competency.  She  is  a  lady  of 
more  than  ordinary  powers  of  mind  and  exec- 
utive ability,  and  is  respected  by  all  who  know 
her. 

GEORGE  DUCKWITZ,  farmer,  P.  O.  Alta- 
mont,  was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  May  29, 


1833,  to  George  and  Dorotlij-  (Duckwitz)  Duck- 
witz.  He  was  born  in  German}-  September  2, 
1796,  and  died  in  Effingliam  in  1865.  She  was 
born  in  1810,  and  died  in  Germany  in  1843. 
The}'  were  the  parents  of  six  ciiildren,  of  whom 
George  was  the  third  child.  His  early  life  was 
spent  in  receiving  such  an  education  as  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  country  afforded, 
and  assisting  in  tilling  the  soil  of  his  father's 
farm.  In  1848,  he  emigrated  to  America,  and 
lauded  in  New  York  in  Jul}'.  He  located 
eighteen  miles  west  of  Buffalo,  and  worked  on 
a  farm  as  a  hired  hand,  and  remained  there 
working  for  about  seven  years.  In  1859,  he 
came  to  Effingham  County  and  bought  forty 
acres.  In  September,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the 
war,  and  served  until  June,  1865,  with  the 
Fourteenth  Illinois  Cavalry,  under  command  of 
Col.  Kapin.  After  the  war,  he  returned  to  his 
home  in  Effingham  County  and  began  farming, 
at  which  he  is  still  actively  engaged.  He  is 
now  the  owner  of  120  acres  prairie  and  fifteen 
acres  timber  land.  He  was  married  in  Effing- 
ham County,  -January  18,  1866,  to  Louisia 
Stiimke,  a  native  of  Prussia,  Germany,  born  in 
1840.  She  is  the  mother  of  eight  children  — 
William,  August,  Agusta,  George,  Alvina, 
John,  llosana  and  Otto.  Self  and  family  are 
members  of  the  German  Lutheran  Church.  In 
politics,  his  sympathies  are  with  the  Republican 
party. 

GEORGE  W.  DURRIE,  deceased,  a  na- 
tive ot  Germany,  was  born  August,  13,  1826. 
He  came  to  America  in  1851,  and  located 
in  Pennsylvania,  where  he  remained  until  1860, 
when  he  came  to  Effingham  County,  being 
among  the  first  Germans  who  located  in  West 
Township.  By  trade  he  was  a  machinist, 
and  worked  at  the  same  until  he  came  to 
Effingham  County,  where  he  took  upon  himself 
the  duties  of  a  farm  life,  and  remained  actively 
engaged  until  he  died.  lu  January,  1856,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Sencil,  a  native  of 
Germany,  who  Was  brought  to  America  by  her 


210 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


parents.  She  is  the  mother  of  thirteen  chil- 
dred,  of  whom  nine  are  now  living,  viz.:  Charles 
C,  Herman,  Anna,  Willie,  Frank,  Edward, 
George,  John  and  Oscar.  Mrs.  Durrie  is  now 
living  on  the  old  homestead  farm,  which  con- 
sists of  160  acres  of  well  improved  land. 

JOHN  FURNEAUX,  merchant  and  Post- 
master, Welton,  was  born  in  Devonshire,  Eng- 
land, Jul}'  27,  1812.  He  attended  school  but 
a  short  time,  he  having  received  the  most  of 
his  education  from  traveling  and  observation. 
His  parents  died  when  he  was  quite  young,  and 
being  thrown  on  his  own  resources,  he  began 
working  by  the  month  as  a  farm  laborer,  which 
he  continued  about  ten  years,  and  then  engaged 
in  a  seal  hunt  in  the  north  on  a  sailing  vessel- 
In  1835,  he  went  to  New  Foundland,  and  spent 
five  years  in  fishing  and  doing  general  work. 
In  1840,  he  went  to  Boston,  where  he  remained 
two  years.  In  18-i2,  came  to  Illinois,  and  set- 
tled first  in  Kane  and  afterward  De  Kalb  Coun- 
ty, where  he  engaged  in  farming.  In  1858,  he 
first  came  to  Effingham  County,  and  settled  in 
West  Township,  where  he  engaged  in  farming, 
and  continued  the  same  until  1874,  when  he 
was  appointed  station  agent  of  the  Ohio  & 
Mississippi  Railroad  at  Gillmore.  In  1879,  he 
opened  a  store  at  Gillmore  and  was  appointed 
Postmaster,  which  office  he  is  now  holding.  In 
Albany,  N.  Y.,  in  1842,  he  married  Miss  Jen- 
nette  Schoolcraft,  who  was  born  in  New  York. 
She  has  borne  him  seven  childsen,  of  whom  six 
are  now  living,  viz.:  Prances,  John,  Robert, 
Frederick  and  Anna,  twins,  and  George.  Mr. 
Furaeaux  has  been  around  the  world,  and  ex- 
perienced many  adventures  that  would  be  very 
interesting  to  our  readers  if  space  permitted  us 
to  embody  them  in  this  work.  He  and  wife  are 
connected  with  the  Methodist  Church.  He  is 
a  Republican. 

JAMES  L.  GILLMORE,  farmer,  P.O.  Edge- 
wood,  was  born  m  Morgan  County,  Ky.,  April 
30,  1827,  to  Jeremiah  and  Mar}'  (Lansaw)  Gill- 
more. His  father  was  born  in  Alabama  Noveui- 


ber  7,  1802,  and  was  brought  to  Kentucky 
when  young,  where  he  was  raised  on  a  farm. 
Here  he  married  and  removed  to  Illinois,  and 
settled  in  Marion  County  and  subsequentlj'  in 
Faj'ette  County,  where  he  died  in  1862.  He 
was  a  farmer.  His  wife  and  mother  of  our 
subject  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1806,  and  died 
in  Effingham  Count}',  111.,  in  1878.  She  was 
the  mother  of  thirteen  children,  all  of  whom 
lived  to  be  grown.  Our  subject  was  the  second 
child.  He  was  born  on  a  farm,  and  received  a 
limited  education  from  the  schools  held  in  the 
old  log  houses,  common  in  Illinois  when  he  was 
a  boy.  He  remained  at  home  till  he  was  twen- 
ty-one years  old,  when  he  embarked  on  his  ca- 
reer in  life  as  a  farmer  upon  the  same  farm  he 
is  now  residing  on.  He  is  now  the  owner  of 
760  acres  of  well-improved  land.  He  com- 
menced life  poor,  and  by  his  economy  and  in- 
dustry he  has  acquired  a  good  property  and  an 
honorable  name  and  reputation.  In  Effingham 
County,  in  1848,  he  married  Cynthia  Scales,  a 
daughter  of  Solomon  Scales,  deceased.  Mrs. 
G.  was  born  in  Shelby  County,  111.,  January  3, 
1825.  She  is  the  mother  of  ten  children,  of 
whom  eight  are  now  living,  viz.:  William  H., 
John  P.,  Mary  E.,  Margaret  A.,  Jennie,  Allen, 
Uriah  and  Nettie.  Mr.  Gillmore  has  held  the 
office  of  Supervisor  for  fourteen  years,  and  is 
now  elected  to  the  office  of  County  Clerk,  which 
office  he  is  capable  of  filling  to  the  satisfaction 
of  all.  He  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church. 

J.  P.  GILLMORE,  farmer,  P.  0.  Edgewood, 
was  born  in  Effingham  County,  111.,  to  James 
L.  Gillmore  October  14,  1849.  His  early  life 
was  spent  in  receiving  such  an  education  as 
the  common  schools  afl!brded,  and  assisting  in 
tilling  the  soil  of  his  father's  farm.  He 
remained  at  home  until  he  was  twenty  years  of 
age,  when  he  removed  to  his  present  farm,  a 
present  from  his  father,  consisting  of  170  acres. 
He  came  on  the  farm  in  1869,  and  he  is  now 
actively   engaged  in   farming.     In   Effingham 


WEST    TOWNSHIP. 


2U 


County-,  June  5,  1869.  he  married  Miss  Jose- 
phine i\Iarion,  a  native  of  New  York.  Slie  is 
the  mother  of  six  children,  five  of  whom  are 
now  living — Rosa,  Nellie,  Eurasa,  Henry  and 
an  infant.  He  is  now  School  Director.  Politi- 
cally, he  is  a  Democrat. 

JOHN  HAWKEY,  farmer,  P.  0.  Edgewood, 
was  born  in  Allen  County,  Ind.,  January  28, 
in  1840,  to  John  and  Gertrude  (Nirider)  Haw- 
key. He  was  a  native  of  Germany,  and  is  now 
living  in  Indiana.  He  is  a  farmer.  His  wife 
is  also  living.  They  had  ten  children,  of  whom 
John  was  tlie  oldest  child.  His  early  life  was 
spent  in  receiving  such  an  education  as  the 
common  schools  afl'orded,  and  assisted  in  tilling 
the  soil  of  his  father's  farm.  He  left  home  at 
twent^'-three  years  of  age  and  embarked  on  his 
career  in  life  as  a  carpenter ;  he  apprenticed 
himself  at  the  trade  at  the  age  of  twenty.  In 
1866,  he  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Madi- 
son County,  111.,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade 
for  three  years  and  began  farming,  and,  in 
1875,  came  to  Effingham  County,  111.,  and 
bought  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  upon  which  he  is 
activelj'  engaged  in  farming.  He  has  made  all 
improvements  on  it.  In  Wells  Count}-,  Ind.,  he 
married,  in  1S6C,  Miss  Fredrica  Rapp,  a  native 
of  Wells  County,  Ind.  They  arc  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  of  whom  seven  are  now  living 
— Louisa,  John  A..  Lasetty,  Henry,  I]mma, 
Mena,  Rosana.  Self  and  family  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  [n  1876,  he  was  elected  School  Direc- 
tor six  years.  In  1878,  was  elected  Road  Com- 
missioner, now  holding  office. 

CHRISTOPHER  HETH,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Edgewood,  was  born  April  4,  1825,  to  Mitchel 
and  Christine  (Disten-Haven)  Heth,  who  were 
natives  of  Prussia.  Germany.  He  was  raised 
on  a  farm,  and  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  country.  At  eighteen  years  of 
age,  he  was  drafted  as  a  soldier,  and  served 
eight  years.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time, 
he  returned  home  and  engaged  in  farming  as  a 
hired  hand.     In  1856.  he  came  to  America  and 


located  in  Calhoun  County,  HI.,  where  he 
remained  six  years.  In  1862,  removed  to 
Effingham  Count}-  and  made  his  first  purchase 
of  land,  it  consisting  of  forty  acres.  He  has 
continued  to  add  to  this,  until  now  his  farm 
consists  of  365  acres.  In  Effingham  County, 
in  1865,  he  married  Miss  Margaret  Cincoi,  a 
native  of  Germany.  They  have  three  children 
— George,  Charley  and  Rosa  L.  Sir.  Heth  is 
now  holding  the  offices  of  Road  Commissioner 
and  School  Director.  He  is  an  active  member 
of  the  Masonic  order,  a  stanch  Democrat,  and 
a  man  of  considerable  prominence  in  the  town- 
ship in  which  he  lives. 

THOMAS  E.  HOLLIS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Wolton, 
was  born  in  the  State  of  Delaware  September 
15,  1827,  to  Noah  and  Catharine  (Hardister) 
Hollis.  He  was  born  in  Delaware  in  1807, 
removed  to  Ohio,  and  subsequently  to  Illinois, 
and  settled  in  Effingham  County,  whei'e  he  re- 
mained actively  engaged  in  farming  to  the  time 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  February  17,  187!>. 
He,  with  his  two  sons,  Willard  and  William, 
served  in  the  war,  the  former  being  killed.  His 
wife  and  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in 
Delaware  March  22,  1807,  and  died  in  Effing- 
ham County  September  1,  1881.  They  were 
the  parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  our  sub- 
ject was  the  fourth  child.  His  early  life  was 
spent  in  receiving  such  an  education  as  the 
common  schools  of  Ohio  afforded,  and  assisting 
in  tilling  the  soil  of  his  father's  farm.  At  an 
early  age,  he  apj^renticcd  himself  at  the  cooper's 
trade,  and  after  completing  his  trade  was  ac- 
knowledged to  be  a  first-class  workman.  At 
the  age  of  twenty- two  he  left  his  homo  and  set- 
tled in  Effingham  County,  111.,  where  he  em- 
barked on  his  career  in  life  as  a  cooper,  con- 
tinuing at  his  trade  until  1864,  when  he  bought 
a  farm  and  gave  his  attention  to  agricultural 
pursuits,  at  which  he  is  still  actively  engaged. 
He  commenced  life  a  poor  man,  b}'  his  own 
efforts  succeeded  in  accumulating  a  good  farm 
of  140  acres.     In  July,  1856,  he  married  Miss 


ai2 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Catharine  Bailie,  who  has  borne  him  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  eight  are  now  living,  viz.  : 
Joseph  P.,  Frank  A.,  Edward  N.,  Willie  E.,  Ora 
S.,  R.  Adalas,  Eva  B.  and  Flora  M.  Mr.  Hoi- 
lis  has  served  the  people  in  the  following  offices  : 
Constable,  Town  Marshal  of  Mason  City,  and 
United  States  Deputy  Marshal.  He  and  fam- 
ily are  religiouslj-  connected  with  the  Method- 
ist Church.  In  politics,  he  is  identified  with 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  In  the 
possession  of  Mr.  Hollis  are  relics  in  form  of 
petrified  fish,  turtles,  etc.,  taken  from  the  wa- 
ters of  Brocket  Creek,  a  complete  description 
of  which  may  be  found  in  another  part  of  this 
work. 

ISHAM  MAHON,  farmer,  P.  0.  Welton,  a 
native  of  Pittsjdvania  County,  Old  Virginia,  was 
born  January  6,  1819.  His  grandfather,  John 
Mahon,  was  a  native  of  Prance,  and  served  in 
the  Revolutionarj'  war.  His  father,  Benjamin, 
was  born  in  Virginia  in  1832:  removed  to 
Fayette  County,  111.,  where  he  remained  to  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  about  1867, 
aged  eighty  years.  He  was  a  carpenter  by 
trade,  but  followed  the  occupation  of  a  farmer 
in  the  latter  part  of  his  life.  He  was  in  the 
war  of  1812.  Dora  Lausford,  the  mother  of 
our  subject,  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  died  in 
1858,  aged  about  seventy-three  3'ears.  She  was 
the  mother  of  ten  children,  of  whom  seven  lived 
to  man  and  womanhood,  Isham  being  the  fifth 
child.  He  was  raised  on  a  fariij  and  received 
a  common  school  education  in  Payette  County, 
111.  When  twenty-two  j-ears  old  he  left  home, 
married  and  began  farming  in  Fayette  Count}', 
on  Government  land.  In  1848,  he  removed  to 
his  present  residence  in  EfHngham  County, 
where  he  has  accumulated  333  acres  of  good 
land.  He  was  married  in  Payette  County,  111.,  in 
1842,  to  Miss  Mary  Loveless,  who  died  January 
27,  1851,  leaving  four  children,  of  whom  two 
are  now  living,  viz.:  Martha,  Mrs.  John  McCloy 
and  James.  In  1851,  JMr.  Mahon  married  a 
second   time,    Mrs.    Nancy  McCoy,  widow   of 


John  McCoy.  This  union  has  been  blessed 
with  one  child — Robert.  Mr.  Mahon  is  an  ac- 
tive member  of  the  order  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at 
Mason.     He  is  a  Democrat. 

JAMES  B.  MAHON,  farmer,  P.  0.  Welton, 
was  born  in  Payette  County,  111.,  March  31, 
1847,  to  Isham  and  Marj'  (Loveless)  Mahon. 
His  earl}-  life  was  spent  at  home,  receiving  such 
an  education  as  the  common  schools  of  Effing- 
ham aflForded,  and  assisting  in  tilling  the  soil 
of  his  father's  farm.  He  remained  at  home 
until  he  was  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  when 
he  began  farming  on  his  own  account  near  the 
old  homestead.  His  farm  consists  of  eighty 
acres  of  good  laud.  In  Effingham  County, 
October  5,  1873,  he  married  Miss  Matilda 
Holmes,  a  native  of  Allen  County,  Ind.,  the 
daughter  of  George  and  Hanna  Holmes.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Mahon  have  had  four  children,  of 
whom  two  are  now  living,  viz.  ;  Elwin  D., 
born  December  31,  1879,  and  Lovella,  born 
Ma\'  25,  1881.  Mr.  Mahon  is  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  order.  In  politics,  is  a 
Democrat. 

JOHN  A.  NIRIDER,  farmer  and  insurance 
agent,  Edgewood,  was  born  in  Germany  August 
11,1832,  to  George  and  Elizabeth  (Harchenritter) 
Nirider.  His  father  was  a  farmer,  and  came  to 
America  in  March,  1834,  and  located  in  Allen 
County,  Ind.,  and  died  there  January  13,  1860, 
aged  sevent3--two  5'ears.  His  wife  and  mother 
of  our  subject  died  in  Allen  County,  Ind.,  in 
1 874,  aged  seventy-two.  The}'  were  the  parents 
of  six  children,  of  whom  subject  was  the  fifth 
child.  His  early  life  was  spent  in  receiving 
such  an  education  as  the  common  schools  of 
Allen  County,  Ind.,  aflTordcd,  and  assisted  in 
tilling  the  soil  of  his  father's  farm.  When  but 
four  years  of  age,  he  was  taken  from  home  by 
his  sister,  and  lived  with  her  nine  years  ;  he 
then  retui'ned  home  and  attended  the  German 
school  two  years,  walking  ten  miles  a  day.  At 
fourteen,  he  was  bound  out  to  Judge  Allen 
McLain,  acting  as  chore-boj-,  and,  as  he  sa^-s, 


WEST   TOWNSHIP. 


313 


he  washed  dishes,  baked,  ironed,  washed  and 
scrubbed.  He  remained  with  the  Judge  until 
he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age;  then  entered 
a  store  and  clerked,  and  worked  on  a  farm 
some.  In  1856,  he  went  to  Central  Iowa,  and 
worked  on  a  farm  for  the  summer  of  1856, 
and  in  the  fall  returned  to  Indiana,  and  went 
to  school.  In  1857,  came  to  Madison  County, 
m.,  and  worked  for  $14  per  month  on  a  farm 
until  1  Sfi  1 ,  when  ho  bought  seventy-two  acres  ; 
began  farming  on  his  own  account  for  the  first 
time.  In  February,  1871,  he  bought  his  pres- 
ent farm  and  removed  to  the  same  in  the  fall  of 
the  same  jear.  His  purchase  was  of  eight\'  acres  ; 
his  farm  consists  now  of  100  acres.  In  1858, 
Whitley  County,  lud.,  he  married  Sophia  Ober- 
lin,  a  descendant  of  the  family  from  whom  tlie 
town  of  Oberlin,  Ohio,  was  named.  She  died 
November  26, 1878.  In  February  22,  1880,  he 
married  Miss  Jane  Kepncr,  a  native  of  Paj-ette 
County.  By  first  marriage,  six  children,  viz.. 
Flora  E.,  Clara  L.,  Hettie  S.,  Elmer  C,  Lucy  A., 
and  I.  G.  In  April,  1880,  he  was  elected  to  the 
otfice  of  Justice  of  the  Peace,  to  fill  a  vacancy 
of  G.  W.  Colwell.  He  was  also  School  Trustee. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  order  A.,  F.  &  A.  M., 
dimitted  from  Marion  Lodge.  In  politics,  he 
is  a  Republican.  In  1882,  he  engaged  with 
Messrs.  Faulk  Bros.,  in  the  fire,  lighting  and  tor- 
nado insurance  business. 

HARTJIAN  NIRIDER,  farmer,  V.  0.  Farina, 
was  born  in  Allen  County,  Ind.,  to  George  and 
Elizabeth  (Harchenritter).  His  early  life  was 
spent  in  receiving  such  an  education  as  the  com- 
mon schools  afforded,  and  .assisting  in  tilling  the 
soil  of  his  father's  farm.  At  sixteen,  he  left 
home  and  hired  out  as  farm  laborer,  working 
for  one  Hartman  Smith  one  year  and  a  half, 
and  then  worked  by  the  day  for  different  men, 
and  continued  the  same  until  he  was  twenty- 
one  years  of  age.  when  lie  married  and  com- 
menced in  woods  in  his  native  count}'  to  make 
a  farm  out  of  his  forty  acres,  and  remained  oh 
the  same  ten  years,  and  after  that  had  increased 


it  to  130  acres  for  $2,600,  and  removed  to  Illi- 
nois and  located  in  Madison  County  in  1866, 
and  bought  forty  acres  of  prairie  and  twenty  of 
timber,  for  which  he  paid  $3,500;  he  remained 
on  this  farm  for  eighteen  months,  and  sold  it 
for  $4,000,  and  came  to  Effingham  County  in 
the  fall  of  1867,  and  bought  120  acres  for  $4,- 
000,  where  he  now  resides,  in  West  Township, 
and  has  since  added  to  it  until  now  he  is  the 
owner  of  650  acres,  and  is  now  renting  a  por- 
tion of  it.  He  is  making  the  raising  of  stock  a 
specialty — cattle,  mules  and  horses.  In  1857, 
in  Allen  County,  he  married  Mary  Emrick,  a 
native  of  Wajne  County,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter 
of  George  and  Elizabeth  (Silar)  Emrick,  both 
natives  of  Pennsjivania.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nirider 
are  the  parents  of  six  children,  five  of  whom 
are  now  living — Allen,  who  died  in  1877,  aged 
nineteen  years;  Hiram,  Lucetta,  Cinda,  Lily 
and  Esly,  all  at  home.  Subject  and  family  are 
religiously  connected  with  the  Methodist 
Church,  at  Farina,  and  Steward  of  the  same. 
He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Masonic  order 
at  Edgewood.  In  politics,  he  is  Democratic. 
His  start  in  life  consisted  only  of  $80,  and  by 
his  honesty,  industr}'  and  economy  he  has 
succeeded  in  accumulating  a  good  property,  all 
by  farming,  and  dealt  some  in  stock,  in  which 
he  has  been  very  successful.  When  he  com- 
menced in  Effingham,  he  bought  his  farm  and 
only  had  $2,000  to  pay  down  on  it.  He  has  met 
with  several  losses,  and  can  now  say  that  he  is 
free  from  debt,  and  has  money  ahead. 

THOMAS  B.  PETTYPOOL,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Altamont,  was  born  in  White  County,  111.,  No- 
vember 7,  1840,  to  Br.acksten  B.  and  Celia 
(McGehee)  Pett3'pool.  His  father  was  born  in 
Tennessee  in  1815,  and  is  now  farming  in  Jef- 
ferson County,  111.,  upon  his  farm  of  400  acres. 
He  is  a  son  of  Thomas  Pettypool,  a  native  of 
Old  Virginia,  and  was  in  the  war  of  1812.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  New  York, 
and  died  in  1855,  aged  about  thirty -seven.  She 
was  the  mother  of  eight  children,  of  whom  our 


314 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


subject  was  the  second  child.  His  early  life 
was  spent  at  home  assisting  in  tilling  the  soil 
of  his  father,  and  receiving  such  an  education 
as  the  common  schools  afforded.  He  remained 
with  his  parents  to  the  age  of  twenty-one,  when 
he  left  home,  married  and  embarked  on  his 
career  in  life  as  a  farmer.  He  then  bought  240 
acres,  and  in  1867  sold  it,  and  removed  to  Jef- 
ferson Count}'  and  rented  for  about  three  years. 
In  1870,  he  bought  170  acres  in  West  Town- 
ship, Effingham  County,  and  removed  to  the 
same,  where  he  is  now  actively  engaged  in 
farming.  On  November  7,  1861,  in  White 
County,  he  married  Jliss  Ellen  And,  who  died 
in  1868,  leaving  three  children,  viz.,  Celia, 
Frances  and  Millia.  In  1870,  he  married  Julia 
Teachner,  who  died  in  1875,  leaving  one  child, 
viz.,  Edson.  In  1879,  he  married  Belle  Button, 
who  has  borne  him  one  child — Maud.  He  is 
an  active  member  of  the  order  of  A.,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  at  Altamont,  holding  office  of  Senior 
Deacon.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church.  Politioally,  Mr.  Pettypool  is  a 
Democrat. 

WILLIAM  QUADE,  former,  P.  0.  Edge- 
wood.  Charles  Quade,  the  father  of  this  gen- 
tleman, was  born  in  Germanj-  in  1822,  emi- 
grated with  his  family  to  America  in  1854,  and 
settled  in  Lancaster,  Peun.,  where  he  followed 
the  occupation  of  a  stone  mason.  In  1859,  he 
removed  to  St.  Louis,  and  after  six  months'  stay 
removed  to  Effingham  Count}',  where  he  re- 
mained actively  engaged  in  farming  to  the  time 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1875.  He  was 
a  hard-working  man,  and  knew  comparativelj' 
little  of  the  ease  and  comforts  of  life.  He  was 
an  excellent  fiirmer  and  an  honorable,  upright 
gentleman.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Association  at  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Anna 
Traisler,  his  wife,  and  mother  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Germany  in  1815.  and  is  now  re- 
siding with  our  subject.  She  is  the  mother  of 
five  children.  William  being  the  oldest  child. 
He  was  born  in   Prussia,  Germany,  November 


10,  1845,  came  to  America  with  his  parents, 
received  a  good  education,  and  when  he  arrived 
at  his  majoritv  engaged  in  farming.  His  farm 
is  located  in  Section  26,  and  consists  of  120 
acres  of  improved  prairie  land.  In  1871,  he 
married  Miss  Louisia  Waekcr,  a  native  of  Ger- 
man}'. They  are  the  parents  of  the  following 
children;  Charley,  Willie,  Anna,  Edward  ; 
Charley  and  Henry,  who  are  dead.  Mr.  Quade 
and  family  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  As- 
sociation.    In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican. 

JAMES  SIDDENES,  farmer,  P.  0.  Welton, 
a  native  of  Putnam  County,  Ind.,  was  born 
April  27,  1837.  His  father,  Jesse  Siddenea, 
was  born  and  raised  in  Kentucky,  and  removed 
to  Indiana,  beiu'g  among  the  early  settlers.  In 
1855,  he  came  to  Effingham  County,  where  he 
died  in  1857,  aged  forty-five  years.  He  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation.  Julia  Ann  Wilson,  the 
mother  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Old  Vir- 
ginia, and  died  in  Effingham  County,  111,,  in 
1858,  aged  thirty-nine  years.  They  had  nine 
children,  our  subject  being  the  second  child. 
His  education  was  limited  to  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  county.  He  left  his  home 
when  but  eighteen  years  old,  and  embarked  on 
the  rugged  pathway  of  life  as  a  hired  hand 
upon  a  farm.  In  1856,  he  came  to  Effingham 
County,  where  he  commenced  farming  on  his 
own  account,  and  is  still  actively  engaged.  He 
commenced  life  a  poor  man,  and  b)'  his  hon- 
esty, industry  and  economy  succeeded  in  accu- 
mulating a  good  property.  He  is  now  the  owner 
of  160  acres  of  land.  In  1859,  in  Effingham 
County,  he  married  Miss  Gillia  Cooksey,  who 
died  in  April,  1881,  leaving  five  children  as  the 
result  of  their  nuion,  viz.,  Sarah  A.,  Lura  B., 
Hiram  R.;  Delia  and  Adelberl  (twins).  He  is  a 
member  of  the  order  of  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.  at 
Edgewood.     He  is  a  Democrat. 

BENJAMIN  SIDDENES,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Welton,  was  born  in  Putnam  County,  Ind.,  Jan- 
uary 7,  1841,  to  Jesse  and  Julia  Ann  (Wilson) 
Siddenes.  He  was  brought  to  Effingham  County 


WEST    TOWNSPIIP. 


21S 


bj-  his  parents  when  twelve  j-ears  of  age. 
Here  he  attended  the  common  schools  and  re- 
ceived a  limited  education,  caused  by  his  par- 
ents dying  when  he  was  j-oung.  When  a  boj', 
he  earned  his  own  livelihood  by  working  as  a 
farm  laborer  upon  a  farm  with  Mr.  Isham  Ma- 
hon  for  one  j'eav,  and  then  worked  his  farm  on 
shares.  In  1863,  he  bought  his  present  farm, 
and  commenced  farming  on  his  own  account. 
His  farm  consists  of  105  acres  of  land.  In 
1863,  he  married  Miss  Nancy  Patterson,  a  na- 
tive of  Ohio.  They  are  the  parents  of  the  fol- 
lowing children,  viz.,  Prances,  Charles,  Curtis, 
Amj-  E.,  Luzetta,  Arthur  and  Thomas.  Mr. 
Siddenes  is  a  man  of  few  pretensions,  but  an 
industrious  citizen,  who  attends  to  his  own 
atfairs  in  an  unassuming  way.  He  is  a  Demo- 
•crat. 

CALVIN  W.  SPRAGG,  farmer,  P.  0.  Wel- 
ton,  was  born  on  Long  Island,  N.  Y.,  Novem- 
ber 23,  1823,  to  Edward  and  Catharine  (Place) 
Spragg.  His  father  was  born  on  Long  Island, 
N.  y.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  died  in  1826, 
aged  fifty-two  years.  His  wife,  and  mother  of 
our  subject,  was  born  on  Long  Island,  and  died 
in  January,  1864,  aged  seventy-three  years; 
she  was  the  mother  of  seven  children,  of  whom 
our  subject  was  the  youngest  child.  His  early 
life  was  spent  in  receiving  such  an  education 
as  the  common  schools  afforded,  and  assisting 
in  tilling  the  home  farm.  At  fifteen  years  of 
age,  he  was  brought  to  Illinois  by  his  mother, 
who  located  in  Du  Page  Countj-,  and  in  1859 
they  moved  to  Indiana,  and  1 863  came  to  EfBng- 
ham  County,  and  settled  near  Mason,  where 
they  remained  until  1870,  when  he  came  to 
his  present  residence,  and  bought  155  acres  of 
land.  Here  he  has  since  remained  actively 
engaged  in  farming.  In  1850,  in  Du  Page 
County,  Til.,  he  married  Miss  Catharine  Taylor 
a  native  of  German}-,  and  was  brought  to  Amer- 
ica by  her  father  in  1847.  She  is  the  mother 
of  five  living  ciiildren,  viz.,  Sylvester,  married 
and  farming  in  EtHngham  County;  Syreno,  a 


doctor  of  Altamout,  a  graduate  from  the  Rush 
Medical  College  in  1881,  and  is  now  building 
up  a  good  practice;  Amanda,  at  Altamont, 
clerking  in  Howard's  store  ;  Charley,  .at  home  ; 
John  Frederick,  at  home.  He  and  family  are 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  In  politics,  he  is 
dentified  with  the  Republican  part}'.  He 
commenced  life  a  poor  man,  and  met  a  failure 
of  several  hundred  dollars  by  security  debt  at 
his  first  start. 

WILLIAM  VOELKER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Alta- 
mont, was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  March  6, 
1835,  to  Charles  and  Mary  (Ganscow)  Voelker. 
They  were  natives  of  Prussia,  Germany.  He 
was  a  miller,  and  came  to  America  with  our 
subject.  He  died  in  1877,  in  Effingham  Coun- 
ty, aged  seveut3'-nine  years.  His  wife  and 
mother  of  our  subject  died  in  1872,  aged  sev- 
enty-five years.  They  were  the  parents  of  five 
boys,  of  whom  our  subject  was  the  fourth 
child.  The  five  boys  are  all  in  the  United 
States;  all  active  business  men.  William  was 
educated  in  Germany  until  he  was  fourteen; 
attended  the  common  schools,  and  then  entered 
a  college.  At  nineteen,  he  enlisted  in  the  war, 
and  served  four  years.  He  then  returned  and 
took  charge  of  his  father's  flour  mill,  and  re- 
mained thus  engaged  until  1862,  when  he  left 
German}',  from  Hamburg,  by  steamer  "  Sax- 
onia."  landing  in  New  York  June  5,  1862,  1)8- 
ing  fifteen  days  in  making  trip.  Spent  one  day 
in  New  York  in  looking  at  the  city,  and  then 
left  for  Chicago,  and  visited  his  brother  (who 
had  previously  come  to  America).  He  then 
located  in  Effingham,  on  his  present  farm,  then 
all  unimproved  wild  prairie.  He  bought  there 
160  acres,  and  has  since  added  to  it  until  now 
he  is  the  owner  of  520  acres  all  improved.  In 
Germany,  in  1860,  he  married  Loui.sa  Scholwin, 
a  native  of  Prussia,  Germany,  born  in  1838. 
She  is  the  mother  of  eight  children,  seven  of 
whom  are  living,  viz.,  Anna,  wife  of  Freder- 
ick Burnahl,  a  farmer  in  Effingham  County  ; 
Adolph,   at   home  ;   Gustas,   at  home  ;   Frank, 


.216 


BIOGKAPHICAL 


Agnes,  Paul,  Bertha,  at  home;  Otto,  died  in 
1882,  aged  fifteen.  Mr.  Voelker  is  School 
Trustee;  held  for  nine  3'ears,  and  is  now  Super- 
visor for  three  j-ears.  In  politics,  a  Democrat, 
and  he  and  familj'  are  membei-s  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

JULIUS  VOELKER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Alta- 
mont,  was  born  in  Prussia,  German}',  March 
23,  1842,  to  Charles  and  Regenal  (Yauslow) 
Voelker.  They  were  both  natives  of  Prussia. 
He  was  born  March  18,  1798,  and  died  in  this 
count}'  in  1876  or  1877.  He  was  a  farmer. 
She  was  born  February  16,  1797,  and  came  to 
this  county  in  1873;  parents  of  seven  children, 
of  whom  subject  is  the  youngest  child.  His 
early  life  was  spent  in  receiving  a  common 
school  education,  and  then  entered  a  college, 
attending  until  he  was  fifteen  years  old,  and 
then  entered  the  mill  and  learned  the  milling 
business  of  his  father  until  he  was  nineteen 
years  of  age.  In  1862,  he  came  to  America, 
and  came  to  Effingham  County  in  1862,  and 
worked  with  his  brother  for  eight  or  nine  years, 
and  in  1869  he  bought  130  acres,  and  has  since 
added  to  it.  In  Effingham  County,  in  1869, 
he  married  Miss  Christy  Wolf.  They  have 
two  children,  viz.,  Amanda  and  Sophia.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  Church. 
In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat. 

NICHOLAS  T.  WHARTON,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Welton,  is  a  native  of  Spottsylvania  County,  Old 
Virginia,  and  was  born  June  25,  1828.  His 
father,  Benjamin  Wharton,  was  born  in  Old  Vir- 
ginia in  1790,  emigrated  with  his  family  to  Ohio 
in  1837,  and  settled  in  Guernsey  County.  In 
1854,  he  came  to  P]ffingham  County,  111.,  where 
he  died  in  October,  1855.  His  occupation  was 
that  of  a  farmer.  He  served  in  the  war  of  1812. 
His  wife,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  was  Lucy 
Chandler.  She  was  born  in  Old  Virginia  in 
1794,  and  is  now  residing  with  her  children  in 
Ohio,  enjoying  good  health  in  her  eighty-eighth 
3'ear.  She  is  the  mother  of  eight  children,  of 
whom  six  are  now  livina;,  viz.,    Martha,  widow 


of  Joseph  Sperry,  living  in  Muskingum  Coun- 
ty, Oliio  ;  George,  a  Baptist  preacher  at  Lin- 
coln, 111.  ;  William  A.,  a  farmer  in  Hocking 
County,  Ohio;  Nicholas  T.,  our  subject;  Doctor, 
a  Baptist  preacher  of  Guernsey  County,  Ohio, 
and  Lawrence  B.,  Baptist  preacher  of  Pawnee 
City,  Neb.  Nicholas  T.  Wharton,  was  educated 
from  the  common  schools  of  Old  Virginia,  and 
was  raised  on  a  farm.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
two,  he  left  his  home,  and  embai  ked  on  life's 
rugged  pathway  as  a  farm  laborer,  working  by 
the  month.  In  December,  1853,  he  came  to 
Effingham  County,  111.,  and  spent  three  years 
in  teaching  school,  and  working  at  the  carpen- 
ter's trade.  In  1855,  he  removed  to  his  present 
residence  in  Section  12,  and  began  farming, 
and  is  still  actively  engaged.  His  farm  con- 
sists of  208  acres  of  good  land.  In  1855,  on« 
the  30th  of  March,  he  married' Miss  Rebecca 
Jane  Kagay,  a  native  of  Fairfield  County, 
Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Christian  and  Nancy  Ann 
(Laney)  Kagay,  natives  of  Fairfield  County. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wharton  have  been  blessed  with 
the  following  children,  viz.,  Mary,  Richard  and 
Nancy  (twins),  Laura,  John,  Elma,  Emma, 
Edwin,  George,  Benjamin  and  Walter.  Mr. 
Wharton  has  served  the  county  as  Supervisor 
for  three  terms,  and  is  now  holding  the  office 
of  School  Treasurer,  which  office  he  has  held 
for  eight  years.  He  and  wife  are  members  of 
the  Baptist  Church.  He  is  an  active  member 
of  the  order  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  is  a  Democrat. 
HERMAN  A.  WINKLER,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Edgewood,  was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  May 
13,  1832,  to  Karl  and  Johanna  (Koppe) 
Winkler.  Ho  attended  the  common  schools  of 
his  native  country  until  he  was  fourteen  years 
of  age,  and  then  entered  the  Goettingen  Col- 
lege, where  he  remained  only  six  months.  He 
then  enlisted  as  a  soldier,  and  the  third  day 
was  wounded,  being  hit  on  one  limb  below  the 
knee  with  a  bombshell,  and  shot  through  his 
left  limb.  His  wounds  kept  him  confined  for 
about  sixteen  months.     He  then  returned  home 


WA.TSON    TOWNSHIP. 


217 


and  served  seven  years  at  learning  tlie  trade  of 
a  horticulturist,  and  in  1857  emigrated  to 
America  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring  a  position 
in  the  world  that  he  considered  was  beyond 
his  reach  while  in  the  '•  Fatherland."  Coming 
to  Illinois,  he  passed  six  months  at  Chicago, 
anjd  worked  at  all  kinds  work  he  could  find  to 
do.  He  could  not  get  a  situation  at  his  trade, 
as  he  was  unable  to  speak  the  English  language. 
In  1858,  he  went  to  Michigan,  and  worked  at 
market  gardening  for  fifteen  months,  and  then 
returned  to  Illinois,  and  worked  on  a  farm  in 
Whiteside  County.  In  1861,  he  became  a 
resident  of  West  Township,  Effingham  County, 
where  he  has  since  I'emained  engased  in  a<y- 
ricultural  pursuits.  His  industrious  habits, 
coupled  with  his  business  integrity,  has  given 
him  a  competencj-,  and  here  has,  as  it  were, 
realized  the  dreams  of  his  youth.  He  was 
married  in  Effingham  Count}-,  November  2, 
1862,  to  Bliss  Charlotte  Quade.  She  was  born 
in  Germany,  August  25,  1846.  Their  happy 
and  prosperous  union  has  been  blessed  with  I 
nine  children,  of  whom  seven  are  now  living, 
viz.,  Louisa,  Anna,  Carl,  Johanna,  Augusta, 
Hulda  and  Amelia.  Mr.  Wiuckler  and  family 
are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Association,  j 
He  is  a  Kepublican. 

AUGUST  WOLF,  farmer,  P.  0.  Altamont, 


was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  September  10, 
1823,  to  Frederick  and  Charlotte  (Walk)  Wolf, 
both  natives  of  Prussia,  German}-.  He  died  in 
1820,  aged  thirty -three  years  ;  was  a  tailor  by 
trade.  She  is  now  residing  in  Mound  Town- 
ship, enjoying  good  health  in  her  eighty-third 
year.  They  Were  married  in  Germany,  and  had 
four  children,  subject  the  oldest  child.  He 
was  educated  from  the  common  schools  of 
Germany  ;  was  brought  to  America  by  his 
parents  in  a  sailing  vessel  from  Hamburg,  land- 
ing in  New  York  January  3.  1844,  and  went  to 
Bufialo,  N.  Y.,  and  worked  at  the  trade  of  a 
tailor,  which  he  had  learned  in  the  old  country. 
In  1849,  he  removed  to  the  country,  and  has 
run  a  general  merchandise  store  for  about  fif- 
teen years.  In  1865,  be  .came  to  Illinois  and 
settled  on  his  present  farm.  He  bought  120 
acres  in  1860.  In  New  York,  in  1846,  he  mar- 
ried Henrietta  Hcepfner,  a  native  of  Prussia, 
Germany.  She  is  the  mother  of  four  children 
— George  P.  A.  (a  Lutheran  preacher  in  La 
Grange,  Miss.),  Augusta  (wife  of  Julius  Oelker, 
farmer  in  township),  August  (at  home),  Bertha 
(single).  The  family  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church.  Held  the  office  of  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace  for  seven  years  ;  Commis- 
sioner for  several  years  ;  Supervisor  for  one 
year. 


WATSON"  T 

W.  M.  ABRAHAM,  merchant,  Watson,  was 
born  July  26,  1842,  in  Clermont  County,  Ohio, 
son  of  John  and  Martha  (Barkley)  Abraham, 
who  were  married  in  1836,  and  unto  them  were 
born  three  children,  of  which  the  subject  is  the 
eldest.  His  mother  came  to  Effingham  County 
in  1860,  Mr.  Abraham  following  shortly  after- 
ward. His  education  was  begun  in  the  common 
schools  of  Ohio,  when  he  entered  the  Clermont 
Academy  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  after  which  he 


OWI«^SHIP. 

came  to  Illinois  and  began  business.  In  1861, 
he  entered  the  army  with  Company  K,  Twenty- 
first  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers,  of  which 
Grant  was  Colonel.  He  was  in  the  march  from 
Springfield  to  Quincy,  thence  into  Missouri,  win- 
tering at  Ironton,  where  he  was  promoted  to 
Orderly  Sergeant  of  his  company.  At  Stone 
River,  December  31,  1862,  he  received  a  wound 
in  an  engagement,  and  his  mother  went  to  Mur- 
freesboro  to  care  for  her  wounded  son,   and 


218 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


herself  took  sick  and  died.  After  eight  months 
in  the  hospital,  it  was  decided  that  he  was  per- 
manently disabled,  when  he  received  an  honor- 
able discharge  in  August,  1863.  Then  coming 
home,  after  partial  recover^-,  he  began  mer- 
chandising, in  which  business  he  has  been 
eminently  successful  and  still  continues.  In 
1879,  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  on  the 
minority  Republican  ticket,  serving  one  term. 
In  November,  1865,  he  married  Miss  Eliza 
R.  Wa3-ne,  at  Shelby ville,  Kj'.;  thej'  have 
three  children  living — Ida,  Arthur  and  Eva.. 
When  he  settled  at  Watson,  the  country  was 
wild,  with  few  residents,  and  all  kinds  of  game 
were  abundant.  The  family  was  reared  in  the 
Baptist  religion.  In  1865,  he  was  initiated  in- 
to the  mysteries  of  Freemasonr}',  and  since 
has  several  times  been,  elected  and  presided  as 
Master  of  Lodge  No.  602.  He  is  an  extensive 
land-owner,  holding  over  2,000  acres,  mostly 
under  good  cultivation.  Mr.  Abraham  was 
appointed  Postmaster  at  Watson  in  1881,  in 
which  capacity  he  still  acts. 

PROF.  W.  R.  AVERY,  commercial  instruc- 
tor, P.  0.  Palmyra,  Mo.,  was  born  in  Harrison 
County,  Ind.,  January  2,  1858.  Moved  with 
his  father  to  this  county  when  about  fourteen 
years  old.  Lived  on  a  farm  most  of  his  life. 
Entered  a  commercial  college  at  Keokuk,  Iowa, 
October  10,  1880.  Pursued  a  regular  course 
in  book-keeping,  and  all  the  other  commercial 
branches,  including  plain  and  ornamental  pen- 
manship, graduating  September  10,  1881. 
Traveled  and  taught  penmanship  up  to  Sep- 
tember 1,  1882,  when  he  organized  a  commer- 
cial college  in  Palmyra,  known  as  Avery's 
Commercial  School.  Mr.  Avery's  father.  By- 
ram  B.  Avery,  was  born  in  Harrison  County, 
Ind.,  February  25,  1832,  where  he  was  married' 
in  1857,  to  Miss  Martha  BuUingtou.  Settled 
on  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  of  which  he  afterward 
became  the  owner.  In  1871,  he  removed  to 
EtDngham  Count}'  and  purchased  a  farm  of 
eighty  acres  near  Watson,  and  resumed  farm- 


ing. He  has  a  family  of  three  children — Will- 
iam R.  (subject  of  this  sketcii),  James  A.  and 
Melinda  J. 

JOHN  BRITTON,  Watson  Township,  was 
born  July  2,  1821,  in  Devonshire,  Eng- 
land, near  the  sea-shore.  He  was  raised  by 
his  grandmother,  on  a  small  farm.  Hearing  of 
the  wonderful  land  beyond  the  blue  sea,  he 
embarked  for  America  the  9th  day  of  April, 
1851,  and  on  the  14th  day  of  May  of  the  same 
year  arrived  in  Mt.  Vernon,  Knox  Co.,  Ohio. 
The  first  two  years  of  his  life  spent  in  Amer- 
ica, ho  was  employed  at  such  jobs  as  the  coun- 
try then  aflforded.  The  1st  of  :March,  1854,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Harriet  Beeny 
living  a  few  miles  west  of  Mt  Vernon.  The 
seven  years  immediatel}-  following  his  marriage, 
he  farmed  near  Mt.  Vernon.  In  the  spring  of 
1862,  he  moved  to  Illinois,  and  settled  in  Ef- 
fingham Count}-,  Jackson  Township,  where,  by 
industry  and  economj',  he  accumulated  suffi- 
cient means  to  purchase  a  small  farm,  but  just 
in  the  moment  when  his  labors  would  have 
been  crowned  with  success,  he  was  unfortu- 
nately thrown  from  a  horse  and  crippled  for 
the  remainder  of  life.  He  has  since  lived  in 
Mason  Township,  and  wherever  known,  his 
honesty  and  integrity  are  never  questioned  b}' 
anj-  one.  Though  his  education  was  exceed- 
ingly limited,  yet  his  mind  is  stored  with  many 
useful  facts.  He  is  ever  readj-  to  lend  a  help- 
ing hand  wherever  an  opportunitj'  is  presented. 
The  following  are  the  dates  of  births  of  his  chil- 
dren: Sarah  C,  born  October  27.  1857;  Will- 
iam H.,  born  October  27,  1857;  Ida  S.,  born 
October  17,  1859;  Edward  G.,  born  January 
5,  1862;  Charles  L.,  born  March  11,  1864; 
Richmond  L.,  born  July  26,  1866;  Benson  I., 
born  Januar}-  9,  1870;  William  H.,  died  April 
10, 187G.    Mrs.  Britton  was  born  Sept.  23,  1827. 

J.  W.  BRITTON,  teacher,  Watson.  In  the 
month  of  January,  1855,  there  was  born  in  the 
city  of  Mt.  Vernon,  Knox  Co.,  Ohio,  a  little  boy, 
whose  life  yet  l)ut  just  begun,  is  a  bright  ex- 


WATSON    TOWNSHIP. 


219 


ample  to  us  all.  He  lived  in  the  cit}'  of  his 
birth  seven  years,  when  he  removed  with  his 
parents  to  Effingham  County,  111.,  settling  in 
Jackson  Township.  Here  he  attended  school 
in  an  old  logschoolhouse  during  three  winters, 
and  worked  on  the  farm  through  the  summer. 
In  18C8,  he  moved  with  his  parents  to  a  farm 
west  of  Mason,  and  a  few  ^ears  afterward 
moved  north  of  Mason,  where  he  attended  two 
terms  of  school  at  North  Union  Schoolhouse. 
His  teacher  at  this  place  was  Mr.  Dunn,  and  it 
was  through  his  teaching  that  Mr.  Britton  at- 
tributes much  of  the  success  and  character  of 
his  life.  In  the  summer  of  1874,  he  attended 
a  normal  term  of  school  of  four  weeks  at  Ma- 
son, and  the  nest  winter  he  attended  public 
school  at  that  place,  and  clerked  in  a  drug 
store.  In  the  fall  of  1875,  he  attended  a  ses- 
sion of  normal  school  south  of  Edgewood, 
after  which  term  of  school  he  sought  and  ob- 
tained a  teacher's  certificate  to  teach  school, 
and  the  next  winter  he  taught  his  first  school 
at  Gilmore,  at  $25  per  month.  During  1875, 
he  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
of  West  Union  at  a  basket  meeting  in  a  grove 
at  Wabash.  During  the  summer  and  winter 
of  187G,  he  taught  schooLa.LBxickcr  District  in 
Jackson   Township.      During   the  summer  of 

1877,  he  worked  on  a  farm  in  Christian  Coun- 
ty at  $20  per  month,  and  the  next  winter  at- 
tended a  three  months'  term  of  school  at  Knox 
College,    Galesburg,  Til.      In   the   summer   of 

1878,  he  worked  on  a  farm  and  taught  school 
in  Mason  Township.  In  the  spring  of  this 
year,  hia  oldest  brother,  William,  died,  and  the 
greater  part  of  the  form  work  devolved  on 
him,  his  father  being  crippled.  In  the  winter 
of  1879,  he  taught  school  in  Union  Township, 
at  the  Wood3'  Schoolhouse.  He  afterward 
taught  two  other  terms  at  this  place.  In  the 
winter  of  1880,  he  taught  school  at  the  Loy 
Sclioolhouse,  Watson  Township.  In  1881,  he 
went  to  Lebanon,  Ohio,  where  he  attended  two 
terms  at  the  Lebanon  State  Normal  University. 


He  also  taught  a  winter  term  of  school  while 
in  Ohio.  He  came  back  to  Effingham  County, 
111.,  in  the  spring  of  1882.  He  is  teaching 
school  at  EUiottstown  at  the  present  time,  1882. 
Mr.  Britton,  besides  his  work  as  a  teacher,  has 
been  engaged  for  several  years  as  a  minister  of 
the  Methodist  Episcop.al  Church,  yet  he  has 
never  taken  any  circuit.  In  1879,  he  was 
licensed  as  exhorter  bj'  Rev.  Ransom,  of 
Mason,  and  at  the  Quarterly  Conference  at  Ma- 
son, in  1881.  he  was  recommended  to  preach. 
Mr.  Britton  is  truly  a  self-made  man,  and  has 
worked  his  own  wa}'  to  his  present  commend- 
able position.  Reared  on  the  form  and  being 
compelled  to  work  for  his  living,  Mr.  Britton 
had  but  few  opportunities  for  obtaining  an  ed- 
ucation, but  those  opportunities  he  did  not  let 
pass  unimproved.  He  would  often  carry  his 
books  into  the  field  and  study  them  while  bis 
horse  was  resting  In  the  plow,  and  while  teach- 
ing school  he  would  stud}'  on  the  waj-  to  and 
from  place  of  teaching.  It  was  by  pursuing 
this  studious  course  and  improving  all  his 
time  that  he  has  succeeded  in  educating  him- 
self. 

HERMAN  GILLESPIE,  farmer,  P.  0.  Wat- 
son, was  born  in  Wood  County,  Va.,  Ajjril  10, 
1810.  His  father,  John  B.  Gillespie,  was  mar- 
ried to  Esther  James  in  1803,  and  sixteen  chil- 
dren were  born  of  this  union,  of  whom  the 
subject  is  the  only  one  supposed  to  be  living. 
Mr.  Gillespie  married  Martha  Adams  ;  unto 
them  were  born  six  children,  of  whom  four  arc 
living,  but  this  wife  dying,  he  married  Margaret 
Field,  who  was  born-  in  Bracken  Count}-,  Ky., 
December  4,  1823.  They  were  married  No- 
vember 22,  1854,  and  from  this  union  four 
children  were  born,  of  whom  Ambrose  Gilles- 
pie is  the  onl}'  survivor.  This  son  married 
Alice  Loy.  They  have  two  children — Catha- 
rine and  Charles  Edwin.  The  family  have 
been,  and  are  now  affiliated  with  the  Baptist 
and  Christian  Churches.  Herman  Gillespie, 
while  a  young  man,  was  at  Upper  Sandusky, 


220 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Ohio,  and  was  for  some  time  in  the  employ  of 
tlie  Indian  traders.  His  grandfathier,  Jotin 
James,  had  an  interest  in  Blennerliasset's 
Island  in  an  early  day,  and  when  he  sold  his 
interest  the  mother  of  Herman  would  not  sign 
the  deed.  The  subject  remembers  when  the 
familj'  was  driven  bj-  the  Indians  from  their 
home  to  the  block-house  on  the  Island  for  pro- 
tection and  safety.  He  came  to  Illinois,  settling 
in  Elliottstown,  Effingham  County,  in  1855, 
then  moving  to  Watson  Township  in  18U5, 
where  he  has  ever  since  lived  on  a  farm  of  120 
acres  under  good  cultivation,  and  a  fine  orchard. 
In  early  life,  he  made  over  1,000,000  brick  on 
his  farm.  In  those  days,  the  country  around 
him  was  thinly  settled,  and  neighbors  few  and 
far  between.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  has  frequently  been  elected  Road  Commis- 
sioner and  School  Trustee  for  his  township. 
Mr.  Gillespie,  when  the  second  call  for  300,000 
men  was  issued  in  1861,  volunteered,  and  was 
a  member  of  Company  B,  Thirty-eighth  Illinois 
Volunteers  ;  was  mustered  in  at  Camp  Butler, 
Springfield,  111.,  and  ordered  to  Pilot  Knob, 
Mo. ;  was  in  the  engagement  at  Fredericksburg, 
Mo.,  where  he  was  wounded,  permanently  dis- 
abled, and  in  due  time  honorably  discharged. 
He  draws  a  pension  for  services  rendered  his 
country.  He  was  mustered  out  of  the  service 
March  8,  1863,  when  he  returned  to  his  farm. 
In  the  fall  of  1829,  he  was  employed  to  guard 
and  pilot  the  Miami  and  Mississineway  tribes 
of  Indians  from  their  reservation  near  Port 
Wayne,  Ind.,  to  Chicago,  then  known  as  Fort 
Dearborn,  after  the  Government  had  purchased 
their  lands.  All  there  was  of  Chicago  in  those 
days  was  a  few  French  trading  posts.  He  was 
quite  familiar  with  the  Indians,  and  the}-  under- 
standing some  English,  and  he  a  little  of  their 
language,  was  the  cause  of  his  being  selected 
to  escort  them  to  Fort  Dearborn.  Mr.  Gilles- 
pie claims  that  he  is  the  first  one  in  Illinois 
that  made  the  molds  from  which  slap  sand 
brick  was  made  ;  the  old  method  was  by  roll- 


ing in  sand  ;  his  plan  was  sanding  the  molds. 

JAMES  B.  GILLESPIE,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Watson,  is  a  son  of  Joseph  Gillespie,  and  was 
born  in  this  county  June  3,  1830.  He  was 
married,  March  3,  1859,  to  Miss  Cynthia  Ann 
Wilson,  daughter  of  Theophilus  Wilson,  and 
settled  on  a  farm  of  eighty-sis  acres  in  Section 
21,  Watson  Township,  on  which  he  has  made 
his  home  and  followed  the  avocation  of  farm- 
ing. He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  and  Odd 
Fellows  fraternities.  He  has  a  family  of  six 
children — Clinthn  (a  well  and  favorably  known 
teacher  of  this  county),  Franklin  P.,  James 
Alfred,  Oliver  T.,  Samuel  B.  and  Ida  Bell.  Mr. 
Gillespie's  father  came  to  this  county  in  1828, 
and  settled  in  Ewington.  He  filled  the  office 
of  County  Clerk,  and  was  a  prominent  man  of 
the  county.  We  are  not  able  to  give  the  dates 
of  his  birth,  marriage,  etc. 

ISAAC  B.  HUMES,  wagon-maker,  Wat- 
son, was  born  October  17,  1818,  at  Reading, 
Hamilton  Count}-,  Ohio.  His  father,  John 
Humes,  was  married  twice,  and  by  the  first  wife 
he  had  three  children — Elizabeth,  Jane  and 
John.  His  second  marriage  was  to  Maria  Voor- 
hees,  by  whom  he  had  several  children,  our 
subject,  Isaac  B.  Humes,  and  Bridget  LaRene, 
are  the  only  survivors.  The  father  was  a  Cap- 
tain of  a  companj'  in  the  war  of  1812,  in  which 
he  was  permanontl}'  disabled,  and  helpless  for 
twelve  years  prior  to  his  death.  He  built  the 
first  frame  house  erected  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
Isaac,  at  the  age  of  eight  3-ears,  began  to  at- 
tend the  common  school  at  Reading,  the  place 
of  his  birth,  which  he  continued  until  his  four- 
teenth year,  his  father  dying  in  1829,  leaving 
his  mother  with  seven  children.  He  was  then 
hired  b}-  his  mother  to  a  farmer  for  the  period 
of  nine  months,  at  $50  for  full  time.  During 
the  time,  Albert  Courtelow,  the  farmer,  pur- 
chased a  summer  hat  for  Isaac  costing  25  cents. 
He  had  not  drawn  an}-  part  of  his  pay.  When 
the  time  was  up,  the  farmer  was  feeding  some 
hogs,  which  he  intended  to  dress  for  the  Cin- 


WATSON    TOWNSHIP. 


221 


cinnati  market.  Isaac  volunteered  to  go  with 
him  aud  drive  one  team,  which  tooli  two  days. 
When  the  farmer  returned  to  Reading,  lie  paid 
Isaac's  mother  the  $50,  and  remarljed  to  her, 
"  When  3'ou  pay  me  25  cents  for  Ike's  hat  we 
will  be  square,"  which  his  mother  did.  The 
bo}',  while  holding  in  high  respect  the  general 
character  of  the  farmer,  has  never  forgotten 
this  singular  act  of  generosity.  His  mother 
soon  after  this  bound  him  out  to  Thomas  Will- 
mington,  of  Warren  County,  Ohio,  for  a  period 
of  four  years  and  eight  months,  to  learn  the 
trade  of  wagon  and  plow  making,  which  period 
he  served  in  full,  his  mother  clothing  him,  and 
he  to  receive  $36  per  year  while  learning  the 
trade.  He  then  returned  to  Reading  and  es- 
tablished a  shop  of  his  own,  which  he  carried 
on  for  three  5'ears.  He  then  sold  out  and  went 
to  Xenia,  Ohio,  and  started  a  livery  stable,  re- 
maining there  three  years.  Then  he  sold  out 
and  went  to  Dayton,  Ohio,  where  he  became 
road  agent  for  J.  &  P.  Voorhees'  stage  com- 
pany, remaining  with  them  until  railroads  su- 
perseded stage  coaches  in  Ohio,  in  1850,  when 
he  came  to  Effingham  County,  and  engaged 
in  railroading  with  John  F.  Barnard,  con- 
tractor, on  the  division  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad,  Chicago  branch  of  the  Central,  from 
five  miles  south  of  Mattoon,  extending  seventy- 
two  miles,  to  junction  with  the  main  line. 
The  contractors'  headquarters  were  at  Ewing- 
ton,  tlicn  the  county  seat  of  Effingham  County. 
All  the  supplies  and  material  for  living  and 
construction  of  the  railroad  had  to  be  hauled 
by  teams  from  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  Terrc  Haute, 
Ind.,  at  great  labor  and  expen.se,  over  bad 
roads,  and  with  much  exposure.  For  two  years 
Mr.  Humes  was  stationed  at  Terre  Haute,  spe- 
cially employed  in  purchasing  and  forwarding 
supplies  to  the  contractors  and  men.  He  then 
came  to  Ewington,  and  took  charge  of  the  con- 
tractors' store  at  Ewington  until  1855,  about 
the  time  of  the  completion  of  the  railroad,  when 
he  went  to  farming  and    trading   until  1864, 


when  he  was  nominated  on  the  Democratic 
ticket  for  Sheriff,  and  was  elected,  serving  two 
years,  attending  to  his  farm  jointlj'  with  the 
duties  of  ills  office.  Mr.  Humes  was  in  full  fel- 
lowship with  the  Whig  party  until  it  was  dis- 
banded in  185G,  when  he  joined  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  with  wiiich  he  has  since  acted. 
September  1,  1874,  Mr.  Humes  was  married  to 
Hattie  A.  Hotf,  who  was  the  widow  of  John 
Irwin.  She  was  born  in  Jlontgomery  County, 
Va.  Her  father,  William  Hoff,  and  mother 
Artemisia  Fergerson,  were  born  in  Virginia  and 
there  married,  and  unto  them  were  born  four 
children,  of  which  Mrs.  Humes  is  tlie  only  sur- 
vivor. Mr.  Humes'  family  was  reared  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church, .and  Mrs.  Humes  in  the 
Methodist.  Since  their  settlement  in  Effing- 
ham Count}-,  they  have  witnessed  many  changes 
in  the  growth  of  the  country,  and  various  vi- 
cissitudes in  the  lives  of  tiie  early  settlers. 
Mr.  Humes,  after  a  long  period  of  bachelor- 
hood, claims  that  he  was  at  last  captured,  but 
is  contented  and  hap[)y  in  his  personal  and 
public  relations 

LUClEiN  W.  HAMiMER,  physician,  Watson, 
was  born  in  Clark  County,  Ky.,  November  12, 
1819.  He  came  to  Sangamon  County,  111.,  in 
1828,  with  his  parents,  where  he  grew  up  on  a 
farm,  and  received  a  common  school  education. 
The  parents  first  settled  on  what  is  now  Lick 
Creek,  and  after  a  few  j-ears  moved  to  what  is 
now  Christian  County,  111.,  and  subject  be- 
gan the  study  of  mediqine  at  Moweaqua, 
Shelby  County,  111.;  first  in  a  drug  store,  and 
he  took  up  the  study  of  books  on  medicine, 
and  in  time  began  a  successful  practice  in 
1855,  and  practiced  there  at  Moweaqua  for  nine 
j-ears,  and  was  also  engaged  in  .other  business 
until  1871,  when  he  removed  to  this  county, 
and  for  one  year  located  in  Funkhouser,  and 
two  years  in  Effingham.  In  May,  1874,  he 
located  in  Watson,  where  he  has  since  enjo3-ed  a 
large  practice,  being  the  only  resident  physician: 
He  was  married,  in  1852,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  H. 


223 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Courtnej',  who  died  in  1874,  leaving  five  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  are  living — Bettie  J.,  May 
B.,  Fred  and  Carrie.  The  eldest  daughter — 
Annie,  died  in  1876. 

WILLIAM  T.  JAYCOX.  merchant,  Watson, 
was  born  in  Worthington.  Franklin  Co.,  Ohio, 
June  11,  1843.  He  left  in  1851  with  his  par- 
ents for  Illinois,  where  he  settled  in  Jackson 
Township,  Effingham  County,  where  he  lived 
until  1861.  He  enlisted  in  August,  1862,  in 
Twenty-sixth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
served  three  years  in  the  Sixteenth  Armj'  Corps 
under  Gen.  Logan.  Fought  in  battles  of  Island 
No.  10  and  Corinth,  after  which  subject  was 
transferred  to  the  Reserve  Corps,  until  the  close 
of  his  term  of  service  on  account  of  ill-health. 
After  the  war,  subject  engaged  in  farming  until 
1868.  In  1868,  he  bought  a  stock  of  goods  of 
F.  Lloj'd  &  Co.,  at  Watson,  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  merchandising,  keeping  a  well-se- 
lected, general  stock.  In  1875,  he  erected  the 
present  store  fronting  on  Railroad  street,  two- 
stor^-  frame,  24x52  feet.  Mr.  Jaj'cox  was  the 
second  Postmaster  at  Watson,  111.,  and  served 
ten  years  from  July,  1872,  to  November,  1881. 
He  built  a  grain  warehouse  on  the  I.  C.  R.  R., 
Jul}',  1882,  and  is  at  present  buj-ing  grain. 
Politically,  a  Republican.  Subject  married,  in 
1868,  to  Miss  Lenora  E.  Bail,  of  Watson;  have 
two  children — Anna,  born  October,  1869;  Willa, 
born  November,  1879.  The  father  of  our  sub- 
ject was  born  in  New  York  State  May  3,  1817, 
and  came  to  Ohio  when  a  boy,  and  worked  at 
coopering  at  Columbus  and  Worthington,  Ohio. 
At  the  latter  place  he  owned  a  shop.  He 
farmed  after  coming  here,  He  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Mary  Clark  in  August  20,  1840. 
To  them  were. born  eight  children,  respectiveh', 
Adelia,  William  T.,  Cynthia,  Mary  Ellen,  Jer- 
aldine,  Henriette.  Richard  C.  and  John  M., 
December  27,  1&41;  June  11,  1843;  May  7, 
1845;  January  1,  1848;  December  22,  1848; 
May  14,  1852;  May  6,  1854;  January  1, 
1857.     Mrs.    Hammer    was    born     at     Rich- 


mond, Ohio,  March  25,  1822.  Mary  Ellen, 
died  September,  1856;  Adelia,  died  August, 
1864;  Jeraldine,  October  26,  1869.  Removed 
from  Worthington,  Ohio,  to  Effingham  County, 
111.,  in  the  year  1851,  and  settled  in  Jackson 
Township,  at  which  place  he  resided  until  his 
death  in  April,  1869. 

J.  A.  MoCALLEN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Effingham, 
was  born  in  the  month  of  December,  1837,  in 
Harrison  Countj',  Ind.  His  father,  Robert  Mc- 
Callen,  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Southern 
Indiana,  having  moved  there  from  Kentucky  in 
the  year  1806.  The  boyhood  of  James  was 
spent  like  that  of  most  other  farmer  lads  of 
that  pioneer  daj';  his  summers,  after  he  was  old 
enough  to  work  were  given  to  lalior  on  the 
farm,  and  during  the  winter  season  he  attended 
public  school.  The  schoolhouse  in  which  he 
took  his  first  lessons  and  where  he  was  taught 
to  read,  write  and  "  figer "  was  the  conven- 
tional ''  old  log  cabin."  The  flire-place  reached 
half  wajT  across  the  room,  the  loading  of  which 
was  the  principal  work  of  the  "  master,"  during 
the  long,  cold  days  of  winter.  For  text  books 
some  brought  Bibles,  some  old  copies  of  news- 
papers, and  others  such  books  as  they  could 
obtain.  James  relates  that  one  of  his  teachers 
made  it  a  rule  to  hear  his  pupils  recite  in  the 
order  in  which  they  arrived  at  school.  The 
first  who  came  was  the  first  to  recite,  and  in 
their  endeavors  to  get  there  first,  pupils  would 
often  be  at  the  schoolhouse  before  sunrise. 
But,  notwithstanding  all  their  irregularity, 
and  the  inadequate  facilities  of  the  early 
schools  which  he  attended,  James  obtained  a 
fair  education,  more  from  his  own  exertion  and 
aptness  than  from  his  teachers,  the  most  of 
whom  were  illiterate  themselves.  In  1859.  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Jlary  J.  Ryan,  of  Harri- 
son Count}',  Ind.,  and  for  five  years  afterward 
he  was  engaged  in  farming.  In  1864,  he  en- 
tered the  Forty-second  Indiana  Infantiy,  and 
marched  with  his  regiment  under  Gen.  Thomas 
through  parts  of  Georgia,  Alabama,  Kentucky 


WATSON    TOWNSHIP. 


223 


and  Tennessee,  and  took  part  in  the  bloody 
fight  of  Nashville  and  the  lively  skirmishes  be- 
fore Franklin,  in  both  of  which  engagements  he 
exhibited  the  courage  and  firmness  of  the  true 
soldier.  He  remained  with  his  regiment  under 
Thomas  until  near  the  summer  of  1865,  when 
the  Southern  Confederacy  having  fallen,  he, 
with  his  regiment,  was  marched  to  Louisville, 
Ky.,  and  mustered  out.  He  then,  in  partner- 
ship with  his  father,  engaged  in  the  dr3f  goods 
and  grocery  business  at  Palmyra,  Ind.  In  this 
business  they  built  up  a  good  trade  and  were 
very  successful,  running  a  peddling  wagon  to 
Louisville,  Ky.,  weekly  for  goods,  and  to  dis- 
pose of  produce,  etc.  In  about  1867,  they  sold 
out  their  store,  together  with  their  stock  of 
goods  and  town  property,  and  bought  a  farm 
of  100  acres  north  of  town,  where  thej'  farmed 
until  1868,  then  sold  out  to  a  Mr.  Avery  for 
$1,600.  They  then  a  second  time  bought  a 
farm  in  partnership,  wiiich  they  farmed  until 
the  fall  of  1871,  when  James,  who  had  long 
entertained  a  desire  to  emigrate  to  Illinois,  and 
having  visited  and  looked  out  a  location  in 
Effingham  County,  sold  his  farm  and,  in  com- 
pany with  his  father-in-law  and  two  brothers- 
in-law,  came  to  the  "  Sucker  "  State,  settling  in 
Watson  Township.  Here  he  bought  lands  of 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  and  engaged  in 
farming.  In  March,  1874,  he  was  called  to 
mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife,  who  died,  after  an 
illness  of  ten  days,  of  pneumonia.  She  was  a 
kind  and  affectionate  wife  and  mother,  and  a 
true  Christian,  and  her  death  was  more  than 
usually  grievous  to  husband  and  children. 
Four  children  survive  her,  and  one  is  dead. 
Those  living  are  Florence,  the  wife  of  J.  C. 
Loy  ;  Albert  D.,  a  young  school  teacher  and 
law  student  ;  Alonzo  and  Manson,  school  boys. 
James  A.  McCallen  is  a  man  of  good  busi- 
ness qualifications,  and  is  noted  for  his  indus- 
try. Since  coming  to  Illinois,  in  1871,  he  has 
improved  two  farms,  clearing  up  forty-five  acres 
of    timber    land,    and    building   one   dweliinsr 


house  and  two  barns.  In  the  summer  of  1881, 
he  married  Mr.s.  Charlotte  L.  Avery,  a  huly  of 
means  and  in  good  social  standing.  Mr.  Mc- 
Callen is  at  this  writing  (1882),  living  on  his 
farm  on  Salt  Creek,  in  Watson  Township,  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock-raising. 

CHARLES  E.  MILLER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Wat- 
son, 111.,  son  of  Anson  S.  Miller,  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 20,  1841,  in  Franklin,  Delaware  Co.,  N. 
J.  He  engaged  in  clerking  at  the  age  of  fif- 
teen, for  Edward  Douglass  Meredith,  which  he 
continued  about  four  years,  when  he  went  to 
merchandising,  which  he  followed  with  good 
success  for  several  years  in  Franklin,  N.  J. 
Mr.  jMlller  was  married,  October  26,  1863,  to 
Miss  N.  Josephine  Mann,  daughter  of  Oliver 
Mann.  In  1877,  he  sold  out  his  store  busi- 
ness and  removed  to  Effingham  County,  and 
settled  on  a  farm  of  100  acres,  Sections  16,  17 
and  21,  erected  a  first  class  dwelling  and  is 
making  farming  a  decided  success.  He  has 
three  children:  Frank  C,  Lula  J.  and  J.  Stew- 
art. He  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church, 
also  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and 
is  a  tj'pical  Democrat.  Subject's  father,  Ansou 
S.  Miller,  was  born  in  Delaware  Count}-,  N.  J., 
July  18,  1818.  He  was  married,  November  26, 
1838,  to  Lucinda  A.  Chamberlain.  The  issue 
of  his  first  marriage  is  one  child,  Charles  E. 
Subject's  wife  died  October  3,  1858. 

WILLIAM  PITKIN,  deceased,  was  born  at 
East  Hartford,  Conn.,  May  9,  1790,  and  went 
to  Albany,  when  a  young  man,  and  engaged  in 
the  drug  trade.  In  1820,  he  removed  to 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and  there  commenced  a  trade 
in  drugs  and  medicines,  in  a  wooden  building, 
which  gave  away  in  later  years  to  a  finer  struct- 
ure known  as  the  Pitkin  Block.  He  prose- 
cuted his  business  till  1854,  a  period  of  thirty- 
fouryears.  In  1839  and  1840,  was  an  Alderman 
from  the  Fifth  Ward.  In  1845  and  1846,  he  was 
Mayor  of  the  city.  He  was  one  of  the  Com- 
missioners appointed  liy  State  to  erect  the 
Western  House  of  Refuge,  and  became  a  mana- 


224 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ger  of  the  institution.  He  was  oue  of  the 
founders  and  managers  of  the  House  of  Truants. 
He  was  one  of  tlie  founders  and  manager  of  the 
City  Hospital.  Was  one  of  the  first  trustees  of 
the  Rochester  Savings  Bank,  an  ofBce  he  held 
till  his  decease,  and  was  for  many  years  Presi- 
dent of  that  institution.  He  was  a  member  of 
St.  Luke's  Episcopal  Church.  He  had  four 
children,  viz.,  Alfred  H.,  James  M.,  of  Roches- 
ter, N.  Y.,  Mrs.  McKnight  and  Sarah  M.  He 
died  May  4,  1869.  The  father  of  subject,  Sir 
William  Pitkin,  was  a  G-overnor  of  Connecticut 
Colony,  1766.  Alfred  H.  Pitkin,  eldest  son  of 
subject,  was  born  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  Decem- 
ber 28,  1834.  Went  to  Chicago  in  1853,  and 
engaged  in  hardware  and  general  mercantile 
business  in  the  firm  name  of  Pitkin  Brothers. 
Continued  the  business  with  fair  success  till 
1866,  closed  out  on  account  of  the  death  of  his 
brother,  and  the  decline  of  his  own  health,  and 
moved  to  Effingham  County,  111.,  and  settled 
on-a  farm  of  160  acres,  in  Section  29,  Watson 
Township.  In  1872,  he  sold  and  moved  on  a 
farm  of  120  acres,  in  Section  16,  Watson  Town- 
ship, where  he  follows  farming  with  good  suc- 
cess. Subject  was  married  in  Bridgeport, 
Conn.,  December  4,  1855,  to  Miss  Marv  Louisa 
Thompson,  daughter  of  John  Thompson. 
Subject  has  four  children  living:  William 
Theodore,  was  born  August  26,  1858;  Grace 
B.,  was  born  February  28,  1862;  Alfred 
H.,  was  born  September  4,  1867;  Sarah  Ida, 
was  born  January  12,  1873;  Mr.  Pitkin's  wife, 
Mrs.  Sarah  L.  Pitkin,  died  September  20,  1876; 
Fannie  L.,  was  born  May  6,  1857,  and  was 
married  to  James  M.  Parkhurst  September  24, 
1877,  died  May  4,  1882. 

ELAM  R.  RINEHART,  farmer,  was  born  in 
Ewington.  this  count}-,  May  17, 1849.  He  was 
fourteen  years  of  age,  when  his  father  came  to 
the  place  where  our  subject  lives  at  present,  who 
became  owner  of  the  old  homestead  at  the  death 
of  his  father  January  9,  1877.  Our  subject  has 
always   been   engaged    in  farming ;    the   farm 


consisting  of  one  quarter  section,  all  in  cultiva- 
tion, and  devoted  principally  to  the  raising  of 
gi'ain.  He  was  married,  March  16,  1876,  to 
Miss  Victoria  Carpenter,  of  this  county,  and 
has  three  children — Daniel  B.,  Walter  I.  and 
William  B.,  twins.  Our  subject  has  served  on 
the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  this  county  ;  his 
father,  Daniel  Rinehart,  was  born  September  15, 
1812,  in  Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  where  he  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education,  and  mar- 
ried, February  8,  1837,  Barbara  Kagay,  of 
Fairfield  County,  Ohio.  In  June,  1841,  he 
came  by  team  to  this  county,  and  first  settled 
in  a  cabin  in  what  is  now  Watson  Township, 
where  Michael  Sprinkle  now  lives,  where  he 
had  entered  a  one  quarter  section  previous  to 
coming.  He  lived  there  until  1847,  and 
opened  up  quite  a  farm,  but  the  prevailing 
disease  of  chills  and  fever  induced  him  to 
leave  the  farm  and  move  to  Ewington  ;  he  had 
been  elected  County  Clerk  by  the  Democrats, 
and  had  served  as  County  Assessor  before  this 
for  two  years.  He  served  as  County  Clerk  of 
Effingham  Cciunty  for  eighteen  3'ears  continu- 
ously, except  an  interim  of  two  J'ears,  when  the 
office  was  filled  by  Thomas  Loy,  in  probably 
1849-50.  He  retired  in  1873  to  his  farm  ;  he 
was  one  of  the  best  known  men  in  the  county  ; 
he  exerted  a  large  political  influence  in  the 
county  and  district.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for  man}'  j'ears  ; 
he  had  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  as  fol- 
lows: Jemima,  was  wife  of  W.  C.  Wright  (de- 
ceased, see  sketch)  ;  Emma  E.,  Mrs.  Edward 
Upton,  of  Watson  Township  ;  Thomas  Benton, 
farmer  of  this  county  ;  William  Allen,  of  Leeds 
City,  D.  T.;  Erastus  N.,  see  sketch  ;  Elam  R., 
subject. 

CAPT.  PIDELES  B.  SCHOOLEY,  mer- 
chant, Watson,  is  a  son  of  Palemon  and  Sarah 
Schooley,  and  was  born  in  1843,  in  Clay  County, 
111.  He  first  engaged  in  millwrighting,  a  trade 
he  learned  under  his  father.  In  1861,  he  en- 
listed in  the  war.  Company   G,  Eleventh  Illi- 


WATSON    TOWNSHIP. 


235 


nois,  being  first  In  the  three  months'  call,  and 
re-enlisted  in  November,  1861,  for  a  term  of 
three  years  in  Company  D,  Fifty-fourth  Illinois. 
Mr.  Schooley  went  out  as  a  private,  and  was 
promoted  as  follows  :  First  Sergeant,  Second 
Lieutenant,  First  Lieutenant  and  Captain,  a 
position  lie  held  to  the  close  of  the  war  (or 
about  twelve  months).  At  first  the  command 
was  stationed  on  duty  to  guard  a  railroad  near 
Columbus,  Ky.  It  was  in  the  siege  of  Vieks- 
burg,  afterward  endured  several  marches  in 
Gen.  Steele's  command  in  Arkansas  ;  was  at  bat- 
tle at  Clarendon,  another  near  Little  Rock,  and 
at  the  capture  of  the  latter  place  August  24, 
1864.  Subject  was  taken  prisoner  in  a  fight  at 
Jones  Station,  and  was  taken  to  Batesville, 
Ark.;  was  paroled  and  sent  to  the  barracks  at 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  he  remained  till  in 
December,  1864,  when  he  was  exchanged,  and 
was  at  Fort  Smith,  Ark.,  when  the  great  peace 
conference  was  concluded  with  the  Indians. 
Subject  was  discharged  November  1,  1865,  and 
returned  home.  He  was  married  August  11, 
186G,  to  Miss  Pauline  Thompson,  daughter  of 
Kobert  Thompson,  and  followed  millwrighting 
till  1869  when  he  engaged  in  clerking  in  a 
store  for  A.  J.  Vance,  in  Watson.  In  1871, 
began  to  clerk  in  the  store  of  Barklej'  & 
Abraham  in  Watson.  Jlr.  Schooley "s  wife 
died  in  June,  1875,  and  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Frank  E.  Claar,  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Sarah  Claar,  December  25,  1875.  In  1878,  he 
purchased  an  interest  in  the  store  of  Milton 
Abraham.  In  Februarv,  1880,  sold  out  in 
Watson  and  engaged  in  merchandising  in  Elli- 
ottstown,  January  1,  1832,  sold  a  half-interest 
of  his  store  in  Elliottstown,.  to  Mr.  Aliraham, 
and  bought  a  half-interest  of  Abraham's  store 
at  Watson,  and  the  two  stores  were  run  under 
the  firm  name  of  Al)raham  &  Schooley  till 
October  1,  1882,  when  our  subject  sold  out  his 
interest  in  the  store  business  to  Mr.  Abraham, 
and  purchased  a  half-interest  in  a  furniture 
store,  and  runs  business  under  the  firm  name 


of  Schooley  Bros.  Subject  has  a  family  of 
three  children— Elsworth  B.,  Sarah  B.,  Clara 
E.  Subject's  father,  Palemon  Schooley,  was 
born  February  17,  1821,  near  Salem,  Ohio; 
moved  with  his  parents  to  Maysville,  Clay 
County,  111.,  and  was  married  in  thitt  county, 
May  3,  1840,  to  Miss  Sarah  Sitler,  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Christina  Sitler.  The  father  was  a 
millwright  ;  moved  from  Clay  County,  111.,  in 
1846,  to  Vermont,  Fulton  County,  111.,  where 
he  remained  about  six  years,  and  after  a  few 
removals  to  secure  work  at  his  trade,  he  set- 
tled at  Elliottstown,  BtHugham  County.  In 
1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  war  in  Company  D, 
Fifty-fourth  Illinois,  in  the  same  company  with 
his  son  F.  B.  Schooley,  and  served  till  the 
spring  of  1865,  when  he  returned  home,  and 
moved  to  Watson,  111.,  where  he  remained  till 
his  death,  which  occurred  October  21,  1871, 
after  which  his  widow,  Mrs.  Sarah  (Sitler) 
Schooley,  lived  with  her  son  F.  B.  Her  chil- 
dren consists  of  two  living,  one  of  whom  is 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  other,  Sahithiel, 
who  also  served  a  long  term  in  the  war.  He  mar-  ' 
ried,  and  runs  a  furniture  store  in  partnership 
with  his  brother,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Schooley  Bros. 

E  LIS  HA  W.  SCOTT,  farmer,  son  of  Dr.  John 
0.  Scott,  was  born  near  Freemanton,  this  count3', 
October  12,  1838,  and  was  raised  on  a  farm,  and 
educated  in  public  schools  of  this  count}'.  He 
began  fanning  for  himself  in  1863,  in  which 
year  he  was  married.  He  enlisted  in  the  army 
in  1862,  in  the  Seventy-first  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  served  three  months,  when  his 
time  expired.  In  1863,  he  enlisted  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Thirtj'-fifth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry  for  cue  hundred  days,  and  served  for 
about  five  months,  on  guard  duty,  under  Gen. 
Rosecrans.  He  has  farmed  in  this  township 
since  1863.  He,  that  j'ear,  married  Miss  Livo- 
na  McCann,  daughter  of  James  McCann,  of 
Jackson  Township,  and  has  four  children  living, 
Vista,  Ella,  Nora  and  Edward.  Our  subject 
has  served  his  township  as  Assessor. 

0 


226 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


W.  F.  SCOTT,  farmer  and  teacher,  P.  0. 
Watson,  is  a  son  of  Dr.  John  0.  Scott,  and 
was  born  in  this  count}',  April  20,  1841.  In 
1860,  he  began  teaching.  Tn  1862,  he  enlist- 
ed in  the  United  States  Armj%  Company  E, 
Sevent3'-first  Illinois  Volunteers.  His  com- 
mand was  forwarded  to  Columbus,  Ky.  Af- 
ter some  time  spent  in  the  service,  he  was 
sent  to  the  marine  hospital,  at  Cliicago,  on 
account  of  disability  for  service.  After  his 
recover^',  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  a  Govern- 
ment corral,  where  he  bought  Government 
supplies,  and  was  foreman  of  the  men  who 
took  charge  of  horses  brought  in  for  service. 
After  about  six  months  of  this  kind  of  service, 
he  returned  home  and  resumed  teaching.  He 
was  married  in  Jasper  County,  III,  August  28, 
1870,  to  Miss  Jlelissa  Blackford,  daughter  of 
I.  M.  Blackford.  Since  then,  he  has  followed 
the  avocation  of  farming,  alternatel}-  teach- 
ing in  winters  and  farming  during  the  summer. 
He  has  gained  a  first-class  reputation  as  a 
teacher,  and  proven  a  success  at  farming,  and 
is  the  owner  of  a  good  farm.  He  is  an  ardent 
supporter  of  the  principles  of  Democracy,  has 
held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace,  is  School 
Treasurer,  and  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternit}'.  He  has  five  children — Lawly,  Ninta, 
Emmett  R.,  Ethie  E.  and  Worley. 

IRWIN  A.  SPRINKLE,  druggist,  Watson, 
son  of  John  Sprinkle,  was  born  in  this  coun- 
ty July  17,  1859.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm. 
In  1876,  he  engaged  in  clerking  in  a  dry  goods 
and  grocery  store  in  Teutopolis,  which  he 
followed  about  seven  months.  August  22, 
]  879,  he  was  matriculated  in  the  Northern  In- 
diana Normal,  which  he  attended  three  terms. 
He  returned  home  and  engaged  in  clerking  in 
Effingham  a  short  time  ;  then  purchased  a  drug 
store  in  Watson,  and  engaged  in  his  present 
avocation.  In  this  business,  he  has  met  with 
good  success.  He  carried  a  first-class  assort- 
ment of  drugs  and  notions.  Politically,  Mr. 
Sprinkle  is  a  stanch  Republifcan.     Is   School 


Treasurer  of  Watson  Township.  Mr.  Sprinkle 
was  married  at  Mason,  111.,  February  26,  1881, 
to  Miss  Nelia  Rankin,  daughter  of  Robert  and 
Mary  Rankin.  He  has  one  child,  Clyde 
Sprinkle,  born  JIarch  26, 1882. 

EDWARD  N.  UPTON,  traveling  salesman, 
was  born  in  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  September  27, 1837, 
and  learned  the  printer's  trade  in  Columbus, 
Ohio.  He  came  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in  1857, 
and  in  1858  came  to  Ewington,  this  county, 
as  a  journeyman  printer,  and  worked  for 
Col.  Filler  a  year  and  on  the  old  Fioneer,  and 
then  went  to  Henderson,  Ky.,  where  he 
joined  his  brother-in-law  in  putting  in  gas 
works  there,  remaining  six  months,  when 
he  returned  to  Ewington  and  again  worked  in  a 
printing  office  for  six  months,  and  went  to  St. 
Louis  and  worked  as  compositor  till  1801,  when 
he  went  to  Columbus,  Ohio,  where  he  helped 
to  raise  a  company  and  went  out  as  First 
Lieutenant,  mustered  September  10,  1861, 
which  was  a  part  of  the  Fort3--sixth  Ohio  Vol- 
unteer Infantr}-.  He  served  until  close  of  war, 
being  mustered  out  in  July,  1865,  at  Louis- 
ville, Ky.;  served  three  j'ears  nine  months.  He 
served  in  Fifteenth  Army  Corps  of  Gens.  Sher- 
man and  Logan,  and  fought  in  thirtj-two 
battles.  He  was  promoted  to  rank  of  Cap- 
tain, Company  G,  dated  April  6,  1862.  He 
was  commissioned  August  19,  1864,  Major  of 
the  Forty-sixth  Regiment.  He  was  made 
Lieutenant  Colonel  of  Regiment  December  22, 

1864,  and  rose  to  rank   of  Colonel  July  16, 

1865.  He  was  married,  March  21, 1864,  to  Miss 
Emma  E.,  daughter  of  Daniel  Rinehart,  of 
Effingham  County,  111.  After  leaving  the  arfny 
in  fall  of  1865,  he  settled  on  present  farm  in 
Watson  Township,  where  he  has  since  resided, 
and  followed  forming  for  about  ten  years.  In 
1875,  he  entered  the  employ  of  Haydens  & 
Allen,  manufacturers  of  saddlery  baidware,  of 
St.  Louis,  and  has  for  past  seven  3-ears  been 
traveling  salesman  for  Southern  Illinois.  He  has 
three  sons  and  two  daughters  living — Hayden 


WATSON    TOWNSHIP. 


227 


R.,  Mattie  R.,  Edward  N.,  Daniel  N.,  Mary  L. 
One  died  in  infancy,  Cotton  Allen.  Our  sub- 
ject has  served  as  Town  Clerk  of  Watson,  and 
Collector. 

REV.  DAVID  WILLIA^MSON,  deceased, 
whose  portrait  appears  in  this  work,  was  not 
one  of  fortune's  petted  ones,  "  born  with  a  sil- 
ver spoon  in  his  mouth,"  but  being  one  of  seven 
children  of  a  famil3'  in  moderate  circumstances, 
has  known  what  it  is  to  fight  life's  battles  single- 
handed,  only  inspired  by  native  ambition  and 
a  desire  for  usefulness  and  position  among  men. 
The  rudiments  of  his  education  were  received 
at  the  district  schools.  Was  a  very  attentive 
student  and  became  a  deep  thinker.  He  was 
born  on  the  "  Williamson  plantation,"  near  Ab- 
ingdon, Va.,  May  6,  1827.  His  father,  George, 
was  born  in  County  Armagii,  in  the  Province 
of  Ulster,  Ireland,  and  emigrated  to  Vir- 
ginia when  quite  young.  His  mother,  Susan 
M3'ers,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  died 
near  Gosport,  Ind.,  in  1837.  In  the  early 
part  of  his  life,  he  united  with  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  At  the  age  of  sev- 
enteen, he  entered  the  ministry,  which  he 
continued  mostly  the  remainder  of  his  useful 
life,  and  the  result  of  his  efforts  will  only  be 
known  in  that  day  when  the  secrets  of  all  hearts 
shall  be  revealed.  In  1846,  he  was  with  the  In- 
diana Conference,  and  in  1853  he  united  with 
the  Southern  Illinois  Conference,  where  he 
made  known  his  strength  until  1869,  when  he 
was  superannuated  at  his  own  request,  on  ac- 
count of  physical  disability.  He  soon  settled 
with  his  family  on  a  larm  a  short  distance  east 
of  Watson.  Here  he  gained  some  strength,  and 
applied  himself  to  teaching.  He  was  a  man  of 
scrupulous  integrity,  generous  impulses  and 
boundless  hospitality.  As  a  minister,  he 
preached  strong  doctrinal  sermons,  but  his 
modesty  led  him  to  evade  debate  as  much  as 
possible.  However,  when  pressed,  he  would 
accept,  and  his  adversary  found  in  him  a  strong 


opponent.  He  was  united  in  marriage,  October 
14,  1852,  with  Mary  J.  Brown,  of  Gosport,  Ind. 
She  was  Iwrn  February  5,  1829,  near  Gosport, 
Ind.  Her  parents,  F.  and  Sarah  (.^lanser) 
Bnjwn,  were  natives  of  Kentucky.  The  former 
was  born  January  21,  1803,  and  tiie  latter  Feb- 
ruary 10,  1805.  Mr.  Williamson's  marriage 
gave  him  six  children,  viz.:  Frank,  engaged  in 
railroading  in  Mississippi;  Sarah  L.  A.,  de- 
ceased; J.  D.  D.,  Mary  E.  E.,  Frederick  T.  B.  and 
Rosa.  The  last  four  are  efficient  teachers.  J.  D. 
D.  was  born  in  McLeansboro,  III,  Nov.l4,  1858. 
He  began  early  to  improve  his  mind,  and  com- 
pleted a  course  in  the  Grayville  and  Southern 
Indiana  Colleges,  and  attended  other  noted  edu- 
cational institutions.  He  entered  the  school- 
room as  a  teacher  early  in  his  teens,  and  his 
services  have  become  so  desirable  that  he  is 
pressed  into  actual  labor  aside  from  his  regular 
emplo3'ment  as  a  general  agent  for  a  school  fur- 
niture and  supply  establishment.  In  the  latter 
avocation,  he  is  as  proficient  as  in  the  former. 
He  was  married  at  Marshall,  Clark  Co.,  111., 
March  11,  1881,  to  Libbie  Hillis,  a  native  of 
Watson,  111.,  born  September,  1859.  He  resides 
in  Watson,  is  teaching,  and  at  the  close  of  the 
term  he  will  devote  his  entire  time  in  the  em- 
ployment of  the  firm  mentioned  above.  He  is 
a  stanch  Democrat,  and  a  member  of  Watson 
Lodge,  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.  The  future  is  yet  before 
him,  and  he  promises  to  be  a  type  of  the  old 
block.  Rev.  Williamson  died  September  30. 
1878,  from  an  attack  of  typhoid  fever,  which 
lasted  only  one  week.  He  had  often  expressed 
himself  as  willing  to  meet  death,  and  wlicn  he 
breathed  his  last  it  was  in  the  full  faith  of  his 
Savior.  He  was  a  kind  father,  a  devoted,  lov- 
ing husband,  and  commanded  the  highest  es- 
teem of  all  who  knew  him.  His  widow,  Mary 
J.,  resides  with  three  of  the  3-ounger  children, 
on  the  farm  where  they  located  when  first 
coming  to  this  county.  He  was  a  life-long 
Democrat. 


238 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


MOOOASIN 

JOSEPH  P.  CONDO,  merchant,  Moccasin, 
was  born  in  1848  in  PenuHall,  Center  Co.,  Penn., 
and  lived  there  till  he  was  twenty  years  of  age, 
and  then  was  married  and  came  to  this  county, 
and  has  been  in  Effingham  County  ever  since. 
He  was  married  to.  Mary  A.  Motz.  She  was 
born  in  Center  County.  She  is  the  daughter 
of  Samuel  Motz,  who  was  born  in  Center 
County,  Penn.:  also  her  mother.  Her  mother  is 
dead,  but  her  father  still  lives  in  the  same 
county.  Mr.  Condo's  parents  both  were  born 
in  Center  County,  but  his  father,  Jacob  Condo, 
came  West,  and  died  here;  also  his  moth- 
er. The  first  four  years  after  coming,  Mr. 
Condo  farmed,  and  in  1872  he  went  into  the 
mercantile  business  in  Moccasin,  and  has  been 
in  the  same  business  ever  since,  and  is  at  pres- 
ent the  only  merchant  in  the  village.  Mr. 
Condo  carries  a  stock  of  about  87,000,  includ- 
ing everything  to  be  found  in  a  general 
store.  Mr.  Condo  has  been  contracting  for 
railroad  ties  to  different  roads,  and  for  the  last 
five  years  has  handled  over  100,000  ties  each 
year,  and  for  the  last  two  years  has  been  hav- 
ing the  ties  mostly  made  on  his  own  land,  but 
still  buys.  Mr.  Condo  made  his  start  by  sell- 
ing steel  plows,  in  1870  and  1871,  selling  over 
300  while  on  the  farm  in  the  two  years.  He 
has  770  acres  of  laud,  140  in  Shelby  County, 
370  in  Effingham  County,  and  260  in  Fayette. 
Of  this,  300  acres  are  in  cultivation,  300  acres 
of  good  timber,  and  170  stump  land.  Besides 
his  land,  he  has  his  store  building  in  Moccasin 
and  resident  property  in  Effingham.  Mr. 
Condo  has  been  one  of  the  most  successful 
business  men  in  this  part  of  the  county.  In 
1880,  Mr.  Condo  was  one  of  the  three  delegates 
from  this  county  to  the  Republican  State  Con- 
vention at  Springfield,  111.     He  has  three  chil- 


TOWNSHIP. 

dreu  living  and  four  dead— Sallie,  Florence  and 
Lulu.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Republican 
State  Central  Committee. 

MOSES  DOTY,  farmer,  P.  0.  Moccasin,  was 
born  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  1816.  He  is  the 
son  of  Thomas  and  Rosa  (Sowards)  Doty.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  his 
mother  of  North  Carolina.  They  were  married 
in  Kentucky,  and  moved  to  Ohio — at  an  early 
date— while  the  Indians  were  still  in  the  State. 
Both  of  his  parents  died,  and  are  buried  in 
Wayne  County,  Ohio.  Mr.  Doty  was  educated 
in  the  early  schools  of  Ohio— a  split  log  for  a 
bench,  a  log  cut  out  for  a  window,  with  paper 
stretched  over  it,  etc.  In  spring  of  1845,  he 
came  to  Moccasin  Precinct,  and  settled  on 
Moccasin  Creek  ;  lived  here  nearly  two  years, 
and  then  went  back  to  Ohio,  and  lived  there 
till  fall  of  1852  ;  they  returned  to  Effingham 
County,  and  this* has  been  their  home  ever 
since,  except  one  season  he  rented  a  farm  in 
Fayette  County.  When  first  coming  here,  there 
was  no  flour  to  be  had,  and  their  way  of  get- 
ting their  meal  was  to  grind  it  by  horse-power  ; 
aud  the  first  meal  he  got  he  had  to  go  to  Van- 
dalia  for  it.  It  was  an  insult  to  offer  paper 
money  or  coppers  in  pay  for  anything.  Once, 
while  on  the  road,  he  bought  a  loaf  of  bread, 
and  not  having  the  exact  change  in  silver,  he 
offered  to  make  the  change  in  coppers  ;  but  for 
his  trouble  he  received  a  cursing.  Their  first 
voting  was  done  in  an  old  barh,  and  each  one 
had  to  go  up  aud  tell  the  name  of  the  one  they 
wished  to  vote  for,  as  there  were  no  tickets. 
When  first  coming  here,  there  were  but  few  per- 
manent settlers ;  most  were  what  they  called 
squatters.  He  bought  a  number  of  good  year- 
ling steers  for  $1.50  per  head,  and  kept  them 
till  they  were  two  years  old,  and  sold  them  for 


MOCCASIN    TOWNSHIP. 


329 


$3  per  head-  -  there  was  no  market  for  anj'- 
thing ;  good  corn  could  be  bought  for  8  cents. 
Schools  were  an  unknown  thing  when  he  first 
came,  but  the  second  snramer  they  got  up  a 
little  school,  and  kept  it  for  three  months. 
Old  Ewington  was  their  post  office,  a  distance 
of  about  twelve  miles.  He  was  married,  1835, 
in  Wayne  County,  to  Mary  Jane  Cavenee.  She 
was  born  in  Harrison  County,  Ohio,  the  daugh- 
ter of  William  Cavenee,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Her  mother  was  born  in  New  Jersey. 
On  Mr.  Dot3''s  father's  farm  was  an  old  block- 
house, built  by  the  Americans  in  the  war  of 
1812.  Mr.  Doty  used  it  as  a  cider  house  for 
a  number  of  years.  In  his  familj-  there  were 
twelve  children  (nine  now  living);  four  boys  and 
five  girls  living.  In  1869,  he  sold  out  his  farm 
on  Moccasin  Creek,  with  the  intention  of  going 
West,  but  instead  bought  his  present  farm, 
which  is  one  mile  north  of  the  old  place.  His 
farm  now  consists  of  121  acres.  He  is  Demo- 
cratic in  politics,  and  has  been  one  all  his  life. 
When  first  moving  here,  there  were  but  two 
Whigs  in  this  precinct — the  rest  all  Democrats 
— and  the  Whigs  did  not  turn  out  to  vote. 
Farming  has  been  his  liusiness  all  his  life.  The 
wa}-  they  made  their  living  at  first  was  to  raise 
a  small  patch  of  corn,  and  then  hunt  for  game  ; 
all  kinds  of  game  was  quite  plentiful  then  ; 
deer  would  be  seen  in  herds  of  from  forty  to 
fifty;  turkeys  and  chickens  were  also  numerous, 
and  man}-  wild  bogs  in  the  woods. 

MARTIN  V.  DOWTY,  farmer,  P.  0.  Moc- 
casin, was  born  in  Hush  County,  Ind..  1841, 
March  12,  to  Thomas  and  Deborah  (Wood) 
Dowty.  He  was  boru  in  Penns3-lvania,  and 
she  in  Buffalo.  N.  Y.  They  were  married  in 
Ohio,  and  settled  in  Indiana,  1835.  He  died 
in  Rush  County,  and  she  in  Jasper  County. 
Our  subject  was  educated  in  Rush  County, 
Ind.,  in  common  school.  He  was  raised  on  a 
farm  and  has  followed  that  business  all  his 
life,  except  for  (\\'o  years  he  was  quarrying 
stone  in   Decatur^ County,  Ind.     March,  1870, 


he  came  to  Effingham  County,  and  bought  his 
present  farm  of  104  acres,  all  but  six  of  which 
is  prairie  land.  He  was  married  in  Indiana, 
18C3,  to  Emma  Mason,  she  was  born  in  Deca- 
tur County,  Ind.,  to  John  and  Sarah  Mason. 
They  have  six  children — Clara  Lizzie,  Theo- 
dore, Edith,  Katie  and  Arthur.  Mr.  Dowty 
entered  Company  B,  Eleventh  Indiana  In- 
fantry, Col.  Hucelman ;  for  four  months  he 
was  in  the  Eleventh,  and  then  eight  months  in 
the  Sixteenth.  He  and  wife  are  Methodists  in 
religion.  He  is  Republican  in  politics;  is  also 
a   member   of  the   Masonic   fraternity. 

ANTHONY  GRANT,  deceased,  was  bora 
in  Harrison  Count}-,  Ohio,  near  Athens,  on 
Stillwater  River,  February  10,  1825,  to  An- 
thon}'  Grant  and  Rebecca  (Sloan)  Grant.  In 
1849,  he  was  married  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  to 
Margaret  Lybarger;  she  was  born  in  Knox 
County,  1826,  March  7,  to  Daniel  and  Nancy 
Ann  (Gary)  Lybarger.  In  1851,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Grant  moved  from  Ohio  to  EfHngham  County, 
and  settled  on  the  present  form  in  1852,  and 
have  remained  here  since.  Mr.  Grant  was 
raised  on  a  form,  and  followed  that  for  his  oc- 
cupation till  his  death,  April  26,  1875.  When 
first  coming,  he  entered  IGO  acres  of  timber 
land,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  had  about 
460  acres.  They  have  six  children  living — 
JIaranda,  Francis  Marion,  Charles  Anderson, 
Sophronia,  Emma  and  George  Ulysses.  Mrs. 
Grant  is  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  Pleasant  Grove.  Mr.  Grant  was  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  was 
Democratic  in  politics,  and  held  different  town- 
ship offices.  Commissioner,  etc.  In  moving 
from  Knox  Count}-,  Mr.  Grant  and  family  came 
in  company  with  his  brother,  James  Grant, 
who  is  now  in  Mound  Township,  and  Robert 
Stewart,  who  settled  in  Payette  County.  When 
they  settled  here,  this  was  a  wild  country. 
There  were  no  settlers  on  the  prairies  at  all, 
and  but  few  along  the  timber  near  here.  Their 
trading  point  when  first  coming  was  old  Free- 


230 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


manton,  and  their  inilling  was  done  in  horse 
mills,  but  finally  the}'  got  tired  of  that  kind 
of  flour  and  so  went  to  Shelbyville.  The  first 
season  here,  Mr.  Grant  farmed  with  his  brother 
in  Fayette  County,  and  would  go  away  from 
home  Monday  morning,  and  stay  most  of  the 
week  without  getting  to  come  home  ;  so  Mrs. 
Grant  and  her  one  little  girl  would  stay  at 
home  all  alone,  and  frequently  not  see  any  one 
from  the  time  he  left  till  his  return.  In  fall  of 
1853,  he  bought  out  a  squatter  who  was  living 
on  the  present  homestead,  giving  him  $100  for 
the  claim  ;  he  then  entered  the  land.  When 
first  moving  here,  there  were  a  good  man}' 
threats  made  that  they  would  run  them  out, 
but  they  had  come  to  make  a  home  here,  so 
they  held  their  own  ;  and  after  a  time  the'  old 
settlers  here  became  reconciled  to  have  Ohio- 
ans  remain.  Mr.  Grant's  life  was  quite  a  suc- 
cess, but  he  was  generous  almost  to  a  fault, 
ready  to  help  when  he  knew  there  was  no 
chance  for  a  return,  when  he  saw  any  one  in  a 
difficulty,  especially  the  poor  or  to  the  widows. 
Mr.  Grant's  father  was  born  in  New  Jersey; 
came  to  Pennsylvania  at  an  early  date,  then  to 
Harrison  Count}-,  Ohio,  about  1825,  and  iu 
182G  to  Knox  County,  where  he  remained  ac- 
tively engaged  in  farming  till  the  time  of  his 
death  January,  1866,  aged  eighty-three  years. 
Subject's  mother  was  born  iu  New  Jersey,  and 
died  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  1869,  aged  eighty- 
six  years. 

J.  W.  HOTZ,  Sr.,  farmer  and  grain  buyer, 
P.  0.  Moccasin,  was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt, 
Germany,  182.3,  June  1;  came  to  Pennsylvania 
in  1839,  and  then  to  Washington  County,  and 
there  learned  his  trade  of  blacksmithing,  and 
followed  his  trade  for  thirty-one  years  iu  dif- 
ferent places.  From  Pennsylvania,  he  came  in 
18-15  to  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  and  lived  there 
for  fourteen  years.  While  there,  he  was  mar- 
ried, on  October  6,  1851,  to  Miss  Lovina  Jane 
Knox.  She  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  Janu- 
ary 19,  1835.    She  died  March  11,  1878.    They 


have  seven  children — Mary  Ellen,  Florence  11., 
William  H.,  Theresa  A.,  Albert  H.,  Charles  E. 
and  George  F.  Since  coming  to  Illinois,  he 
has  carried  on  a  farm  and  blacksmith  shop. 
He  quit  the  shop  in  1870,  but  still  carries  on 
the  farm,  and  for  the  last  six  years  has  been 
buying  grain  in  Moccasin  for  Jennings  & 
Minor,  of  Effingham.  His  farm  consists  of  200 
acres,  160  on  the  prairie  and  40  in  timber, 
and  besides  has  town  property.  He  has 
always  been  Democratic  in  politics.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  for  forty-four  years,  and  has  filled  the 
place  of  Steward  and  leader  ever  since  joining 
the  church.  The  first  year  he  came  to  this 
county,  he  helped  to  build  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  and  helped  wear  it  out,  so  they 
built  another  church  on  the  same  site  in  1881. 
Mr.  Holtz  is  a  strict  temperance  man,  and  for 
the  future  temperance  will  enter  in  his  politics. 

JOHN  HURDELBRINK,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Moccasin,  was  born  in  St.  Clair  County,  111., 
September  13,  1849,  to  Diedrich  and  Mary  A. 
(Bossa)  Hurdelbrink,  both  born  in  Hanover, 
Germany;  came  to  America  in  1842;  settled 
in  Buffiilo,  N.  Y.,  afterward  moved  to  St. 
Clair  County,  111.,  and  he  died  there  of  the 
cholera,  aged  about  fifty-four.  By  trade  he 
was  a  blacksmith.  She  is  now  Mrs.  Henry 
Niehofif.  Our  subject  was  educated  in  St. 
Clair  County  in  an  English  school.  He  has 
alwa3-s  followed  farming.  In  1865,  he  came  to 
thiscount}-  with  his  mother  and  step-father,  and 
has  been  here  ever  since.  He  was  married  in 
this  county  in  1877  to  Hannah  Huelskoetter. 
She  was  born  in  St.  Louis  in  1855  to  Henry 
and  Mary  A.  (Piel)  Huelskoetter,  both  now 
living  in  this  county.  They  were  both  born  iu 
Prussia.  He  and  wife  are  both  members  of 
the  German  Lutheran  Church.  He  is  Repub- 
lican in  politics.  His  farm  consists  of  80  acres, 
all  prairie. 

J.  S.  JONES,  phj-sician,  Moccasin,  was 
born    in    Harrison    County,    Ohio,    in    1827. 


MOCCASIN    TOWNSHIP. 


He  was  educated  in  Ohio  and  attended  lectures 
in  Cincinnati  at  ttie  American  Medical  Col- 
lege. He  began  liis  practice  in  1854,  commenc- 
ing practice  in  Millersburg,  Iowa,  remaining 
tliere  till  1858,  and  then  returned  to  Ohio  and 
practiced  at  Bladensburg,  Knox  County,  for  six 
years,  and  then  came  to  EtBngham  Count}-,  in 
1865,  and  has  been  here  ever  since,  with  the 
exception  of  two  years  he  was  in  Missouri,  go- 
ing for  his  wife's  health.  Dr.  Jones  belongs 
to  the  eclectic  school.  He  was  married  in 
Holmes  County,  Ohio,  to  Elizabeth  Johnston, 
in  1850.  His  wife  died  in  January,  1873.  He 
was  married  in  Effingham  Count}-,  III,  in  1876, 
to  Tena  Piper.  He  had  seven  children  b}-  his 
first  wife  (five  are  now  living)  and  has  one 
child  by  his  present  wife.  He  has  always 
been  Republican  in  his  politics.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternitj'.  He  is  the  son 
of  William  Jones,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
who  died  in  1850.  Dr.  Jones'  mother  died 
about  1840. 

JOHN  H.  LUHRMAX,  farmer,  P.  0.  Blue 
Point,  was  born  iu  Hanover,  German \-,  April  19, 
1S20.  He  is  the  son  of  Herman  H.  and  Mary 
(Myers)  Luhrman.  His  father  was  born  in  Han- 
over, German}-,  1790,  and  emigrated  to  America, 
1844,  and  settled  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where 
he  remained  till  his  death,  about  1855.  He 
followed  his  trade  of  shoe-maker.  The  mother 
of  our  subject  was  also  born  in  Hanover,  Ger- 
many, and  died  in  Cincinnati,  1877,  at  forty- 
eight  years  of  age.  Tiiey  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  of  whom  John  H.  was  the  old- 
est. He  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  countrj*.  When  he  was 
twenty-three  years  old,  he  left  home  and  emi- 
grated to  America,  coming  on  a  sailing  vessel 
from  Bremen  to  New  Orleans,  and  landed 
there  December  19,  1843.  On  account  of  the 
ice  in  the  river,  he  could  not  make  St.  Louis, 
the  point  of  his  destination,  till  January,  1844. 
For  fifteen  years  he  remained  in  St.  Louis, 
working  the  first  nine  years  for  George  P.  Plant, 


in  a  flouring  mill.  He  then  worked  six  years 
for  Joseph  Powell,  also  in  a  flouring  mill.  In 
1859,  he  located  in  Weunide,  111.,  where,  in  com- 
pany with  J.  F.  Brocksmith ,  he  built  a  large  flour- 
ing mill  at  a  cost  of  $40,000.  A  few  years  after 
this,  his  daughter  was  killed  in  the  mill,  and 
that  caused  him  to  sell  out  his  interest,  and  re- 
move to  a  farm.  His  daughter  had  gone  into 
the  mill  to  call  the  miller  to  dinner,  and  in  pass- 
ing up  stairs  to  where  he  was,  her  dress  caught 
in  an  upright  shaft  that  was  making  sixty  revo- 
lutions per  minute.  She  was  immediately 
killed.  After  selling  the  mill,  he  bought  a  farm 
of  160  acres  near  Wennide,  and  remained  there 
till  1869,  when  he  sold  out  and  came  to  Effing- 
ham County,  and  bought  320  acres  in  Moccasin 
Township,  and  has  added  to  it  till  now  he  has 
a  farm  of  above  500  acres  of  well-improved 
land,  except  forty,  which  is  timber  land.  Jan- 
uary 6,  1845,  in  St.  Louis,  he  married  Mary 
Foldenfeld,  a  native  of  Hanover,  Germany. 
They  have  four  children  living,  Louisa  (wife 
of  W.  F.  Lange),  Charles,  William  and  August 
(at  home).  He  and  familj-  are  members  of  the 
German  Lutheran  Church — his  son,  William, 
being  organist.  He  is  Democratic  in  politics. 
While  farming  in  Washington  County,  he  was 
appointed  Postmaster  at  Lively  Grove,  and  held 
that  till  he  left  the  county.  July,  1871,  while 
driving  a  reaper,  the  seat  broke  and  he  was 
thrown  down  in  front  of  the  knives  and  had  his 
right  hand  cut  so  badly  that  he  lost  the  use  of 
it.     His  head  was  also  badly  bruised. 

W.  B.  METHAM,  farmer,  P.  0.  Altamont, 
was  born  in  Coshocton  County,  Ohio,  1825. 
He  remained  in  Ohio  till  1855  ;  he  came  to  Illi- 
nois, and  the  first  winter  stayed  in  Fayette 
County,  and  in  the  spring  of  1 856  came  back 
into  Effingham  County,  and  has  made  this  his 
home  ever  since.  He  is  the  son  of  Pren  Met- 
ham,  who  was  born  in  P^ngland.  In  his  j-outh, 
he  was  a  sailor,  but  came  to  America  before  he 
was  married.  Eliza  (Boman)  Metham,  Mr.  W. 
B.'s  mother,  was  the  second  wife  of  Pren  Met- 


232 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


ham,  and  was  born  in  Pennsjlvauia,  and  was  of 
the  Pennsylvania-Dutch  origin.     H  is  father  was 
one  of  the  early-  settlers  in  that  part  of  Ohio. 
His  place  was  thirty  miles  from  Zanesville,  and 
as  they  had  no  roads  at  first,  everjthing  had  to 
be  done  on  horseback.     His  parents  both  died 
in  Coshocton  County,  Ohio.     When   Mr.  Met- 
ham   came  to  Effingham   County  in  1856,  he 
bought  his  present  farm  of  Pricket  Doty,  pay- 
ing $10  per  acre  for  what  he  bought  of  Doty, 
and  is  now  one  of  the  best  improved  and  most 
valuable  farms  in  this  part  of  the  township. 
His  farm  consists  of  about  600  acres,  mostly 
Ij-ing  along  Big  Moccasin  Creek.     Mr.  Metham 
has  always  voted  the  Republican  ticket,  voting 
first  for  Fremont,  and  has   never  missed    an 
election  since  his  first  vote,  and  has  been  one  of 
the  leading  Republicans  iu  Moccasin  Township. 
When  Mr.  Metham  came  to  his  present  farm, 
there  was  not  a  settleroutin  the  prairie;  it  was 
allgrown  up  to  prairie  grass.     John  H.  C.  Smith 
put  up  the  second  house  in  the  prairie,  and 
Peter   Campbell  the  first,  but  soon  after  the 
Germans  came  in  and  began  settling  it.     Mr. 
iMetham    was    married   in  Coshocton  County, 
Ohio,  1851,  to  Rebecca    Anderson.     She  was 
born  in  Irehind.  ,^  She  is  the  daughter  of  John 
and  Mary  Anderson.     Her  father  died  in  the 
old  country,  but  her  mother   came  to   Coshoc- 
ton  County,  Ohio.     Thes-   have   two   children 
living   and  six  dead — Mary    E.,  Artiucy,   Al- 
vira,  Anderson,  Clara,  Alice,  and  an  infant,  all 
dead  ;  Adda  and   Laura  are  the  onl}-  two  liv- 
ing.    Mr.  Metham  is  a  member   of   the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church. 

WILLIAM  OWENS,  farmer,  P.  0.  Alta- 
mont,  was  born  in  Wayne  Count}',  Ohio,  1819. 
From  Wayne  County  he  moved  to  Knox  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  about  1844.  He  remained  in  Knox 
County  till  about  1858,  when  he  came  to  his 
present  farm  in  Effingham  County,  111.  He 
is  the  son  of  John  and  Pha?be  (Spake)  Owens. 
His  father  was  a  native  of  New  Jersej-,  and  his 
mother  of  Pennsylvania.     His  father  died  and 


left  six  children,  four  boys  and  two  girls.  Mr. 
Owens  is  the  oldest  of  the  sons  ;  the  daughters 
are  both  dead,  but  the  boys  living.  He  was 
only  a  small  boy  when  his  father  died,  and  his 
mother  being  fooled  out  of  what  property  was 
left  to  the  family,  the  four  oldest  children  were 
bound  out,  and  the  result  was,  their  chances 
for  an  education  were  very  limited.  He  was 
married  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  1842,  to  Cath- 
arine Stahl.  She  was  born  in  Ohio,  Wayne 
County,  but  her  parents  had  come  from  Penn- 
sylvania. She  died  in  Knox  County  in  1846 
or  1847.  By  this  wife  he  had  four  children, 
all  living.  About  1848,  he  was  again  married, 
to  Rebecca  Jane  Grant,  born  in  Harrison 
County,  Ohio.  Her  parents  were  from  Vir- 
ginia. By  this  wife  he  has  five  children, 
three  boys  and  two  girls.  His  children  are 
Elizabeth,  Frederick,  Salome,  Catharine,  An- 
thony, Rebecca,  John,  Sarah  and  William. 
Mr.  Owens'  occupation  has  been  that  of  farm- 
ing most  all  of  his  life,  but  he  started  with 
nothing.  His  farm  now  consists  of  460  acres. 
He  has  always  been  Democratic  in  politics. 

PHILIP  PETZING,  P.  0.  Moccasin,  was 
born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany,  December 
24, 1823,  to  Peter  and  Kathrina  (Machemer)  Pet- 
zing  ;  both  were  born  in  the  same  place  as  our 
subject.  In  1853,  thej-  came  to  America,  taking 
passage  at  Havre,  France,  making  the  trip  to 
New  York  in  a  sailing  vessel  in  twenty-seven 
days.  They  settled  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  his 
father  lived  there  till  his  death,  iu  1S03.  In 
the  old  country  he  was  a  farmer,  but  after 
coming  to  America  he  invested  his  money  in 
city  property,  and  lived  on  the  rents.  Mrs. 
Petzing,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  died  when 
he  was  onl}-  four  years  old,  in  the  old  country. 
Our  subject  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  country.  In  1847,  he  first 
came  to  America,  and  settled  in  Bufialo,  where 
he  remained  for  seven  years,  and  where  he  fol- 
lowed ship-carpentering.  He  learned  his  trade 
after  comina;   to    Buffalo.     Before   coming   to 


MOCCASIN   TOWNSHIP. 


2SS 


America,  he  had  been  at  work  on  the  farm  with 
his  father.  In  1852,  he  retiirncrl  to  German}-, 
and  came  bacic  in  1853,  as  his  father  was  com- 
ing. In  1854,  he  left  Buffalo,  and  came  to 
Chicago,  where  he  remained  till  1863.  During 
the  nine  years  at  Chicago,  he  followed  various 
kinds  of  business  ;  first  working  at  his  trade 
awhile,  then  went  into  a  brewer}-,  but  sold  that 
out  after  three  3-ears,  and  then  went  into  the 
I.  C.  R.  R.  car  shops  for  some  time,  but  on 
account  of  sore  eyes  he  quit  the  shops  and 
went  into  a  butcher  shop,  and  the  last  two  years 
while  there  he  was  farming  southwest  of  Chi- 
cago, in  Cook  County,  but  in  1863  he  came  to 
Effingham  County,  and  has  been  farming  here 
ever  since.  When  first  coming  here,  he  bought 
railroad  land,  buying  220  acres  at  first,  but 
has  since  added  to  it  till  now  he  has  620  acres, 
all  but  80  of  wiiich  are  in  the  prairie.  In  1861, 
he  was  married,  at  Chicago,  to  Mine  Henning. 
She  was  born  in  Prussia,  in  1834,  to  William 
and  Caroline  Henniug.  Mrs.  Petzing  came  to 
America  in  1854,  but  her  parents  did  not  come 
till  1858.  Her  father  is  dead,  but  her  mother 
is  still  living.  Mr.  Petzing  has  seven  chil- 
dren— William,  Philip,  Julia,  Hermon,  Anna, 
Edward  and  Ida.  He  and  family  belong  to 
the  Lutheran  Church.  He  is  Democratic  in 
politics.  He  has  held  various  township  offices, 
being  Justice  of  the  Peace.  School  Trustee, 
and  now  is  Road  Commissioner,  and  also  has 
been  Supervisor  for  two  terms. 

DAVID  RUDY,  farmer,  P.  0.  Moccasin, 
was  born  near  Harrisburg,  Penn.,  1846.  His 
parents  moved  from  Pennsylvania,  when  he 
was  small,  to  Indiana,  where  they  remained  for 
seven  years,  and  then  came  to  Illinois,  settling 
in  Shelb}^  County.  His  father,  William  A. 
Rudy,  is  still  living  in  Shelby  County,  but 
his  mother  died  February,  1878.  He  received 
his  education  in  Shelby  County,  and  was  mar- 
ried in  Fayette  County,  111.,  1870,  to  Harriet 
A.  Musser.  She  was  born  in  Ohio,  Knox 
Count}-.     Her  father,  William   Musser,  is  now 


living  in  Shelby  County.  February,  1874,  they 
moved  to  Effingham  County,  to  their  present 
place,  and  improved  it.  It  was  all  timber  and 
thickets  when  moving  here.  His  farm  consists 
of  forty  acres  here  and  eighty  acres  in  Faj-ette 
County.  Mr.  Rudy  and  wife  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  is  Demo- 
cratic in  politics.  Most  of  his  life  he  has  fol- 
lowed farming,  and  has  run  a  threshing  machine 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  when  a  young 
man  was  engineer  in  a  saw-mill  for  quite  a 
time. 

J.  H.  C.  SMITH,  farmer,  P.  O.  Altamont,  was 
born  in  Franklin  Couut}^  Ind.,  April  26,  1831, 
to  Summers  G-.  and  Sally  (Bulkley)  Smith.  He 
was  born  in  Kentucky.  He  was  a  cooper  by 
trade,  and  moved  to  Cincinnati  at  an  early 
date,  and  was  one  of  the  first  coopers  that  ever 
made  a  barrel  in  Cincinnati.  He  died  in 
Effingham  County,  1872,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
four.  He  was  for  over  fifty  j'ears  a  citizen  of 
Indiana.  She  was  a  n.ative  of  Connecticut. 
She  died  in  1876,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four. 
Our  subject  was  educated  in  Franklin  County, 
Ind.,  in  tlie  common  schools.  He  was  raised 
on  a  farm,  and  tliat  has  been  his  occupation 
through  life,  although  he  has  done  consider- 
able work  at  the  carpenter  trade.  In  1853,  he 
came  to  Effingham  County,  111.,  settling  in 
Summit  Township  first.  In  spring  of  1862, 
he  came  to  Moccasin  Township,  and  bought  a 
f:arm  of  eighty  acres,  but  has  since  added  to  it 
till  he  has  216  acres  —  all  but  ten  acres 
under  fence.  In  1851,  he  was  married,  in  this 
county,  to  Mary  Ann  Devore.  She  was  born 
in  Ohio,  in  1832,  to  James  and  Elizabeth 
Devore.  Both  her  parents  are  dead.  He  was 
Judge  of  the  County  Court  of  Effingham  County 
for  some  time,  and  was  one  of  the  first  Method- 
ist preachers  in  this  part  of  the  country.  Mr. 
Smith  has  four  children,  all  living  —  William 
H.,  Elizabeth  R.,  Nathan  A.,  and  David  M. 
He  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  of  Dexter.     Mr.  Smith  has 


234 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


been  class-leader  for  about  twent}--five  j'ears. 
He  is  Republican  in  politics,  and  has  been  since 
the  part}'  started  ;  is  a  member  of  the  A.  0. 
U.  W.     He  has  held  different  township  offices. 

HENRY  SOLTWEDEL,  Blue  Point,  was 
born  in  Mecklenburg-Schwerin,German3',i\Iarch 
20,  1848,  to  Christian  and  Louisa  (Bruhn)  Solt- 
wedel.  He  was  born  February  5,  1805,  in  the 
same  place  as  his  son.  He  was  a  cow-herder 
in  the  old  counlr}-,  being  main  overseer  of  the 
herd  of  cattle  on  one  of  the  ranches  of  the 
Dobberton  circuit.  In  1856,  they  came  to 
America,  settling  first  to  make  a  permanent 
home  in  Effingham  County,  111.,  in  Bishop 
Township.  The  three  years  previous  to  this 
settlement,  they  had  lived  at  different  places, 
first  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  then  in  Indiana,  in  La 
Porte  County,  where  they  lived  for  a  time,  but 
this  county  was  their  first  permanent  settle- 
ment. August  28,  1882,  Mr.  Soltvvedel's  mother 
died  here,  and  his  father  is  still  living  with 
him.  Mr.  Soltwedel  received  most  of  his  edu- 
cation in  this  county  ;  was  raised  on  a  farm, 
and  that  has  alwaj-s  been  his  occupation.  He 
is  the  only  son  living,  but  has  two  sisters 
living.  He  was  married  in  this  county,  1876, 
to  Louisa  Ziegler.  She  was  born  in  Baden, 
Germany,  1849,  to  Jacob  and  Christina  Ziegler. 
He  is  living,  but  she  died  May  26,  1876.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Soltwedel  have  three  children  living  — 
Louis,  William  and  Emma.  He  and  family 
are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church,  St.  Paul  congregation.  The  principles 
of  the  Democratic  party  are  his.  He  has  held 
different  township  offices — Township  Clerk, 
Constable,  and  now  is  serving  second  term  as 
As.sessor.  His  farm  consists  of  eighty  acres, 
all  in  prairie.  March  28,  1873,  he  moved  to 
this  place,  but  had  purchased  the  farm  iu 
1871. 

W.  H.  ST.  CLAIR,  M.  D.,  Moccasin,  was 
born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  May  23,  1828,  in  the 
Governor's  mansion.  He  is  the  son  of  John 
St.  Clair  and  Ann  (Crooker)  St.  Clair.      John 


St.  Clair  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  and  died  in 
Peoria,  III.  Mrs.  John  St.  Clair  died  in  this 
county.  She  was  a  woman  well  versed  in  his- 
tory, that  being  her  main  study.  The  house  in 
which  Dr.  St.  Clair  was  born  is  said  to  be  the 
first  brick  house  built  west  of  the  AUeghanj' 
Mountains.  The  glass  for  it  was  carried  in 
pack-saddles  across  the  mountains.  It  is  now 
part  of  the  Methodist  Book  Concern.  Dr.  St. 
Clair  and  famil}',  and  Mrs.  Dr.  Charles  Pad- 
dock, of  Richmond,  Ind.,  are  the  onlj-  descend- 
ants of  Gen.  Arthur  St.  Clair,  who  was  appointed 
Governor  of  the  Northwest  Territory  by  Gen. 
Washington.  Dr.  St.  Clair,  the  great-grandson 
of  Gen.  Arthur  St.  Clair,  still  has  a  letter  writ- 
ten by  George  Washington,  1798,  to  ''  His  Ex- 
cellency, Gov.  St.  Clair,"  soliciting  his  influence 
in  behalf  of  Edward  Tiffin,  who  was  afterward 
Governor  of  Ohio.  In  1856,  the  Cincinnati 
papers  stated  that  there  were,  including  inter- 
est at  six  per  cent  from  date,  S3,000,000  due 
the  St.  Clair  familj-  from  the  Government  of 
the  United  States  for  mone}'  loaned  to  it  by 
Arthur  St.  Clair  during  the  Revolutionary  war, 
but  they  never  have  received  a  cent.  In  1839, 
Dr.  St.  Clair  moved  to  Effingham  County,  with 
his  parents,  located  at  Ewington.  His  life  till 
he  was  nineteen  was  spent  in  Effingham  County. 
In  1847—48,  he  attended  the  Asbury  University, 
at  Greeucastlc,  Ind.,  taking  the  scientific  course. 
In  1849,  he  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  In  May,  1850,  he  was  married  to  Mary 
Jane  Jackson,  daughter  of  Mrs.  T.  J.  Gillenwa- 
ters,  of  Effingham.  The  only  child  bj-  this  mar- 
riage is  now  Mrs.  W.  T.  Pope.  August,  1856,  his 
wife  died.  In  1857,  he  was  married  to  Eliza  Ann 
Jackson.  By  this  marriage  he  had  four  sons  and 
four  daughters;  two  sons  are  dead.  For  eight 
years  he  traveled  in  the  Southern  Illinois  Confer- 
ence, beginning  in  1851,  and  six  years  he  trav- 
eled in  the  Minnesota  Conference.  In  Richland 
County,  III.,  he  commenced  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine in  1864.  In  1865,  he  located  at  Effingham, 
and  practiced  till  April,  1871,  and  then  came  to 


MOCCASIN    TOWNSHIP. 


235 


Moccasin  Township,  and  Las  been  liere  ever 
since.  William  and  Charles  are  the  Doctor's 
sous;  May,  Laura,  Carrie  aud  Bellfore  are  the 
daughters.  Gov.  Arthur  St.  Clair  landed  at 
Cincinnati  when  coming  to  the  Northwest,  and 
as  there  was  a  kind  of  village  there  he  asked 
the  name  of  it,  aud  was  told  it  was  "  La  Can- 
terville,"  a  French  name  meaning  the  "  ville  ' 
on  the  opposite  side,  or  the  "  ville  "  opposite 
Covington.  He  asked  them  why  in  h — 11  they 
did  not  call  It  by  some  Christian  name,  and 
said,  "  let  us  call  it  Cincinnati,"  and  so  it  went 
b}-  that  name  from  that  on. 

WILLIAM  STOPPELMANN,  farmer,  P.  0 
Moccasin,   was    born    in   Hanover,    German}', 

March   13,   1838,  to   Eibost    Henry  and  

(Niwenir)  Stoppelmaun.  They  were  both  na- 
tives of  Hanover,  German}-.  She  died  about 
1842,  in  Germany.  He  is  still  living  in  the  old 
country,  and  is  over  seventy  years  old.  His 
occupation  has  alwaj-s  been  that  of  a  merchant 
and  trader.  Our  subject  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  countr}-.  At  the  age  of 
nineteen,  he  left  home  and  came  to  America. 
He  settled  in  Washington  County,  111.,  when 
first  coming.  While  there,  he  followed  farming, 
first  two  years  working  for  a  farmer,  aud  then 
rented  land  and  farmed  for  himself  He  re- 
mained in  Washington  Count}'  for  seven  j'ears, 
and  then  came  to  Effingham  County  in  1863. 
When  first  coming,  he  bought  eighty  acres  of 
improved  laud,  paying  .$12  per  acre.  His  farm 
now  consists  of  lUO  acres  prairie  and  twelve 
acres  timber  land.  His  farm  is  well  improved. 
In  1880,  he  built  a  large  and  handsome  resi- 
dence, 18x38,  and  two  stories  high,  and  the 
kitchen  16x18,  one  story.  He  was  married  in 
Washington  County,  in  1858,  to  Wilhelmina 
MoUinbrock,  born  in  Prussia,  June  15,  1834, 
to  William  MoUinbrock.  He  died  in  the  old 
country  in  18S0.  Our  subject  has  two  children 
dead  and  three  living — Caroline,  William  and 
Charlotta.  He  and  family  are  members  of  the 
German  Lutheran  Church.  Blue  Point.      He  is 


a  Republican  in  politics.  He  is  Township  Su- 
pervisor at  present.  He  has  made  his  own 
way  since  coming  to  America,  and  his  success 
has  been  made  by  his  own  energ}'  and  perse- 
verance. 

GRIFFIN  TIPSWORD,  farmer,  P.  0.  Moc- 
casin, was  born  just  across  the  line  in  Shelby 
County,  III,  1831.  He  is  the  grandson  of  old 
Griffin  Tipsword,  and  the  son  of  John  Tips- 
word.  Mr.  Tipsword's  life  has  been  spent 
mostly  in  Effingham  County,  and  being  raised 
in  this  country  before  there  was  scarcel}'  any 
civilization,  he  knows  what  pioneer  life  is.  His 
early  training  was  that  of  a  pioneer,  and  took 
his  first  lessons  in  hunting  and  trapping  under 
his  grandfather's  care.  His  first  schooling  was 
obtained  in  a  five  cornered  schoolhouse,  the 
house  being  built  so  that  the  fifth  corner  was 
open,  and  used  as  a  fire-place,  aud  poles  and 
logs  could  be  burned  without  chopping.  He 
was  married,  1853,  to  Elizabeth  Banning,  in 
Shelby  County.  She  was  born  and  raised  in 
Shelby  County ;  she  is  the  daughter  of 
Machac  Banning,  a  native  of  South  Carolina, 
but  her  mother's  people  were  from  Tennessee. 
The}'  have  nine  children,  si.x  boys  and  three 
girls — John,  Merida,  Hester,  Sarah  Ann,  Isaac 
Christopher,  Joseph,  Walter,  Minda.  In  1855, 
Mr.  Tipsword  moved  to  the  prairie,  there  being 
only  one  house  in  the  prairie  at  the  time;  the 
others  were  all  in  and  around  the  woods.  In 
1876,  he  sold  out  and  went  to  Kansas,  but  re- 
mained only  for  the  one  season  and  then  came 
back,  and  bought  his  present  farm,  which  con- 
sists of  140  acres.  He  is  Democratic  in  poli- 
tics, as  all  by  the  name  are. 

ISAAC  TIPSWORD,  farmer,  P.  0.  Moc- 
casin, was  born  across  the  line  in  Fayette 
County,  111.,  in  1835.  He  is  the  grand- 
son of  old  Griffin  Tipsword,  and  the  son 
of  Thomas,  and  the  only  one  of  the  sons 
now  living  in  this  county.  His  fiither  was 
killed  accidentally  in  Kansas  in  1857.  Mr. 
Tipsword's  opportunities  for  an  education  were 


236 


BIOGBAPHICAL; 


verj^  limited,  going  two  and  a  half  to  three 
miles,  and  then  had  to  sit  on  a  bench  in  a  log 
house,  which  did  not  have  a  floor  in  it  part  of 
the  time,  and  the  window  was  an  opening  made 
by  cutting  out  part  of  a  log,  and  then  stretch- 
ing a  greased  paper  over  the  hole.  He  was 
married  in  Shelby  County,  1854,  to  Agnes 
Dowty,  a  daughter  of  J.  P.  Dowty;  she  was 
born  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  1833,  and  were 
early  settlers  in  Effingham  County,  coming 
about  1840.  The3'  have  nine  children  living 
and  two  dead — Thomas  P.,  Breckenridge,  Da- 
vid M.,  Mar}'  Ann,  Valandingham,  Ida  May, 
Margaret  Viola,  Isaac  W.,  Columbia  Agnes. 
Mr.  Tipsword  has  been  on  his  present  farm 
since  18f)5.  His  farm  consists  of  223  acres, 
about  140  in  cultivation.  He  has  always  been 
Democratic  in  politics.  He  and  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South  ; 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  ; 
farming  has  always  been  his  occupation  ;  Mr. 
Tipsword's  mother  is  still  living,  and  is  about 
seventy  years  old ;  her  name  before  marriage 
was  Annie  Waller  ;  she  was  born  in  Tennessee 
but  was  married  on  the  Okaw,  to  Thomas  Tips- 
word  about  1839.  One  incident  that  Mr.  Tips- 
word  remembers  of  his  father's  hunting,  was, 
that  he  went  out  one  day  and  killed  seven 
deer,  and  that  night  came  home  with  six  of 
them  all  on  one  old  horse,  and  Mr.  Tipsword 
also  riding. 

G.  W.  TIPSWORD,  farmer,  P.  0.  Moccasin, 
born  in  Moccasin  Township,  in  1849,  is  a 
son  of  Ashbj-  Tipsword,  an  old  settler  of  this 
county.  He  was  born  in  Coles  County,  111.,  in 
1827,  and  then  came  to  this  county,  with  his 
parents,  when  three  years  old,  and  lived  here 
till  his  death,  in  1877.  After  he  was  married, 
he  bought  a  squatter's  claim,  and  afterward 
pre-empted  the  land,  and  this  old  homestead 
was  his  residence  till  his  death.  Mrs.  Tips- 
word  still  lives  on  the  old  place.  She  was 
born  in  Tennessee,  daughter  of  S.  R.  Powell. 
Mr.  G.  W.  Tipsword  is  one  of  nine  children. 


seven  of  whom  are  living,  and  all  but  one  in 
Effingham  County.  Mr.  Tipsword  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  of  the  township. 
He  was  married,  in  January,  1873,  to  Mary 
Ellen  Hotz.  She  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  J.  W.  Hotz,  Sr.,  also  an  old  settler 
here.  They  have  four  children,  all  girls — Lil- 
lian A.,  Sedalia  M.,  Sarah  J.,  Bertha  G.  His 
farm  consists  of  eighty  acres,  but  he  is  farm- 
ing part  of  the  old  homestead  also.  He  has 
been  Town  Treasurer  of  Schools  since  April, 
1877.  He  is  Democratic  in  politics,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity'.  He  and 
wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Griffin  Tipsword,  his  great  grand- 
father, was  the  first  white  settler  in  Effingham 
County.  (See  sketch  of  Griffin  Tipsword  in 
the  General  Historv  of  the  County.)  Ashby 
Tipsword  was  the  son  of  Isaac,  and  Isaac 
Tipsword  was  the  son  of  Griffin.  Ashby 
Tipsword,  the  father  of  G.  W.,  was  the  first 
Supervisor  after  the  township  was  organized, 
and  was  elected  a  number  of  times  in  succes- 
sion. He  was  one  of  tiie  foremost  men  in  the 
organization  of  the  township  and  was  one  of 
the  leading  men  in  the  township.  Although  his 
education  was  quite  limited,  he  was  often  called 
on  to  write  wills,  administer  on  estates,  and 
was  the  referee  in  many  cases  of  litigation,  but 
never  got  into  lawsuits  himself  For  a  num- 
ber of  j'ears  he  was  School  Treasurer  of  tlie 
township,  and  was  succeeded  at  his  dcatli  by 
his  son,  G.  W.  Mr.  Tipsword  started  in  life 
with  nothing,  but  at  his  death  had  about  550 
acres  of  land  besides  personal  and  town  prop- 
ertj'.  He  was  a  veterinarj-  surgeon,  and  was 
called  in  all  directions  and  at  all  times,  and 
with  his  love  of  hunting  he  became  known  to 
all  the  settlers  for  many  miles  around.  He 
was  a  man  with  manj'  peculiarities,  but  the 
friend  of  all.  He  was  a  great  lover  of  fun,  but 
not  such  as  would  injure  any  one.  He  was 
married,  in  March,  1849,  to  Sarah  J.  Powell. 
He  was   buried    with  Masonic   honors   in   the 


MOCCASIN    TOWNSHIP. 


237 


cemetery  near  Moccasin,  and  a  good  stone, 
erected  by  his  family,  marks  his  resting 
place. 

W.  F.  WOHLFOIID,  farmer,  P.  O.  Altamont, 
was  born  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  May  15,  1848, 
to  John  and  Catharine  (Kremer)  Wohlford. 
He  was  born  in  Center  Count}-,  Penn.;  she,  also, 
in  the  same  county.  They  were  married  in 
Wayne  County,  Ohio,  May  19,  1865.  They 
landed  in  Freeport,  111.,  and  lived  in  Stephen- 
son County,  within  four  miles  of  the  State  line, 
until  the  time  of  their  death.  He  died  in 
Stephenson  County  in  the  winter  of  1872.  His 
occupation  was  that  of  a  farmer.  She  died  in 
1876,  in  Richland  County,  Ohio.  Our  subject 
was  raised  on  a  form  and  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  Ohio.  November  25,  1868, 
he  came  from  Stephenson  County  to  Effing- 
ham County,  and  since  that  time  Effingham 
County  has  been  his  home.  He  was  married 
here,  October  30,  1870,  to  Elizabeth  Perry. 
She  was  born  in  Effingham  County,  111.,  Janu- 
ary 21,  1853,  to  Thomas  and  Emeline  (Balch) 
Perr}'.  He  was  born  in  Kentucky'  and  she  in 
Indiana.  Both  died  in  this  county.  Mr. 
Wohlford  has  two  children  living — John  F. 
and  Olive  Alma.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wohlford's 
home  now  is  the  old  home  of  her  parents.  The 
farm  consists  of  seventy-five  acres,  all  under 
fence.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wohlford  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Crum's 
Chapel.  He  is  Republican  in  politics  and  is 
the  onlj-  one  by  the  name  that  holds  to  that 
party.  Mrs.  Wohlford's  parents  were  among 
the  earliest  settlers  here,  but  Mrs.  Wohlford  is 
the  only  one  of  the  family  now  living  in  this 
county. 

JOSEPH  YARNALL,  firmer,  P.  0.  Moc- 
casin. Mr.  Yarnall  was  born  in  Coshocton 
County,  Ohio,  October  18,  1830.  He  lived  in 
his  native  county  till  October,  1851,  when  he 


came  from  his  old  home  and  spent  the  first 
winter  in  Fayette  County,  111.  ;  but  in  March, 
1852,  he  moved  to  this  county  and  lived  for 
two  years  on  Wolf  Creek,  and  then  came  to 
his  present  farm,  which  he  entered  from  the 
Government.  Almost  the  entire  prairie  was 
vacant  land  when  he  first  came,  and  the  land 
office  was  closed  for  about  two  years,  waiting 
for  a  division  of  the  railroad  lands  from  the 
Government  lands.  Mr.  Yarnall's  parents 
moved  here  at  the  same  time,  and  lived  in 
this  township  till  their  death.  His  father, 
Mordecai  Yarnall,  was  born  near  Brownsville 
Penn.,  March  3,  1790,  and  died  January  22, 
1871.  His  mother.  Providence  (Walraven) 
Yarnall,  was  also  born  at  Brownsville,  Penn., 
September  15,  1798,  and  died  August  12,  1877. 
Mr.  Yarnall  received  his  education  in  the  early 
schools  of  Ohio.  His  father  had  moved  there 
in  1822.  Mr.  Yarnall  has  always  followed 
farming.  That  was  also  the  occupation  of  his 
father.  He  wag  married,  August  11,  1851,  in 
Ohio,  to  IMary  McNeelj'.  She  was  born  in  Greene 
County,  Penn.,  but  her  parents  had  moved 
to  Ohio  when  she  was  seven  years  old.  She  died 
December  9,  1881.  In  his  family  there  were 
eight  children,  seven  still  living — Harriet 
Zelma,  Mordecai,  Emma  Elizabeth,  Provy 
Victoria,  Joseph  James  and  Mary  Jane  (twins), 
William  Thomas,  John  Benton  (deceased). 
Mr.  Yarnall  has  always  been  a  Democrat. 
His  farm  consists  of  100  acres,  80  in  the 
prairie,  and  adjoining  the  village  of  Moccasin. 
Mr.  Yarnall  has  always  been  an  active  worker 
for  the  good  of  schools,  and  also  for  the  town- 
ship. On  his  father's  side,  Mr.  Yarnall's  an- 
cestors were  English,  they  having  come  to 
America  with  William  Penn,  and  his  father 
was  a  Quaker  till  th'rty  years  old,  when  he 
became  a  Methodist.  Mr.  Yarnall's  ancestors 
on  his  mother's  side  were  Welsh. 


338 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


BISHOP  T 
JAMES  C.  BEARD,  farmer,  P.  0.  Dieterich, 
111.,  was  born  in  Vigo  County,  Ind.,  November  2, 
1829,  near  the  State  line.  Hi.s  mother  dj'ing 
when  he  was  two  3ears  old,  he  spent  the 
greater  part  of  his  3-outh  in  the  family  of  an 
unole,  going  to  school  when  he  could,  yet 
applying  himself  so  industriously  to  his  studies 
that,  despite  his  meager  opportunities,  he  ac- 
quired a  better  education  than  was  common 
among  his  coteraporaries.  He  was  early  in- 
terested in  public  and  national  affixirs,  and 
became  a  close  analyzer  of  political  issues, 
identifying  himself  with  the  Whig — afterward 
the  Piepublican — party.  In  1858,  he  came 
West  to  Illinois,  and  bought  120  acres  of  wild 
prairie  land  in  Bishop  Township,  this  county, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  This  was  several 
years  before  the  township  was  organized,  and 
there  were  only  four  or  five  families  living  in 
what  is  now  School  District  2.  Wild  deer 
roamed  over  the  prairie  in  herds  of  fifty  or  a 
hundred,  or  lay  hid  under  the  tall  grass,  which 
was  in  places  ten  or  twelve  feet  high.  But 
Mr.  Beard,  then  young  and  strong,  was  equal 
to  the  situation,  and  he  soon  had  his  farm 
fenced  and  a  part  under  cultivation.  He  has 
since  added  to  this  fiirm  fort}-  acres,  making  in 
all  160  acres  of  prairie  land,  beside  fifty  acres 
in  the  Island  Grove,  which  furnishes  fuel, 
fences,  etc.  He  served  two  terms  as  Super- 
visor of  Township  and  is  serving  a  third  term 
as  School  Trustee,  and  has  served,  also,  a  great 
number  of  terms  as  School  Director.  Mr. 
Beard  is  a  man  who  loves  a  good  joke,  and  can 
tell  one  admirably.  For  acute  penetration 
and  wisdom  on  points  of  law,  many  of  our 
lawyers  have  found  it  to  their  advantage  to  get 
his  opinion  and  counsel,  which  is  seldom 
wrong   and   always   logical.     Mr.    Beard    was 


OWITSHIP. 

married,  in  the  spring  of  1860,  to  Miss  Rebecca 
Layton,  of  Bishop  Township,  Effingham  Co., 
111.  They  have  two  sons  and  one  daughter 
living — John,  James  and  Clara.  James  Beard, 
father  of  James  C.  Beard,  was  born  in  Blount 
County,  E.  Tenn.,  in  1799.  He  was  engaged  in 
farming  and  teaching  school  until  1822.  when 
he  went  to  Indiana,  to  look  at  the  country 
with  a  view  to  moving  there.  He  returned  to 
Tennessee,  where  he  soon  after  married  Miss  Jane 
Ewing,  of  Blount  County,  October  14,  1823. 
In  the  same  j'ear,  he  took  his  young  wife  to  live 
in  Vigo  Count}',  Ind.,  where  he  purchased  land 
and  engaged  in  farming  on  the  Wabash  River 
until  1858,  when  he  moved  to  Bishop  Township, 
111.,  and  bought  land,  which  he  farmed  until  his 
death.  Before  coming  to  Illinois,  his  wife  died  in 
Vigo  County,  1831.  Of  his  first  marriage  there 
were  four  children — Margaret  I.,  William  H., 
John  and  James  C,  the  latter  being  the  only 
one  now  living.  Mr.  James  Beard  was  mar- 
ried a  second  time  in  1835,  to  Mrs.  Jane 
Caldwell,  of  Vigo  County,  Ind.  For  many  years 
Mr.  Beard  filled  the  office  of  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  also  that  of  Township  Supervisor.  He 
died  on  his  farm,  in  Bishop  Township,  March 
3,  186-1. 

HERMAN  CRBMER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Teutop- 
olis,  was  born  in  Bishop  Township,  this  county, 
March  10,  1852,  son  of  John  D.  and  A.  M. 
(Zurliene)  Cremer,  natives  of  Hanover,  Ger- 
many, he,  born  in  1811,  was  a  farmer,  and  died 
in  Bishop  Township,  December  29,  1870  ;  she, 
born  in  1821,  and  Is  living  with  our  subject. 
They  were  the  parents  of  two  children,  both 
boys.  Our  subject  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  District  No.  2,  Bishop  Township,  and 
commenced  life  at  the  plow.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Bishop  Township  April  27,   1880,  to 


BISHOP  TOWNSHIP. 


239 


Elizabeth  Hoelshcr,  born  July  28,  1860,  in 
St.  Francis  Township,  this  count}-,  daughter  of 
Frank  and  Elizabeth  (Fechtrup)  Hoelsher, 
natives  of  Germany.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cremer 
have  one  sou,  Joseph,  born  October  5,  1881. 
Our  subject  lives  on  the  old  homestead,  and 
has  a  farm  of  190  acres,  about  sixtj-  acres  of 
which  are  in  timber.  Fie  carries  on  general 
farming.  He  has  filled  the  office  of  Justice  of 
the  Peace,  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
and  in  politics  is  a  Democrat. 

MICHAEL  DIETERICH,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Dieterich,  the  founder  of  Dieterich,  now  a  pros- 
perous town  on  the  S.  E.  &  S.  E.  K.  R.,  was 
born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  July  23,  1826. 
When  fifteen  years  old,  he  came  to  the  United 
States  with  his  parents,  and  settled  on  the 
Muscooten,  in  St.  Clair  County,  111.,  where  he 
helped  to  clear  and  subdue  the  wild  lands 
which  his  father  had  settled  upon  ;  but  that 
father  was  not  destined  to  long  survive  the 
labor  and  hardships  incident  to  pioneer  life, 
and  young  Michael  was,  at  the  early  age  of 
sixteen  years,  left  fatherless  and  dependent  in 
a  new  unsettled  country.  Yet  undaunted  and 
with  strong  hope,  he  hired  out  to  work  upon  a 
farm,  and  continued  to  work  b}-  the  month 
and  j-ear  until  1849,  when  he  went  to  Clinton 
County,  HI.,  and  with  the  money  he  had  saved 
while  working  as  a  farm  hand,  entered  280 
acres  of  land,  the  greater  part  of  which  he  put 
in  cultivation.  Upon  this  farm  Mr.  Dieterich 
built  all  the  necessary  buildings,  and  otherwise 
improved  it.  At  one  time  while  living  upon 
this  farm,  he  engaged  in  the  culture  of  grapes, 
having  a  vineyard  of  about  seven  acres,  and 
making,  -some  years,  4,000  gallons  of  native 
wines.  In  July  of  1853,  BIr.  Dieterich  was 
married  to  Miss  Barbara  AVingard,  of  Clinton 
County,  111.,  but  a  native  of  Bavaria,  Germany. 
In  1870,  Mr.  Dieterich  sold  his  Clinton 
Count}-  farm  at  $65  per  acre,  and  came  to  Jjf- 
fiiigham  Countj',  when  he  at  first  bought  one 
half    section   of   prairie   land   in    Section   13, 


Bishop  Township.  He  has  since  acquired  the 
remainder  of  the  section,  and  also  owns  forty 
acres  of  timber  land.  This  section  of  land 
was  wild  and  unshorn,  and  had  never  known  a 
plowshare,  yet  Mr.  Dieterich,  by  his  great  indus- 
try, has  fenced,  and  has  under  cultivation  every 
foot  of  this  land  at  this  time.  Blr.  Dieterich's 
buildings  and  farm  accommodations  are  all 
first-class.  He  is  extensively  engaged  in  stock- 
raising,  and  the  baling  and  shipping  of  ha}-, 
besides  raising  vast  crops  of  wheat,  corn,  oats, 
etc.  He  gave  the  right  of  way  for  the  S.  E. 
&  S.  E.  R.  R.,  which  crosses  diagonally  the 
north  half  of  his  section.  At  the  completion  of 
this  road,  in  1880,  a  station  was  located  on  his 
land,  and  named  in  his  honor,  Dieterich,  which 
was  surveyed  by  County  Surveyor  A.  S. 
Motfitt,  in  the  fall  of  1880.  The  town  is  plat- 
ted in  nine  blocks,  of  twelve  lots  each,  50x100 
feet.  There  is,  at  present,  ten  residences,  one 
store,  two  groceries,  two  saloons,  two  black- 
smith shops  and  three  warehouses.  Mr.  Die- 
terich was  appointed  first  Postmaster  of  Dieter- 
ich, b}^  Postmaster  General  James,  April  9, 
1881.  He  has  served  three  years  as  Road 
Commissioner,  and  has  filled  other  public  trusts 
at  different  times,  all  of  which  have  proven 
him  to  be  a  man  of  great  integritj-  and  good 
ability.  He  has  a  large  warehouse,  and  buys 
and  ships  grain,  in  which  business  he  has  been 
ver}-  successful.  Mr.  Dieterich  has  seven  chil- 
dren living,  and  one  dead.  Those  living  are 
Henry,  Lizzie,  Minnie,  Barbara,  Michael,  Caro- 
line and  John. 

L.  J.  FIELD,  M.  D.,  Elliottstown,  whose  por- 
trait appears  in  this  work,  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky, on  the  12th  day  of  August,  1821,  son 
of  Ambrose  and  Elizabeth  (Reedor)  Field,  he 
a  native  of  Virginia,  and  died  in  this  county, 
in  1855,  of  the  cholera;  she  a  native  of 
Maryland,  and  died  in  1874;  they  were 
the  parents  of  twelve  children.  Our  sub- 
ject was  taken  b}-  his  father  to  Edgar  Coun- 
ty. Ill,  when   ten   years   old.     He  worked   for 


240 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


his  father  on  the  farm  in  the  summer  time, 
and  in  the  winter  attended  school  until  seven- 
teen years  old,  when  he  engaged  in  school 
teaching,  teaching  one  term  in  Edgar  County, 
then  went  back  to  Kentuck}-,  and  taught  one 
term  of  school  there.  In  1840,  he  returned  to 
Edgar  Count3'  and  engaged  in  school  teaching 
until  1849,  when  he  came  to  Effingham  Count}', 
and  taught  three  terms  of  school  here;  during 
the  time  he  was  teaching  in  Edgar  County,  he 
was  also  engaged  in  the  studj'  of  medicine, 
having  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  when 
seventeen  \-ears  old,  and  he  made  it  a  special 
study;  he  came  to  this  county  for  the  purpose 
of  practicing  medicine,  and  in  1852  he  gave  up 
teaching  and  went  to  practicing ;  when  he  first 
came  here  the  people  were  ver}-  few  and  there 
was  no  other  doctor  in  the  vicinity  for  some 
time  afterward.  He  has  an  extensive  practice 
extending  over  the  greater  part  of  Effingham 
County.  In  the  fall  of  1861  (about  the  1st  of 
November),  he  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Fifty- 
fourth  Illinois  Volunteers,  and  was  Hospital 
Steward  until  about  the  1st  of  July,  1862, 
when  he  resigned  and  came  home  on  a  fur- 
lough ;  went  back  about  the  1st  of  October, 
remained  there  until  about  the  last  of  Novem- 
ber, 1862,  when  he  was  discharged  for  disabil- 
ity; he  came  back  to  Elliottstown  and  contin- 
ued his  practice.  He  was  married,  Febru.ary  3, 
'  184.3,  to -Frances  T.  Conroy,  of  Edgar  County, 
111.,  born  February  14,  1825  (same  age  as  Gen. 
Hancock),  in  Kentucky,  daughter  of  Abraham 
and  Elizabeth  (Riley)  Conrej-,  he  of  New 
York,  she  of  North  Carolina.  The  parents 
had  nine  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Field 
are  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  seven  of 
whom  are  living — Melinda,  wife  of  Cicero 
Quillin;  Mary  F.,  wife  of  T.  J.  Dunn,  of  Elli- 
ottstown; Susan,  wife  of  B.  B.  Williams,  liv- 
ing in  Elliottstown,  111.;  Abraham  A.,  living 
in  Collinsville,  Madison  Count}-;  William  D., 
lives  in  Effingham,  111.;  Heury,  at  home;  John, 
at  home.     Our  subject  owns  a  nice  residence 


in  Elliottstown,  and  is  comfortably  situated; 
he  has  been  Township  Clerk  and  School  Trust- 
ee. In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Elliottstown  Lodge,  A.,  F.  & 
A.  M.  Mrs.  Field  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church. 

SAMUEL  FIELD,  farmer,  P.  0.  Veni,  was 
born  March  1,  1833,  in  Edgar  County,  111.;  he 
lived  on  the  farm  until  he  was  eleven  years  old, 
when  his  parents  moved  to  Effingham  County, 
and  settled  in  Bishop  Township,  near  Elliotts- 
town. In  1844,  his  father  bought  a  small  im- 
provement of  a  man  by  the  name  of  Thomas 
Walls,  but  afterward  entered  180  acres  of  Gov- 
ernment land.  The  first  school  taught  in  this 
section  of  the  county  was  taught  by  his 
brother.  Dr.  Louis  Field,  on  John  L.  Batty's 
place;  Samuel  attended  this  school  two  terms, 
after  which  he  went  several  terms  to  a  school 
south  of  Elliottstown.  When  he  became  of 
age,  he  bought  land  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  Company,  and  began  farming  on  a 
part  of  his  present  farm.  He  nows  owns  180 
acres,  160  of  which  are  prairie,  all  in  cultiva- 
tion; he  has  lived  upon  this  farm  for  twenty- 
five  years,  and  raises  both  grain  and  stock;  he 
also  has  a  large  saw  mill.  Mr.  Field  has  held 
various  township  offices  for  nine  j-ears;  he  was 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  being  elected  before  the 
township  organization.  He  has  served  eight 
terms  as  Supervisor  of  Bishop  Townsliip,  be- 
ing chosen  by  the  Democratic  party,  with 
which  he  has  always  acted.  He  has  been 
prominently  named  for  the  first  office  in  the 
county.  He  was  married  in  1856  to  Miss  Ma- 
tilda Lay  ton,  of  Bishop  Township,  this  county. 
They  have  living  seven  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters ;  the  sons  are  William  P.,  John  R.,  Clark, 
Edward,  Charles,  Layton  and  Frank  ;  the 
daughters  are  Mary,  Rebecca  and  Ella;  three 
of  their  children  died  while  young. 

FREDERICK  G.  HABING,  merchant,  Die- 
terich,  was  born  in  Oldenburg,  Germany,  in  the 
year  1848.     He  came  to  the  United  States  with 


BISHOP  TOWNSHIP. 


241 


his  parents  when  be  was  less  than  a  j-ear  old. 
He  settled  with  his  parents  on  a  farm  near 
Teutopolis,  where  he  grew  up  working  on  the 
farm  and  attending  school  until  his  twent}'- 
fifth  year,  when  he  began  buying  produce  and 
continued  in  business  in  Teutopolis  until  1881, 
when  he  went  to  Dieterich,  buyingfour  lots  and 
erecting  the  first  business  house  built  in  that 
new  town.  He  opened  his  store  at  that  place, 
consisting  of  a  well-selected  stock  of  dry  goods, 
groceries,  etc.,  the  14th  da3-  of  Januar3-,  1881, 
where  he  has  since  done  a  good  business.  He 
is  also  engaged  in  buying  grain  and  burning 
brick.  He  is  the  first  and  only  Station  Agent 
of  the  S.  E.  &  S.  E.  R.  R.  Co.,  and  is  also  agent 
for  the  Pacific  Express  Company.  He  was 
married  in  1S72,  to  Miss  Mary  Taphorn,  of 
St.  Louis.  Two  children  of  this  marriage 
are  living,  Jolin  and  Frank.     His  wife  died  in 

1878.  Was  married  second  time  to  Blary 
Flack,  of  Teutopolis,  who  died  in  September, 

1879.  Married  third  wife,  in  1881,  Sophia 
Meyer,  of  Jasper  County,  III.  John  G.  Hab- 
ing,  tlie  fatlier  of  our  suliject,  was  born  in  Old- 
enburg, Germany  ;  lived  there  as  a  farmer  un- 
til 1849,  wiien  he  came  to  the  United  States 
and  settled  in  Illinois,  in  Efflngham  County, 
near  Teutopolis.  He  was  married  to  Engle 
Rohe,  of  Oldenburg,  by  whom  he  had  a  familv 
of  four  sons  and  tliree  daughters.  He  died 
November  12,  1865;  his  wife  is  still  living. 

HENRY  HELMBRECHT,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Elliottstown.  Henry  Ilelmbrocht  is  a  native 
of  the  Stale  of  Hanover,  Germany,  born  in 
1834,  and  resided  in  his  native  country,  working 
on  a  farm  and  attending  public  schools  until 
1853,  when  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States. 
Landing  at  New  Orleans,  he  then  went  to 
Louisville,  Kj-.,  via  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio 
Rivers.  At  Louisville,  he  stopped  but  a  few 
months,  when  he  went  to  Jaclison  County^, 
Ind.,  and  bought  a  farm  near  Seymour,  which 
he  farmed  three  j'cars,  and  then,  in  1856,  came 
to  Jasper  County,  III.     For  the  next  three  years 


he  worked  as  a  common  farm  hand  in  Jasper, 
Coles  and  Cumberland  Counties.  In  1862,  he 
came  to  Bishop  Township,  Efflngham  County, 
and  bought  eighty  acres  of  prairie  land,  upon 
which  he  has  since  resided  and  farmed.  As  a 
farmer,  Mr.  Helmbrecht  has,  by  his  industry 
and  attention  to  business,  been  very  successful. 
His  early  education  was  thorough  and  practi- 
cal, and  has  been  greatly  enlarged  by  extensive 
reading  and  by  an  interchange  of  thought  with 
leading  men  upon  the  various  issues  and  ques- 
tions of  the  day.  He  was  married,  in  1862.  to 
Miss  Mary  Diesler,  of  Efflngham  County.  Seven 
children  have  blessed  their  wedded  life,  whose 
names  are  Caroline,  Anna,  Mary,  William, 
August,  Henry  and  George. 

THOMAS  A.  JACKSON,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Montrose,  111. 

•'  Iloiie  springs  eterniil  in  ihe  human  breast; 
Man  never  is,  hut  always  to  be  blest." 

Such  seem  to  have  been  the  actuating  princi- 
ples with  Thomas  A.  Jackson,  in  a  verj-  marked 
degree,  for  he  has  roamed  about  nearly  all  his  life 
seeking  blessings,  yet  never  stopping  lone 
enough  to  receive  them.  He  was  born  in  Kent 
County,  Del.,  in  the  year  1824,  where  he 
lived  until  he  was  sixteen  years  old,  workino' 
on  a  farm  and  attending  to  school.  In  1840, 
in  company  with  his  uncle,  George  W.  Jack- 
son, he  went  to  Logan  County,  Ohio,  where 
he  worked  three  years  at  the  wagon-maker's 
trade.  In  1843,  he  went  to  Maryland,  and 
from  thence  went  in  company  with  his 
father  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  finished  his 
trade,  working  there  sixteen  months.  In  1844, 
he  went  back  to  Logan  County,  Ohio,  and 
worked  at  his  trade  there  until  1850,  when  he 
went  to  Clay  County,  Ind.,  and  remained  there 
three  j-ears.  He  came  to  Cumberland  County, 
111.,  in  1853,  and  engaged  in  farming,  working 
at  his  trade  only  at  intervals.  In  1866,  he 
was  burnt  out  and  came  to  Efflngham,  where 
he  lived  six  months,  then  traded  town  prop- 
erty for  a  farm  in  Watson  Township,  whore  he 


243 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


farmed  with  good  success  for  several  years. 
He  next  moved  to  Lucas  Township,  where  he 
farmed  about  three  years.  In  1874,  he  moved 
near  Montrose,  in  St.  Francis  Township,  where 
he  owned  a  farm  of  sixty  acres,  and  lived  until 
1876.  In  that  year,  he  moved  to  Montgomer3' 
County,  Mo.  Again,  in  1878,  he  went  back 
to  his  native  State  of  Delaware,  wh#re  he  re- 
mained about  one  year,  worliing  at  his  trade, 
when  he  again  returned  to  Effingham  County, 
111.  At  the  close  of  the  year  1878,  he  went  to 
Kentucky  and  worked  at  his  trade  three  months  ; 
then  returned  to  Illinois,  moving  on  a  farm  in 
Bishop  Township,  Effingham  Countj',  where  he 
has  since  resided.  He  was  married  in  1849  to 
Miss  L.  J.  Westfall,  of  Ohio.  Of  this  marriage  he 
had  twelve  children.  His  wife  died  in  1876, 
and  he  was  married  a  second  time  in  1877  to 
Mrs.  Martha  Tenny.  They  have  two  children. 
PETER  T.  JOHANSEN,  farmer,  P.  0.  Veni, 
111.  But  few  men  hav«  had  a  more  remark- 
able life,  so  full  of  dangers  and  hardships,  as 
Peler  T.  Johan-sen,  who  was  born  in  the  east- 
ern part  of  Denmark,  on  the  Island  of  Zealand, 
of  the  Baltic  Sea,  November  21,  1833.  His 
father  was  a  farmer,  but  Peter  loved  better  the 
wild,  venturesome  life  of  the  sea,  and  when  a 
mere  lad  learned  to  steer  a  boat  and  hoist  and 
trim  the  sail.  His  uncle  was  harbor  master 
and  pilot,  and  Peter  would  often  accompany 
him  on  short  coasting  voj'ages  to  trade  with 
the  people  farther  up  the  Baltic.  His  very 
childhood  was  thus  spent  on  the  sea,  and  it  is 
no  wonder  he  grew  up  to  like  it  better  than  the 
land.  At  the  age  of  fourteen,  he  shipped  on  a 
coaster  which  was  to  trade  with  Norwaj^  and 
Sweden,  and  liis  education  being  better  than 
that  of  the  rest  of  the  crew,  he  did  the  clearing 
of  the  vessel  at  each  port.  One  year  later, 
1848,  he  made  a  trip  to  Iceland  as  sailor  -'be- 
fore the  mast,"  and  was  wrecked  on  the  coast 
of  Iceland.  After  buffeting  with  the  waves  for 
several  hours,  he  managed  to  float  ashore,  and 
was  soon  after  carried  back  to  Denmark  in  the 


main  vessel.  Again,  in  1849,  during  the  Ger- 
man war,  we  find  him  super-cargo  of  several 
grain  vessels  bound  for  Loudon,  England. 
While  in  the  North  Sea,  fifty  miles  out  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Thames,  he  fell  from 
the  topsail-yard,  a  distance  of  fifty  or 
sixty  feet,  breaking  his  right  leg  in  three 
places,  and  crushing  his  right  ankle  and 
breaking  his  left  leg,  and  causing  the  re- 
moval of  a  section  of  iiis  spinal  column.  After 
lying  several  weeks  on  board  ship  without 
medical  treatment,  he  was  taken  to  London  and 
recovered.  He  returned  home  and  studied 
navigation  with  a  view  of  becoming  teacher  in 
a  m.iratime  school.  When  the  Australian  gold 
excitement  broke  out  in  1853,  he  abandoned 
his  studies  and  went  as  passenger  to  the  new 
El  Dorado.  He  passed  around  Cape  of  Good 
Hope  and  returned  five  years  later  by  Cape 
Horn,  thus  circumnavigating  the  globe.  He 
worked  five  years  in  the  mines  of  Australia 
with  varying  fortune,  and  returned  to  Europe 
on  Christmas,  in  1858.  Tired  of  sea-faring  and 
discouraged  at  his  failure  to  realize  a  fortune 
in  the  gold  mines  of  Australia,  he  took  passage 
for  the  United  States  in  the  spring  of  1859. 
Landiug  in  New  York,  he  pushed  on  west  to 
Illinois,  first  stopping  in  Old  Ewington,  Effiing- 
ham  County,  where  he  took  out  his  papers  of 
naturalization  and  signed  for  the  county  paper. 
In  the  spring  of  1859,  he  bought  lands  in 
Bishop  Township  of  the  I.  C.  K.  R.  Co.,  which 
he  improved  and  still  lives  upon.  He  estab- 
lishedthe  Veni  Post  Office  during  Lincoln's  first 
administration,  and  has  been  the  first  and  only 
Postmaster.  Besides  being  Postmaster  at  Veni, 
he  is  Town  Clerk  and  Township  Treasurer;  the 
latter  office  he  has  held  for  twenty  years.  Mr. 
Johansen  is  a  man  of  good  business  capacity 
and  has  been  prominently  named  for  County 
Treasurer,  He  is  now  in  his  fort3--ninth  year, 
and  the  early  liardships  of  his  sea-faring  life 
have  left  but  few  traces  upon  him,  except  to 
render  him  a  little  lame  in  one  leg  and  slightly 


BISHOP  TOWNSHIP. 


343 


stiff  ill  the  baclj  from  the  terrible  fall  he  received 
in  tlie  North  Sea.  Our  subject  was  married 
in  1870  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Layton,  of  this  county 
They  have  five  children,  all  living. 

WILLIAM  T.  MARRS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Die- 
terich,  was  born  in  Vigo  County,  Ind.,  in  the  year 
1834.  At  the  age  of  three  3-ears,  he  moved  with 
his  father  to  Edgar  Count3-,  111.,  where  he 
worked  on  a  farm  and  attended  tlie  public 
school  until  the  spring  of  1847,  when  he  moved 
with  his  parents  to  Effingham  County-.  Here 
his  father  settled  on  Government  land  in  Bishop 
Township,  and  William  continued  to  attend 
school  and  work  on  the  farm.  Mr.  Man's  has 
since  bought  laud  adjoining  this  purchase 
which,  with  his  father's  estate,  constitutes  his 
present  farm.  Mr.  Marrs  was  married  in  Jul}-, 
1857,  to  Miss  Elizaljcth  Taylor,  of  Franklin. 
They  have  five  children  living — one  daughter, 
Isabell,  a  school  teacher,  and  four  sous,  Edgar, 
William,  Frank  and  Archer.  Edgar,  the  oldest, 
is  engaged  in  the  profession  of  school-teaching. 
William  Marrs,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
horn  in  Virginia  in  1796,  and  came  to  Terrc 
Haute,  Ind.,  in  the  year  1808,  where  he  farmed 
until  1837,  wlien  he  came  to  Illinois.  He  died 
in  Effingham  County,  in  February,  1848.  He 
was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Ussery,  in  1817,  a 
native  of  Tennessee,  born  in  1798.  They  had 
eleven  children,  two  boys  and  one  daughter 
yet  living. 

JOHN  HENRY  METTE,  farmer,  P.  O.  Teu- 
topolis,  was  born  in  Hanover,  Gcrmanj',  De- 
cember 1,  1807.  He  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1840,  and  lived  seven  j-ears  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio.  He  was  a  farmer  in  his  native  country, 
and  that  has  been  bis  occupation  all  of  his  life. 
He  purchased  the  place  where  he  now  resides 
while  still  in  Cincinnati.  It  consisted  then  of 
forty  -acres,  having  a  log  house  upon  it,  which 
can  still  be  seen,  it  having  been  joined  onto 
the  new  house  which  was  erected  in  1860.  Our 
subject  made  subsequent  purchases  until  now 
the  firm  consists  of  284:^  acres.      He  has  been 


twice  married,  his  first  wife  dying  in  Cincinnati. 
He  has  six  children  living.  (See  names  in 
sketch  of  Joseph  Herman  Mette.)  One  of  the 
boys  is  in  Colorado,  and  Joseph  runs  the  home 
farm.  Our  subject  is  the  oldest  living  settler 
in  his  neighljorhood,  and  though  past  seventy- 
five  years  of  age  is  still  enjoying  good  health, 
and  looks  well  for  his  years;  though  as  one  of 
the  old  pioneers,  he  has  been  through  the  many 
trials' incident  to  pioneer  life.  When  he  first 
came  here,  the  country  abounded  in  game  of  all 
kinds,  and  he  has  shot  many  a  deer  while 
standing  in  his  own  dooryard. 

JOSEPH  HERMAN  METTE,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Teutopolis,  was  born  in  Bishop  Township,  tliis 
county,  March  IS,  1850,  son  of  John  Henry  and 
Maria  Katharina  (Ossenbeck)  Mette,  fiirmersin 
Bishop  Township,  she  born  in  Oldenburg,  Ger- 
many, in  1816.  (See  sketch  of  the  father  else- 
where.) Our  subject  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  District  No.  2,  Bishop  Township,  and 
started  in  life  as  a  farmer,  which  occupation  he 
has  followed  all  his  life.  He  was  born  and 
raised  on  the  home  farm  which  he  now  man- 
ages. It  consists  of  284^  acres  of  good  land, 
containing  good  buildings  and  an  unfailing  sup- 
ply of  water.  Mr.  Jlette  engages  in  general 
farming.  He  has  two  brothers  and  three  sisters 
— Mary,  Frank,  Henry,  Kate,  Barney  and  Anna. 
Mary  and  Kate  are  married.  Our  subject  is  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  in  politics 
is  a  Democrat.  He  has  filled  the  oflBce  of  Over- 
seer of  Highways.     He  is  unmarried. 

D.  W.  RICHARD,  blacksmith,  Dieterich, 
was  born  in  Brown  Count}',  Ind.,  April  26, 
1838.  He  lived  in  Indiana  for  sixteen  j-ears 
working  on  a  farm,  and  attended  public  school 
during  the  time  but  three  months.  In  1854, 
he  came  to  Jasper  County,  111.,  with  his  father^ 
where  he  lived  and  worked  on  a  farm  four  years, 
when  he  married  Miss  Margaret  Gibson,  of 
Brown  County,  Ind.,  and  removed  to  Richland 
County,  111.,  where  he  worked  at  the  carpenter 
trade  for  one  year.    In  1 859,  he  came  to  Effing- 


244 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ham  County  and  remained  there  until  Decem- 
ber, 1860,  when  he  joined  his  fortunes  with 
those  of  the  Union  and  went  as  a  volunteer  in 
Thirty-eighth  Illinois  Infantry,  Company  K. 
He  was  sent  to  Missouri  and  served  in  the 
First  Division  of  the  Western  Department,  under 
Gen.  W.  P.  Carlin,  until  the  summer  of  1861, 
when  his  company  became  a  part  of  Gen. 
Steele's  army,  and  marched  into  Kansas.  His 
company  was  again  put  under  the  command  of 
Gen.  Carlin,  with  whom  he  marched  to  Pitts- 
burg Landing,  reaching  that  place  a  few  days 
after  Grant's  victory.  He  afterward  took  part 
in  the  battles  of  Murfreesboro,  Perryville  and 
Chickamauga,  and  the  last  day's  fight  at 
Nashville,  at  which  place,  after  having  served 
his  country  three  years,  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged, Dogember  8, 1864,  and  returned  home. 
He  then  engaged  in  farming,  which  was  aban- 
doned two  years  later  for  the  business  of  saw 
milling,  in  which  he  engaged  with  his  father, 
on  the  Little  Wabash  River.  In  1876,  he 
worked  at  the  blacksmith  trade,  then  moved 
into  Christian  County,  111.,  and  farmed  two 
years.  He  came  back  to  Jasper  County  in 
1879  and  opened  a  blacksmith  shop  at  Latona, 
where  he  worked  until  1880,  when  he  moved 


to  Effingham  Countj'  and  set  up  a  shop  at 
Dieterich,  where  he  has  since  worked  at  his 
trade.  He  now  has  his  second  wife,  to  whom 
he  was  married  in  1880.  His  first  wife  died 
in  1878.     He  has  three  children. 

DR.  C.  A.  VANDRE,  Dieterich,  son  of 
Carl  and  Mary  (Gensch)  Vandre,  was  born 
in  Niagara  County,  N.  Y.,  September  30,  1849. 
When  he  was  twelve  years  old,  his  parents 
came  to  Effingham  County,  111.,  and  settled 
in  Mound  Township.  He  was  educated  in  the 
common  and  churcli  schools  of  New  York  and 
Illinois.  In  the  year  1879,  he  entered  the  office 
of  Dr.  Y''arletz,  of  Altamont,  and  began  the 
study  of  medicine.  He  had,  previous  to  this 
time,  been  reading  while  working  upon  the 
farm.  During  1880  and  1881,  he  attended  the 
Bennett  Medical  College  of  Chicago.  In  the 
fall  of  1881,  he  entered  the  Eclectic  Medical 
Institute  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  January,  1882,  and  located  in 
Dieterich,  in  August  of  the  same  year,  for 
practice.  Dr.  Vandre  is  a  man  who  has  en- 
ergy and  ability,  and  although  but  recently 
located  at  Dieterich  he  has  made  many  warm 
friends  and  is  growing  into  a  fine  practice. 


ST.    FEANCIS    TOWNSHIP. 


ARNOLD  J.  BUSSMANN,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Tcutopolis,  was  born  in  Teutopolis  Township, 
this  county,  August  17,  1847,  son  of  A.  Joseph 
and  Elizabeth  (Buchhorst)  Bussmann.  (See 
sketch  of  Barney  Bussmann  elsewhere.)  Our 
subject  received  his  earlj'  education  in  Teu- 
topolis, this  county,  and  commenced  life  as  a 
farmer.  He  was  married  February  8,  1876,  in 
Teutopolis,  this  county,  to  Mary  Shlepcr,  born 
in  Teutopolis  September  3,  1854,  daughter  of 
Frank  and  Kate  (Neuhause)  Shleper,  natives 


of  Germany,  he  born  September  18,  1818  ;  she 
April  1,  1831.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bussmann  have 
four  children — Anna,  born  January  13,  1877  ; 
Joseph  F.,  born  January  12,  1879;  Mary  F., 
born  February  4,  1881,  and  Clemens  John, 
born  December  10,  1882.  Our  subject  enlisted 
in  1865  in  the  Sixth  Illinois  Calvary,  Company 
C,  Capt.  Robert  Bradley,  and  was  engaged 
in  many  skirmishes,  receiving  an  honorable 
discharge.  He  now  has  145  acres  of  well-im- 
proved land,  part  of  which  is  in  timber.     The 


ST.    FRANCIS    TOWNSHIP. 


345 


farm  is  situated  two  miles  from  Teutopolis. 
He  engages  in  general  farming.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  in  politics  is 
a  Republican. 

BARNEY  BUSSMANN,  farmer,  P.  0.  Teu- 
topolis, was  born  in  Teutopolis  Township,  this 
county,  April  27,  1853,  son  of  A.  Joseph  and 
Elizabeth  (Buchhorst)  Bussraann,  both  natives 
of  Oldenburg,  Germany,  he,  a  farmer,  born 
October  13,  1801,  and  died  December  3, 
1855,  in  Teutopolis  Township,  this  county  ; 
she,  born  in  1817,  and  died  in  the  same 
place  as  her  husband,  April  25,  1873.  They 
were  the  parents  of  four  children,  three  sons 
and  one  daughter.  Our  subject  received  his 
education  in  Teutopolis,  this  county,  and  started 
in  life  as  a  farmer.  He  has  lived  in  this  county 
all  of  his  life,  and  now  has  a  good  farm  of  105 
acres  in  St.  Francis  Township,  and  forty  acres 
of  timber  in  Teutopolis  Township.  He  carries 
on  farming  in  its  most  important  branches. 
He  was  married  in  Teutopolis,  this  county, 
April  29,  1 879,  to  Sophia  Frichtel,  born  July 
12,  1861,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Han- 
delraeir)  Frichtel,  natives  of  Bavaria.  Germany, 
he,  born  December  25,  1835  ;  she,  January  20, 
1841.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bussmann  have  two  chil- 
dren— William  Barnc}-,  born  September  18, 
1880,  and  Mary  Josephine,  born  April  14, 
1882.  Our  subject  is"  a  member  of  the  Cath- 
olic Cliurch,  and  in  politics  is  a  Democrat. 

GEORGE  W.  EBBERT,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mont- 
rose, was  born  in  Perry  Count3-,  Ohio.  July  20, 
1841,  son  of  Edward  and  Sena  (Willdns)  Eb- 
bert ;  he,  a  carpenter,  born  in  1807,  in  Mary- 
land, and  died  July  3,  18G7,  in  Center  Point, 
Clay  Count}-,  Ind.;  she,  a  native  of  Ohio,  born 
in  1811,  and  is  living  in  Jasper  County,  this 
State,  with  L.  M.  Ebbert.  The  parents  had 
seven  children — three  sons  and  four  daughters. 
Our  subject  received  his  education  in  Clay 
County,  Ind.,  and  at  Center  Point,  same  county, 
he  engaged  in  the  saw-mill  business,  which 
was  his  first  occupation  in  life.     He  was  mar- 


ried in  the  same  countj',  March  19,  1863,  to 
Nancy  J.  Gibbens,  born  in  Clay  County,  Ind., 
February  19,  1846,  daughter  of  Nathan  A. 
and  Mary  (Hicks)  Gibbens ;  he,  a  native  of 
Virginia,  she  of  Clay  Countj',  Ind.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ebbert  had  one  daughter,  Minnie  Ida, 
born  February  8,  1868,  in  Clay  County,  Ind. 
Our  subject  was  married  a  second  time,  Novem- 
ber 28,  1878,  in  this  county,  to  Mary  Frances 
Gibbens,  born  in  Clay  County,  Ind.,  November 
11,  1852,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth 
Gibbens,  of  this  county.  Mr.  Ebbert  ran  a 
saw-mill  for  many  years,  since  which  he  has 
been  engaged  in  farming  pursuits.  He  served 
three  months  in  the  United  States  Armj'.  He 
came  to  this  county  in  1875,  iiaving  purchased, 
in  1872,  eighty  acres  of  prairie  land,  at  $18.75 
per  acre.  He  has  made  manj'  substantial  im- 
provements on  tiie  place,  and  engages  in  farm- 
ing in  its  various  branches.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  United  Brethren  Church,  and  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics. 

HERMAN  ENGELBARTS,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Teutopolis,  was  born  in  Oldenburg,  Germany, 
January  30,  1837.  son  of  Folkers  and  Gretke 
(Peks)  Engelbarts  ;  he,  a  farmer,  born  in  Olden- 
burg, Germany,  in  1794,  and  died  in  the  same 
place  in  1851;  she,  born  in  Hanover,  Germany, 
in  1800  and  is  still  living  in  her  native  country, 
with  Mr.  Henry  Engelbarts.  The  parents  had 
four  children,  two  suns  and  two  daughters. 
Our  subject  received  his  education  in  Schort- 
ens,  Germanj-.  Ho  came  to  the  United  States 
May  21,  1863,  landing  in  New  York  City, 
thence  to  Indiana,  in  which  State  he  lived  a 
year,  and  was  then  for  six  3'ears  engineer  in  a 
mill  west  of  Effingham.  Having  purchased,  in 
1865,  fifty-six  acres  of  land,  he  moved  on  to 
it  in  1870;  improved  it,  and  has  made  subse- 
quent purchases.  He  now  lias  a  farm  of  ninety- 
six  acres,  and  he  engages  in  farming  in  the 
various  branches.  In  1870,  he  donated  the 
land  on  which  the  Lutheran  Church  now  stands, 
this  being  the  first  action    in   the  movement 


246 


BIOGRAPHICAL : 


seeking  the  erection  of  a  church  of  that  faith 
Our  subject  has  been  married  three  times  ;  his 
first  wife  died,  the  second  was  accidentally 
killed  by  a  tree  falling  upon  her.  His  tliird 
marriage  occurred  February  26,  1871,  in  Island 
Grove,  this  county.  He  wedded  Mina  Diekel, 
a  native  of  Mecklenburg,  Germany,  born  in 
1848,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Maria  (Steinaker) 
Diekel,  natives  also  of  Mecklenburg,  Germany. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Engelbarts  have  had  six  children, 
of  whom  three  are  living  —  Louisa  Carolina, 
born  November  18,  1877;  Johan  Fritz,  born  De- 
cember 29,  1880  ;  and  Herman  Bernliard,  born 
October  8,  1882.  Mr.  Engelbarts  has  filled 
the  office  of  School  Director.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  in  politics  has 
alwaj-s  been  a  Republican. 

NEWTON  W.  GIBBENS,  farmer  and  stock- 
man, P.  0.  Montrose,  was  iwrn  in  Winchester, 
Frederick  Co.,  Va.,  May  2,  1833,  son  of  Jacob 
and  5Iarj'  A.  (Pierce)  Gibbens,  he  a  farmer  born 
in  Frederick  County,  Va.,  in  1782,  and  died  in 
Clay  County,  lud.,  in  1846;  she  born  in  Harri- 
son County,  Va.,  in  1790,  and  is  still  living  in 
this  county.  The  parents  had  seven  children 
— -five  sons  and  two  daughters.  Our  subject 
received  bis  education  in  Cla}-  and  Vigo  Coun- 
ties, Ind.,  and  was  a  farmer  in  earlj'  life.  He 
lived  in  his  native  State  but  three  3'ears,  hav- 
ing removed  with  his  father  to  Wayne  County, 
Ind.,  where  the  family  resided  for  five  3'ears. 
They  then  moved  to  Clay  County,  Ind.,  where 
they  lived  for  the  following  sixteen  years.  Our 
subject  came  to  this  county  iri  1852,  and  entered 
120  acres  of  Government  land  at  $1.25  per 
acre.  In  1857,  he  came  here  to  live,  and  he 
rented  a  farm  for  two  years,  afterward  moving 
on  to  his  own  place  and  improving  it.  From 
time  to  time  he  added  more  laud,  and  now  has 
over  1,000  acres,  the  bulk  of  which,  about  800 
acres,  lies  in  this  county,  the  balance  being  in 
Cumberland  County.  He  also  has  property  in 
Effingham  City.  Mr.  Gibbens  was  one  of  the 
incorporators  of  the  Vandalia  Railroad.       He 


is  now  one  of  the  commissioners  in  this  coun- 
t}'.  Our  subject  was  married  in  St.  Francis 
Township,  this  county,  March  15,  1857,  to 
Julia  A.  Rolph,  born  in  Logan  County,  Ohio. 
October  21,  1838,  daughter  of  James  M.  and 
Anna  M.  (Jump)  Rolph,  both  natives  of  Kent 
Countj',  Md.,  he  born  on  Independence  Day, 
1814,  and  she,  on  Christmas  of  the  same  year. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gibbens  have  six  children — 
Maria  Isabel,  Newton  Edgar,  Albert  S.,  Percy 
and  Earl  and  Pearl  twins,  born  August  3, 1878. 
Our  subject  has  served  his  county  many  times 
in  an  official  capacitj-,  having  been  Township 
Clerk,  Road  Commissioner,  Justice  of  the  Peace 
for  about  fourteen  years.  Supervisor,  School 
Treasurer  eighteen  years,  and  also  a  Trustee 
and  a  Director.  He  was  also  enrolling  officer 
and  Provost  Marshal  in  this  county.  He  is  at 
present  engaged  in  the  various  branches  of 
farming,  and  handles  and  feeds  stock  in  the 
winter.  He  is  an  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Effingham 
Lodge,  No.  149.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat. 
THOMAS  GILES,  farmer,  P.  0.  Montrose, 
was  born  in  Cambridgeshire,  England,  in  the 
month  of  June,  1819,  son  of  James  and  Sarah 
(Maser)  Giles,  natives  also  of  Englaud;  he  was 
a  farmer  and  died  in  Indiana;  she  died  in  her 
native  country.  They  were  the  parents  of  two 
children,  both  boys.  Our  subject  received  his 
early  education  in  Little  Downam,  Cambridge- 
shire, Eng.  He  came  to  the  United  States  May 
1,  1852,  landing  in  New  York  City,  and  lived 
five  months  in  Niagara  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
worked  on  a  farm.  Shortly  afterward  he  be- 
came a  section  boss  on  the  Evansville  & 
Crawfordsville  Railroad,  in  Indiana,  and  was 
thus  engaged  for  twelve  years.  He  was  mar- 
ried the  first  time  in  1855  to  Ann  Storton,  and 
by  her  had  one  boy — Joseph,  born  June  30, 
1856.  His  second  marriage  occurred  in  1864, 
in  Terre  Haute,  Ind.  He  married  Mrs.  Nancy 
Ryland,  born  May  2,  U19,  in  Bullitt  County, 
Ky.,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Elizabeth  (Brown) 
Clark,  he  born  near  Glasgow,  Scotland,  in  1796, 


ST.    FRANCIS    TOWNSHIP. 


247 


she  in  Bullitt  County.  Ky.,  in  October,  1799. 
Our  subject  has  three  children  deceased.  Mr. 
Giles  came  to  St.  Francis  Township,  this  coun- 
ty, in  1875,  and  purchased  200  acres  of  uniiu 
proved  land  for  $2,000.  He  has  made  substan- 
tial improvements  upon  the  place  and  engages 
in  general  farming.  In  politics,  is  a  Democrat. 
FERDINAND  HATTRUP,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Teutopolis,  was  born  in  Westphalia,  German}', 
January  2J:,  1832,  a  son  of  B.  H.  and  Katharina 
(Tuenskamper)  Hattrup,  natives  also  of  West- 
phalia, German}',  he,  a  farmer,  born  April  8, 
1801,  and  died  in  1877,  in  St.  Francis  Town- 
ship, this  county  ;  she  was  barn  in  1805,  and 
died  in  1872,  in  this  county.  They  were  the 
parents  of  six  children,  four  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing. Our  subject  received  his  schooling  in  his 
native  town,  and  carpentering  was  his  first  oc- 
cupation, afterward  giving  his  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits.  He  came  with  his  father 
to  the  Uuitel  States  in  1852,  coming  to  St- 
Francis  Township,  where  his  father  purchased 
IGO  acres  of  laud,  remaining  on  it  five  years. 
Our  subject  then  purchased  eighty  acres  for 
$385,  the  land  nearest  the  timber  being  the  best. 
All  kinds  of  game  were  plentiful  at  this  time,  and 
Terrc  Haute,  Ind.,  contained  the  nearest  mill. 
Mr.  Hattrup  afterward  added  three  more 
eightie?,  a:i,l  n  }W  has  a  farm  of  320  acres 
of  good  land,  containing  an  orchard  and  a  sub- 
stantial frame  house,  two-story,  3fix36,  with 
cellar.  Mr.  Hattrup  eng.ages  in  farming  in  its 
various  branches.  He  was  married,  February 
11,  1857,  at  Teutopolis,  this  county,  to  Anna 
Mary  Beste,  born  in  Germany  March  5,  1835) 
daughter  of  Bernhard  and  Katharina  L.  (Boch- 
trup)  Beste,  natives  also  of  Germany  ;  he  was 
born  in  1803.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hattrup  have  six 
children — Henry.  Katharinaj  Ferdinand,  Hu- 
bert, John  and  George.  Our  subject  has  been 
Township  Treasurer  for  four  years,  and  is  now 
Township  Tax  Collector,  and  has  filled  several 
other  offices.  Ho  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  in  polities  is  a  Democrat. 


H.  B.  HEICKEN,  farmer,  P.  0.  Montrose, 
was  born  in  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Oldenburg, 
Germany,  on  Christmas  Day.  1817,  son  of  H. 
B.  and  Talke  Maria  (Pierstick)  Heicken  ;  he,  a 
farmer,  born  in  1763,  in  Oldenburg,  Germany, 
and  died  in  the  same  place  ;  she,  born  in  Han- 
over, Germany,  in  1778,  and  died  in  Schoost, 
Oldenburg,  Germany,  in  1858.  They  were  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  three  are 
now  living.  Our  subject  received  his  education 
in  Schortens,  Oldenburg,  Germany,  and  car- 
pentering was  the  occupation  in  which  he  was 
first  engaged.  He  was  united  in  marriage, 
March  24, 1842,  in  Schoost,  Germany,  to  Rexte 
Margareta  Willras,  born  February  10,  1819,  in 
Sangewarden,  Germany,  daughter  of  Johan  and 
Hieme  M.  (Heicken)  Willms,  natives  of  Olden- 
burg, Germany  ;  he  was  born  in  1789,  she  in 
1793.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heicken  have  had  seven 
children,  of  whom  there  are  four  living — Talke 
Maria,  Johan  Willms.  Herman  Behrens,  who  are 
in  Washington,  and  Henry  Jurgens  Harms,  who 
resides  in  Kansas.  Our  subject  was  in  the 
Oldenburg  army  for  six  years,  but  was  not  act- 
ively engaged.  He  came  to  the  United  States 
in  June,  1875,  landing  in  Baltimore,  Md.  Dur- 
ing the  first  year,  he  visited  his  friends  and  rel- 
atives, and  three  years  following  he  lived  in 
Green  Garden,  Will  Co.,  111.,  and  then  removed 
to  St.  Francis  Township,  this  county,  where  he 
purchased  sixty  acres  of  prairie  and  ten  acres 
of  timber  land  for  $1,300,  on  which  he  carries 
on  general  farming.  He  is  a  Lutheran  in  re- 
ligion, and  a  Republican  in  politics.  Mr. 
Heicken's  grandson — Eilert  Jansen  Reents — is 
living  with  him.  He  was  born  February  27, 
1867,  in  Wiefels,  Oldenburg,  Germany,  a  son 
of  Lubbe  and  Hieme  C.  (Heicken)  Reents 
natives  also  of  Oldenburg,  Germany,  where  the 
father  still  lives.  He  was  born  March  5,1836  ; 
the  mother  was  born  June  14,  1847,  and  died  in 
her  native  country  August  22,  1877.  They 
were  the  parents  of  two  cliildren — Herman 
Behrens,  and  our  subject.     Herman   was  born 


248 


JilOGRAPHICAL: 


June  11,  1873.  Our  subject  went  to  school  in 
his  native  town,  and  also  in  Jever  and  Schor- 
teus.  He  has  also  attended  school  since  com- 
ing to  America.  He  arrived  in  this  country  in 
October,  1881,  landing  in  New  York  City.  He 
learned  to  read  the  English  language  in  four 
months.  He  is  a  bright  and  promising  young 
man,  and  belongs  to  the  Lutheran  Church. 

GERHARD  SIEFKEN,  farmer,  P.  0.  Teu- 
topolis,  is  a  native  of  Hanover,  Germany,  born 
March  28,  1835,  a  son  of  Tobias  and  Marguer- 
ette  (Pierstiek)  Siefken,  natives  also  of  Han- 
over, German}',  where  thej'  also  died.  They 
were  farmers,  and  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
six  sons  and  two  daughters.  Our  subject 
received  his  education  in  the  old  country, 
going  to  school  at  Etzer,  Hanover,  Germany. 
He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1854,  landing 
in. New  York  City,  and  thence  to  Michigan, 
where  he  was  foreman  on  the  Michigan  Central 
R.  R.  for  ten  years.  He  returned  to  his  native 
country  in  1860,  via  New  York  and  Bremen, 
and,  after  visiting  his  friends  and  relatives,  he 
came  back  to  this  country  in  the  following 
year.  In  1863,  he  came  to  this  oounty,  and 
purchased  160  acres  of  land,  at  $10  per  acre, 
in  St.  Francis  Township.  His  subsequent  pur- 
chases have  increased  his  place  to  200  acres, 
which  contains  good  buildings,  etc.,  and  he 
carries  on  general  farming.  Mr.  Siefken  was 
married  in  Chicago,  III,  in  June,  1863,  to  Mary 
Heicken,  born  in  Oldenburg,  Germany,  in  1842, 
daughter  of  H.  B.  and  Rexte  Margareta 
(Willms)  Heicken,  he  a  native  of  Oldenburg, 
and  she  of  Sangewarden,  Germany.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Siefken  have  seven  children — Henry, 
John,  Johanne,  Helena,  Margareta,  Friederich 
and  Gerhard.  Mr.  Siefken  has  filled  many 
offices  in  his  county.  He  has  been  Commis- 
sioner of  Highways  six  years,  Tax  Collector  a 
j-car,  and  is  at  present  filling  the  oflBce  of 
Township  Supervisor.  lie  is  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  and  in  politics  is  an  Inde- 
pendent. 


DAVID  SPITLER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Montrose, 
was  born  in  Jasper  Count}-,  Ind.,  October  22, 
1843,  son  of  Wesley  and  Ann  (Varner)  Spitler, 
both  natives  of  Page  County,  Va.,  he,  a  farmer, 
born  October  19,  1811,  and  is  now  living  in 
Jackson  Township,  this  count}",  where  he  has 
resided  for  the  past  two  years  ;  she,  born  in 
March,  1811,  and  died  January  29,  1879,  in 
St.  Francis  Township,  this  county.  The  par- 
ents had  five  children,  three  boys  and  two 
girls.  Our  subject  received  his  early  schooling 
in  his  native  county,  and  began  life  on  his  own 
responsibility  at  farming.  He  lived  in  Jasper 
County,  Ind.,  until  1865,  when  his  father  came 
to  Effingham,  lived  there  three  years,  when  he 
purchased  200  acres  of  land,  near  Montrose,  at 
$13  per  acre,  which  has  since  been  improved. 
In  October,  1867,  our  subject  went  to  Missouri, 
returning  in  a  year,  and  has  since  resided  near 
Montrose.  His  farm  now  consists  of  300 
acres,  which  is  under  systematic  cultivation 
and  is  given  to  farming  in  its  general  branches. 
Mr.  Spitler  was  married  in  Jasper  County,  Ind., 
May  30,  1877,  to  Mary  E.  Crews,  born  in  the 
latter  county,  April  29,  1853,  daughter  of  J.  L. 
and  Mary  A.  (Green)  Crews,  he  born  November 
14,  1825,  in  Terre  Haute,  Ind.  ;  she  near  Day- 
ton, Ohio,  July  2,  1831.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sniller 
have  two  children — Cora  Ann,  born  February  4, 
1878,  and  a  boy,  not  named,  born  October  5, 
1882.  Our  subject  is  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  School  Trustees,  and  in  politics  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat. 

J.  J.  TKOELE,  farmer,  P.  0.  Teutopolis, 
was  born  in  Kentucky  November  17, 1841,  son  of 
Andrew  and  Angelina  (Hacklaga)  Thoele,  both 
natives  of  Germany,  he,  a  farmer,  died  in  this 
county,  she  still  living  in  St.  Francis  Township, 
this  county.  They  have  two  boys  now  living. 
Our  subject  received  his  early  schooling  in 
Teutopolis,  this  county,  and  began  in  life  as  a 
tiller  of  the  soil.  He  was  married  in  Teutopolis, 
October  23, 1867,  to  Miss  M.  Fulle,  born  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  July  20,  1846,  daughter  of  Jacob 


ST.   FRANCIS    TOWNSHIP. 


249 


and  Antoinette  (Grove)  Fulle,  natives  of  Ger- 
manj-,  both  born  in  the  same  j'ear,  1812.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Thoele  have  six  children,  Joseph, 
Henr}',  John,  Gus,  Frank  and  Lizzie.  Our 
subject  has  a  farm  of  300  acres  of  good  land, 
and  buildings,  a  good  share  of  the  land  being 
in  timber.  The  farm  is  situated  about  one  mile 
from  the  center  of  Teutopolis.  Mr.  Thoele 
engages  in  farming  in  its  general  branches.  He 
has  filled  township  olBces,  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  and  in  politics  is  a  Democrat. 

JOHN  THOELE,  farmer,  P.  0.  Teutopolis, 
was  born  in  Douglas  Township,  this  county, 
December  24,  1843,  son  of  Peter  and  Marianna 
(Stauberman)  Thoele,  natives  of  Germany;  he 
was  a  farmer,  and  died  in  this  county;  she  is  at 
present  living  in  Teutopolis.  They  were  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  three  of  whom  are 
living.  Our  subject  received  his  early  schooling 
in  Teutopolis,  this  count3-,  and  was  afterward 
engaged  in  various  occupations,  farming,  car- 
pentering and  wagon-making,  etc.  He  was 
united  in  marriage,  January  30,  1865,  in 
Douglas  Township,  this  county,  to  Katharina 
Korfage,  born  in  Watson  Township,  this 
count}-,  November  6,  1845,  daughter  of  G.  and 
Franeiska  (Dinggrave)  Korfage,  natives  of 
Germany.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thoele  have  three 
children,  John,  born  May  24,  1867,  George, 
born  April  22,  1878,  and  Mary,  born  November 
17,  ISSO.  Our  subject  lived  in  Teutopolis  for 
fourteen  years,  when,  in  1879,  he  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  land  at  $17.50  per  acre,  which 
he  has  improved.  Mr.  Thoele  has  good  build- 
ings on  the  place,  and  he  carries  on  fiirming  in 
its  general  branches.  He  is  a  man  whose  all 
represents  the  result  of  his  own  labors.  He 
has  been  Township.  Clerk,  School  Trustee  and 
Director  and  Justice  of  the  Peace.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  Church  and  votes  the 
Democratic  ticket. 

HENRY  ULHORN,  farmer,  P.  0.  Teu- 
topolis, is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  February 
22,  1844,  son  of  John  H.  and  Maggie  (Krone) 


Ulhorn,  natives  also  of  Germany,  he  born  in 
1806,  and  died  in  1876,  in  St.  Francis  Township, 
this  county;  she,  born  in  1808,  and  iu  living 
with  her  only  son,  our  subject.  He  received  his 
early  educatioii  in  Teutopolis,  this  county,  and 
made  farming  his  occupation  for  a  start  in  life. 
He  was  married  in  Teutopolis,  May  29,  1869, 
to  Mary  Thoele,  born  in  this  county'  in  1S46. 
Her  mother,  Mary  Stauberman,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many. The  father  is  dead.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ulhorn  have  three  children — Mary,  born  July 
20,  1868;  Katy,  born  February  23,  1874,  and 
Lizzie,  born  December  21,  1882.  Our  subject 
at  one  time  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  but 
has  been  mostly  occupied  at  farming.  He  was 
brought  to  this  country  when  but  two  j'eara 
old,  and  has  resided  in  this  county  ever  since. 
He  owns  a  fine  farm  of  240  acres,  well  im- 
proved, and  contains  good  buildings  and  a 
healthy  orchard.  He  carries  on  general  farming. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church,  aud  in 
politics  is  a  Democrat. 

H.  G.  VAN  SANDT,  physician,  Jlontrose, 
was  born  in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  February 
18,  1843,  son  of  J.  and  Nancy  Jane  (Bo wen) 
Van  Sandt,  natives  of  Kentucky,  he,  a  farmer 
and  millwright,  born  September  23,  1791,  and 
died  May  25,  1847,  in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio  ; 
she,  born  April  3,  1804,  and  died  in  Danville, 
Hendricks  County,  Ind.,  July  18,  1871.  The 
fother  was  twice  married,  and  had  eight  chil- 
dren, six  sons  and  two  daughters,  our  sulijcct 
being  his  youngest.  He  received  his  early 
education  in  Bloomingdale,  Parke  County,  Ind., 
under  Prof  Hobbs,  and  afterward  attended 
the  St.  Louis  Medical  College,  where  he  re- 
ceived his  diploma.  He  began  life  as  a  physi- 
cian and  a  merchant.  He  was  married  Feb- 
ruary 8,  1871,  in  Jacksonville,  Morgan  County, 
111.,  to  Henrietta  Morton,  born  July  15,  1849, 
in  Keosauqua,  Van  Buren  County,  Iowa, 
daughter  of  G.  and  Caroline  (Barton)  Morton, 
he,  born  in  Mt.  Sterling,  Ky.,  in  1810; 
she,  in  Overton  County,  Tenn.,  June  20,  1822. 


250 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Sandt  have  had  five  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  are  living,  Guy  and  John 
Arthur,  three  boys  being  dead.  Our  subject 
responded  to  the '  Nation's  first  call  for  troops, 
enlisting  in  the  Twelfth  Ohio  Volunteer  In- 
fantr\-.  Company  I,  Captain  J.  Deodufl',  serv- 
ing the  three  months,  re-enlisting  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  Company  I,  and  fought  with  that 
regiment  at  Perryville  and  other  engagements, 
and  was  also  with  Sherman  in  his  "  march  to 
the  sea,"  and  served  his  country  till  the  close 
of  the  war,  after  which  he  came  to  this  State, 
afterward  going  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  grad- 
uated, and  then  practiced  five  j-ears  in  Mis- 
souri. In  December,  1870,  he  came  to  St. 
Francis  Township,  where  he  practiced  medi- 
cine, and  also  kept  a  drug  store,  and  afterward 
a  general  merchandise  store.  He  owns  160 
acres  of  land  in  this  county,  all  of  which  is  in 
cultivation,  and  is  put  to  general  farming.  Our 
subject's  father  has  a  verj'  interesting  history. 
He  owned  a  large  plantation  in  Kentucky,  but, 
being  a  strong  Abolitionist,  he  liberated  his 
slaves,  and  afterward  became  a  member  of 
the  famous  "  Undergi-ound  Kailroad,"  on  ac- 
count of  which  he  was  prosecuted  in  1842  at 
Washington,  D.  C.,  Messrs.  Salmon  P.  Chase 
and  William  H.  Seward  pleading  his  case, 
which,  in  1846,  was  decided  against  him.  This 
case  was  mentioned  in  a  popular  work  entitled, 
"  The  Ferry  Boy  and  the  Financier."  He  is 
also  the  person  mentioned  bj*  Harriet  Beecher 
Stowe  in  her  famous  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  on 
page  137,  under  the  title  of  "  Honest  John  Van 
Trompe."     Our  subject  has  filled  the  office  of 


Township  Trustee  to  the  satisfaction  of  all 
concerned.  He  is  a  Master  Mason,  and  an 
Odd  Fellow,  and  also  a  member  of  the  Encamp- 
ment of  the  latter.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics.  Mrs.  Van  Sandt  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbjtorian  Church. 

HENRY  VORMOR,  farmer,  P.  0.  Teutopo- 
lis,  was  born  in  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Olden- 
burg, Germany,  October  28, 1809,  son  of  Joseph 
and  Engel  (Busse)  Vormor,  natives  also  of 
Oldenburg,  Germany,  and  both  died  in  St. 
Francis  Township,  this  county.  They  were 
farmers,  and  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of 
whom  our  subject  is  the  only  living  represent- 
ative. He  received  his  education  in  his  native 
country,  and  farming  has  been  his  life  occupa- 
tion. He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1831, 
and  lived  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  for  six  years, 
where  he  was  married  to  Agnes  Lot,  born  in 
Oldenburg,  Germany,  in  1814,  daughter  of 
Wilhelm  and  Agnes  (Dates)  Lot,  natives  also 
of  Oldenburg,  Germany.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vor- 
mor have  six  children — John,  Elizabeth,  IMary, 
Sophia,  Catharine  and  Caroline.  After  leaving 
Cincinnati,  our  subject  came  to  what  is  now 
St.  Francis  Township,  this  county,  and  pur- 
chased 120  acres  of  land  for  $150,  making 
subsequent  additions,  including  one  of  360 
acres,  which  he  has  divided  among  his  children. 
He  still  has  300  acres  left  on  the  home  place. 
At  one  time,  Mr.  Vormor  could  have  secured 
many  hundred  acres  near  his  present  place,  at 
the  extreme!}'  low  price  of  12^  cents  per  acre, 
which  is  now  worth  $15  per  acre  and  up- 
ward. Our  subject  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  and  in  politics,  is  a  Democrat. 


UNION    TOWNSHTP. 


251 


UNION   T 

CxEOEGE  V.  ELLISTON,  former,  P.  0.  Eb- 
erle,  is  an  industrious  and  enterprising  farmer 
of  Union  Townsliip.  He  was  born  in  Carroll 
Countj',  K}-.,  August  1,  1836.  He  was  brought 
by  his  parents  to  J  eflcrson  County,  111.,  in  1842, 
when  six  years  old.  They  remained  there  un- 
til 1866.  Suljject  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  attended  school  in  all  about  one  year. 
He  was  married  in  March,  1857,  to  Keturah 
Knox,  a  native  of  JcfTersou  County,  III.  In 
1866,  he  came  to  Effingham  County,  Union 
Township,  and  purchased  a  farm,  where  he  now 
resides,  of  100  acres,  in  Section  14,  of  which 
fifty  acres  were  in  cultivation.  He  paid  $1,400 
cash  for  the  farm.  His  main  productions  are 
grain  and  grass.  In  April,  1S65,  he  was  drafted, 
and  joined  Company  G,  Forty-ninth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry;  was  in  no  battles.  He  was 
mustered  out  at  Paducah,  Ky.,  September,  1865. 
He  has  always  been  a  Democrat,  and  has  served 
in  various  township  offices;  as  Assessor  two 
terms  and  as  Supervisor  two  terms.  Mr.  Ellis- 
ton  belongs  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic, organized  at  Mason.  His  father,  Benjamin 
S.,  is  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  is  farming  in 
Jasper  County,  111.  His  mother,  Susan,  is  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  and  is  living  in  Jasper 
County,  HI.  They  had  ten  children,  namely — 
Mary  Catharine  (deceased);  George  V. (subject); 
Robert,  living  in  Marion  County,  111.;  Newton, 
Jasper  and  Thomas  (deceased);  Franklin,  liv- 
ing in  Jasper  Countj',  III.;  Harvey  M.,  living  in 
Jasper  Count}-,  111.,  with  his  father;  Parmelia 
Ann,  wife  of  Willis  Shamhart,  living  in  Jasper 
County,  III.;  Eliza,  wife  of  Henry  Cross,  living 
in  Effingham  County,  Bishop  Township.  Sub- 
ject has  three  children  living  and  five  dead, 
namely:  Nancy  Jane,  Diamie  and  John  William 
are  living;  Mary  Catharine,  Allen  Olin,  Samuel 


OWNSHIP. 

J.  Tilden,  are  deceased,  and  two  died  in  in- 
fancy. Miss  Nancy  Jane  is  a  school  teacher, 
and  was  born  in  Jefferson  County,  III,  Novem- 
ber 30, 1858.  She  was  brought  by  her  parents 
to  Effingham  County,  in  1866.  She  then  com- 
menced attending  school  at  what  is  known  as 
the  Trapp  Schoolhouse.  She  attended  school 
there  until  sixteen  years  old,  when  she  began 
teaching.  She  taught  her  first  school  in  Dis- 
trict 5,  Union  Township.  In  1875,  she  attend- 
ed the  County  Normal,  held  at  Effingham,  and 
has  attended  there  successively  six  terms.  She 
has  been  teaching  for  eight  years,  and  during 
that  time  has  taught  only  in  three  different  dis- 
tricts, in  Union  Township,  namely:  Districts  5, 
1  and  2.  She  is  now  teaching  in  District  2, 
called  the  Hill  Schoolhouse.  By  her  economy 
she  has  saved  considerable  money. 

WILLIAM  EVANS,  farmer,  P.  0.  Elliotts- 
town.  Among  the  oldest  settlers  in  this  town- 
ship is  Mr.  Evans,  who  was  born  in  Lawrence 
County,  Ind.,  July  23,  1835,  eldest  son  of  Han- 
som and  Anna  (Morris)  Evans,  who  emigrated  to 
this  township  about  the  year  1841,  settling'  on 
a  piece  of  land  that  he  entered  on  the  east  part 
of  Section  24.  He  remained  on  the  land  eight 
years,  when  he  returned  to  Indiana,  and  stayed 
three  years  and  then  returned  to  this  township, 
making  his  settlement  on  Section  25,  and  re- 
mained here  until  his  death,  January  1,  1862  ;his 
wife  survived  him  until  October,  1864.  To  this 
couple  were  born  six  children  who  grew  up — 
William,  Ruhamey,  Louisa  J.,  Joshua  H.,  Rob- 
ert C,  Amanda.  Ruhamey  resides  in  this 
township,  wife  of  James  Rentfrow;  Louisa,  re- 
sides in  Clay  County,  wife  of  Henry  McGhee; 
Joshua,  resides  in  Keokuk  Countj^,  Iowa;  Rob- 
ert C,  resides  in  Lucas  Township;  Amanda, 
resides  in  Clay  County,  wife  of  John  McEnelly; 


253 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


parents  were  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Democratic  party; 
William,  our  subject,  was  raised  in  this  town- 
ship, being  a  lad  of  about  six  years  when  his 
parents  came  here  ;  what  schooling  he  obtained 
was  what  he  got  when  back  in  Indiana  three 
j-ears;  his  early  boyhood  was  spent  on  the 
farm,  and  remained  at  home  until  he  became 
of  age;  he  was  married  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two,  to  Minerva,  born  in  this  county,  daughter 
of  John  and  Mary  (Broekett)  Trapp.  After 
Mr.  Evans  was  married,  he  settled  on  Section 
11,  where  he  bought  forty  acres  at  $12.50  an 
acre  ;  remained  here  about  fifteen  years  ;  then 
came  to  this  place  on  Section  14,  where  he 
traded  for  eighty  acres,  and  has  since  lived' and 
been  engaged  in  farming,  and  at  the  carpen- 
ter's trade,  which  he  took  up  himself.  His 
wife  died,  leaving  three  children— Sylvanius, 
Louisa  F.  and  John  H.  Our  subject's  second 
marriage  occurred  in  June,  1866,  to  Fannie 
Simmerman,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Simmermau, 
and  he  has  six  children — Amanda,  Charles^ 
Joseph  E.,  Anna,  Mary  F.  and  Jes.sie.  He  is 
Democratic  ;  elected  Township  Assessor  1882; 
been  Town  Collector  three  terms,  and  one  term 
Supervisor;  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 
NELSON  MARSHALL,  farmer,  P.  0.  EUi- 
ottstown,  is  an  enterprising  farmer  of  Union 
Township;  he  was  born  in  Pike  County,  Ohio; 
his  father,  Oliver  Marshall,  was  a  native  of 
Maryland,  was  a  physician  and  died  about  the 
year  1848;  his  mother,  Harriet  Durham,  is  a 
native  of  Virginia,  born  in  the  j-ear  1817,  and 
is  living  in  Madison  County,  111.  Neleon  is 
one  of  a  family  of  seven  children— Nelson, 
subject;  John,  living  in  Union  Township;  Isaac, 
deceased;  Mary,  deceased;  Martha  Jane,  wife 
of  0.  D.  Oberlin,  living  in  Madison  County, 
111.;  Thomas,  living  in  Madison  County,  111. 
Mr.  Marshall  was  reared  in  the  town  of  Wav- 
erly,  Ohio,  until  fourteen  years  of  age;  and 
during  that  time  attended  school  there  about 
six  months  in  the  year;  after  that  time  he  went 


to  work  in  a  flour  mill  for  Emmitt  &  Davis  ; 
remained  in  the  mill  two  years,  which  time 
he  still  worked  for  the  same  firm,  but  as 
canal  boatman  in  summer,  and  in  the  winter 
drove  team;  continued  in  that  business  until 
1857,  which  time  he  was  married  February  27, 
to  Rebecca  Davis,  of  Pike  County,  Ohio;  he 
then  engaged  in  farming.  In  November,  1859, 
he  removed  to  Missouri,  and  engaged  in  chop- 
ping and  clearing  up  timber  land  for  Dr. 
Birch,  and  later  worked  some  as  drayman; 
in  October,  1861,  he  removed  to  Madison 
County,  111.,  and  engaged  in  fanning;  in  1868, 
he  came  to  Effingham  County,  Union  Township, 
and  farmed  in  different  places  in  the  township. 
In  1870,  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Union  Town- 
ship, and  removed  there  in  1871;  he  raises 
grain,  principally  wheat,  corn  and  oats.  He 
has  nine  children  living,  and  two  dead — Ma- 
dora,  deceased;  Henry,  Jane  and  AVilliam,  are 
living;  Lilian,  deceased;  James,  Clemmeutious, 
Hally  Ann,  Mattie  Bell,  Eva,  Buhama  and 
Nellie  are  living. 

WILLIAM  T.  MILLS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Eberle, 
was  born  in  Madison  County,  111.,  Blarch  6, 
1835,  the  fourth  son  of  a  family  of  children 
born  to  James  Miils,  a  Virginian,  who  came 
West  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Madison  County 
about  the  year  1828,  where  he  remained  until 
his  death  in  March,  1848.  His  wife  survived 
him  until  October,  1873.  Of  the  children  born 
to  them  nine  grew  to  maturity,  of  whom  four 
are  living.  Our  subject's  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Elsie  Watts,  born  in  Kentucky, 
daughter  of  Gabriel  Watts.  Mr.  Mills  had 
eight  own  brothers  and  sisters,  of  whom  there 
are  but  two  living,  Rachel  and  Sarah,  both  liv- 
ing in  Madison.  Rachel,  Mrs.  Jonathan  M. 
Harris;  Sarah,  relict  of  Madison  Kersey.  Will- 
iam was  left  fatherless  at  an  early  age.  He 
lived  with  his  mother  until  grown.  At  twenty- 
two,  he  was  married  to  Missouri  McDaniel, 
born  in  Trigg  County,  KJ^,  daughter  of  Jacob 
McDaniel    and   Rebecca   Hensberger.       After 


UNION    TOWNSHIP. 


258 


marriage,  located  there  in  Madison  County, 
aud  farmed  there  until  November,  1863,  when 
he  located  where  he  now  resides,  and  bought 
120  acres  at  a  cost  or  average  of  $13  per  acre, 
and  has  since  added  120  acres  more,  making 
240  in  all.  He  has  been  twice  married.  First 
wife  died  in  August,  1875.  By  her  he  has 
nine  children,  six  living — Emma  R.,  Lillie  E., 
Laura,  Julia  A.,  Anna  R.  and  Clara.  De- 
ceased are  Mary  J.,  died  aged  twenty- 
three;  James  L.,  died  aged  two  years; 
Sarah,  died  aged  nearly  two  years.  In 
June,  1877,  our  subject  married  Mrs.  Hulda 
(Evans)  Holt,  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of 
Younger  aud  Mary  (Witzman)  Evans,  aud  by 
her  has  three  children — Nellie,  Charles  and 
William.  Mr.  Mills  is  one  of  the  self-made 
men  of  the  township.  When  he  began  for 
himself,  he  began  with  one  horse,  aud  com- 
menced by  renting,  and  continued  until  he 
came  to  this  county.  There  were  but  little 
improvements  on  the  place  at  the  time  of  his 
purchase.     He  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 

H.  N.  RUFFNER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mason. 
Among  the  solid  farmers  and  prominent  men 
of  this  township  is  Harrison  Ruffner.  He  was 
born  January  IG,  1834,  in  Fairfield  County, 
Ohio,  eldest  son  of  Andrew  and  Betsey  (Leith) 
Ruffner.  Andrew  Ruffner  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia about  the  year  1805,  and  removed  to 
Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  with  his  f:\thcr,  who 
was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  that  locality. 
He  died  in  that  county  in  1842.  His  wife 
survived  him  until  "1868,  having  had  five  chil- 
dren born  them  that  grew  up — Harrison  N., 
Lucas,  Andrew,  Margaret  and  Dorothea,  who 
are  variously  located.  Lucas  is  an  attorney 
at  law  and  resides  in  Arkansas.  Andrew,  in 
Prescott,  Arizona.  Margaret  resides  in  Mason 
Township,  this  county,  wife  of  Charles  Wilson. 
Dorothea  resides  in  Washington  Territor}-, 
wife  of  Ralph  Warren.  Harrison  was  left 
fatherless  at  the  age  of  eight  years,  and  lived 
with  his  mother  until  fourteen  years  of  age. 


when  he  came  to  this  State  with  his  uncle, 
David  Leith,  and  lived  with  him  in  this  county 
until  he  became  twenty  j'cars  of  age.  He  then 
hired  out  b}'  the  mouth,  continuing  four  years, 
commencing  at  $18  per  month.  July  19,  1859, 
he  married  Catharine  White,  a  native  of  Bond 
County,  and  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  early 
settlers  there.  She  was  for  several  years  em- 
ployed as  a  teacher  in  that  county.  After  his 
marriage,  he  located  on  the  farm  he  now  owns, 
his  first  purchase  being  fiftj'-seven  acres,  at  a 
cost  of  $13  per  acre,  upon  which  there  were  no 
buildings  and  but  little  improvements.  He 
has  since  added  to  his  first  purchase,  until  he 
now  has  340  acres  of  land  as  the  result  of  his 
labor  and  good  management.  Of  seven  chil- 
dren born  him  six  are  living,  viz..  Alma, 
George,  Andrew,  Edward,  Walter  and  Flor- 
ence. Ella  died,  aged  seven.  Mr.  Ruffner  is  a 
thorough  aud  progressive  farmer  ;  not  a  mem- 
ber of  any  church.  Is  a  prominent  local 
worker  and  officer  in  the  IMasonic  order.  Is  a 
member  of  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  217,  and 
R.  A.  M.,  No.  76  ;  has  served  as  W.  M.  three 
years  in  the  former,  and  ten  years  as  High 
Priest  in  the  Chapter. 

JOSEPH  SIMMERMAN,  fiirmer,  P.  0.  El- 
liottstown,  was  born  in  Virginia  January  11, 
1824.  He  was  reared  on  his  fathers  farm  in 
Virginia,  and  attended  school  some  little  in  the 
winter  season.  In  the  spring  of  1841,  he  and 
his  parents  removed  to  Effingham  Countj^  and 
settled  in  Mason  Prairie  on  wild  prairie  land. 
In  1844,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  he  was  mai'ried 
to  Delia  J.  Wallace,  a  native  of  Kentucky.  He 
entered  a  piece  of  land  adjoining  his  father's 
farm  and  remained  there  twelve  years,  until 
1856,  which  time  he  sold  out  and  removed  to 
Flemsburg,  a  place  on  the  little  Wabash  River. 
He  worked  some  at  farming  there  and  also  in  a 
mill  for  about  two  years,  until  1SG8,  which 
time  he  sold  out  and  came  to  Trapp  Prairie. 
He  purchased  a  farm  and  remained  on  it  about 
ten  j-oars.      In  1868,  he  sold  out  and  came  to 


254 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


the  farm  he  now  occupies.  His  father,  Ahart 
Siramcrman,  was  a  native  of  Virginia.  His 
mother,  Mahala  Ramsey,  was  also  a  native  of 
Virginia.  Tliey  had  six  children,  namely  : 
Oldest  died  in  infanc}-;  Joseph,  subject;  Mary 
Jane,  Thomas,  Susan,  Calvin,  all  deceased. 
Subject's  wife  died  in  1854,  on  Mason  Prairie. 
He  has  three  children  living  and  two  dead, 
namely:  Fannie,  wife  of  William  Evans,  living 
in  Union  Township;  Susan,  deceased  ;  Mahala 
J,,  wife  of  George  Mcrrj',  living  in  Lucas 
Township  ;  Amanda,  deceased  ;  Ahart,  living 
in  Union  Township. 

URE  STROUD,  farmer,  P.  0.  Elliottstown, 
is  a  substantial  farmer  and  one  of  Union  Town- 
ship's first  settlers.  He  was  born  in  Orange 
County,  Ind.,  February  20,  1S3L  He  was 
brought  by  his  parents  to  Effingham  County, 
Union  Township,  in  1S40,  when  nine  years  old. 
They  settled  in  Lucas  Township  at  a  place 
called  Bishop  Point.  He  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm,  and  for  the  first  three  years  they 
were  there,  no  school  existed  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. In  1843,  the  community  and  neighbors 
built  a  log  schoolhouse  south  of  Elliottstown. 
And  there,  at  fourteen  years  of  age,  was  the 
first  school  subject  ever  attended.  He  attend- 
ed school  there  for  two  winters  about  two 
months  each  winter;  during  that  time  he  learned 
to  read  and  spell  to  some  extent,  afterward 
helped  his  father  improve  his  farm.  When 
they  first  came  to  this  county,  it  was  infested 
with  wolves.  They  had  a  very  fine  colt  about 
three  months  old,  and  on  going  out  one  morn- 
ing found  that  the  wolves  had  killed  their  pet 
and  had  about  half  eaten  it.  And  on  another  '■ 
time  he  was  sent  bj-  his  father  with  a  joke  of 
oxen  to  Ream's  mill,  in  Jasper  County.  On 
returning  home,  was  walking  along  and  driving 
his  team  and  was  attacked  by  three  wolves. 
He  managed  to  get  into  the  wagon  box,  and  by 
beating  on  the  box  with  his  whipstalk,  kept 
them  awa}-.  At  the  age  of  eighteen,  he  com- 
menced working  out  by  the  month  in  this  and 


northern  counties.  At  one  time,  he  hired  to 
Thomas  Steward  to  help  drive  cattle  to  Chi- 
cago. When  arriving  at  a  place  called  "  Dead 
Man's  Grove,"  one  of  the  party,  John  Bartley, 
was  taken  sick.  They  did  all  that  was  iu 
their  power  to  check  the  disease  and  to  make 
him  comfortable,  and  having  their  cooking 
utensils  with  them,  they  killed  a  blue  crane  and 
made  him  some  soup,  from  which  he  ate,  and 
in  a  short  time  was  able  to  go  on  their  trip  to- 
ward Chicago.  In  1851,  he  came  back  to 
Lucas  Township  and  purchased  fortj'  acres  of 
wild  land  and  worked  on  it  one  j-ear.  In  the 
fall  of  1852,  sold  out  and  bought  eighty  acres 
in  Jasper  County,  111.,  now  in  South  Muddy 
Township.  On  the  3d  of  December,  1853,  was 
married  to  Sarah  Jane  Kether's,  a  native  of 
Orange  Count}',  Ind.  She  was  born  in  the  j'car 
1839.  He  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Jasper 
Count}'  until  1857,  which  time  sold  out  and  re- 
moved to  Eureka,  Livingston  Co..  Bio.  He  re- 
mained there  in  Livingston  and  Marion  Coun- 
ties, and  engaged  in  farming  until  February, 
1861,  which  time  he  sold  out  and  came  back  to 
Jasper  County,  and  remained  there  until  the 
spring  of  1862,  when  he  sold  out  and  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  Union  Township  of  160  acres. 
It  was  nearlj-  all  wild  land;  thirtj'  acres  were  in 
cultivation.  Now  he  has  it  all  in  cultivation. 
In  fall  of  1864,  he  enlisted  in  Company  H, 
Thirty-second  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
on  the  12th  of  November  was  on  the  raid  with 
Sherman  through  Georgia.  He  was  in  the 
siege  of  Atlanta,  which  lasted  thirteen  days, 
and  two  daj's  and  nights  in  the  siege  of  Co- 
lumbia. In  the  siege  of  Fatesville,  which  last- 
ed about  three  days,  and  also  in  the  siege  of 
Goldsboro  two  da\'s  and  nights.  There  he 
was  taken  sick  with  the  chronic  diarrhoea  and 
taken  to  tiie  hospital  at  Goldsboro.  He  lay 
there  four  days.  He  then  was  sent  to  Buford, 
N.  C,  was  re-examined  and  sent  to  a 
hospital  in  New  York  City,  and  remained  there 
until   May  25.  1865.   which  time   he  was  dis- 


UNION    TOWNSHIP. 


355 


charged  and  came  back  to  his  farm  in  Union 
Township,  and  has  been  engaged  in  fiirming 
ever  since.  He  raises  grain^principally  wheat, 
corn  and  oats.  His  father,  Thomas  Stroud,  was 
a  native  of  Orange  Countj-,  lud.,  born  1805, 
and  died  in  Union  Township  December  31, 
1876.  His  motlier,  Eliza  Aston,  was  also  a 
native  of  Orange  County,  Ind.,  born  in  the  3ear 
1S13,  and  died  in  Lucas  Township  in  the  year 
1852.  His  father  married  again,  in  1858,  to 
Rena  Blakely.  He  had  thirteen  children  by 
first  marriage  and  two  b}'  last  marriage,  namely: 
Joseph  (deceased),  Ure  (subject),  Isaiah  (de- 
ceased), John  (deceased),  Eliza  Vandalia,  wife 
of  Nelson  Tilton,  living  in  Iowa;  Lucretia  Van- 
dania,  wife  of  James  H.  Cooper,  living  in  Pike 
County,  111.;  Ner,  living  in  Lucas  Township; 
Samuel,  living  in  Lucas  Township;  Ephraim 
Joy,  on  last  hearing  from,  was  in  Kansas;  Na- 
thaniel Scarlet,  was  killed  in  battle  of  Hickory 
Station,  Ark.;  Austin  and  Nails  (twins), 
Austin  living  in  Washington  Territor}',  Nails 
living  in  Union  Township;  Cava  Lambert  (de- 
ceased); those  are  by  first  marriage.  Helena 
and  Irena,  by  second  marriage.  Subject  has 
two  children  living  and  seven  dead,  namely  : 
Clayborne,  Cora  Ann,  Cora  Ann  again,  Mary 
Jane,  are  dead.  Frances  Matilda  (living),  Sarah 
(deceased),  Ner  (living),  Samuel  and  Thomfts 
Stephens  are  dead.  Subject's  wife  died  in  the 
fall  of  1862,  November  9.  He  was  married 
again,  February  11,  1863,  to  Elizabeth  Hand- 
ley,  a  native  of  Morgan  County,  Ky.,  and 
her  death  occurred  March  30,  1880.  He  was 
married  again,  January  25,  1881,  to  Elizabeth 
Tucker,  of  Clay  County,  111.  She  has  two 
children,  namely  :  Robert  Eli  and  Stephen 
Uriah. 

JIANSFIELD  WHITE,  farmer,  P.  0.  Eberle, 
was  born  in  Union  Township,  EtHngham  Co., 
111.,  December  7,  1849.  He  is  now  thirty-two 
years  old  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life.  He  was 
reared  on  his  father's  farm  in  Union  Township. 
He     received  his    education  in   the   common 


schools  of  the  neighborhood.  The  first  school 
he  attended  was  at  a  place  called  the  Evans 
Schoolhouse.  It  was  one  among  the  first  school- 
houses  that  were  erected  in  the  Union  Town- 
ship. He  would  attend  school  about  two 
months  in  the  year.  At  the  age  of  eighteen, 
quit  attending  school  and  gave  his  whole  atten- 
tion to  farming  with  his  fixther.  His  father 
Brice  White,  was  a  native  of  Kentuckj',  and 
died  in  Union  Township  in  the  year  1876.  His 
mother,  Susan  Ev,ans,  is  a  native  of  Indiana, 
and  is  living  on  the  old  farm  in  Union  Town- 
ship, settled  by  her  husband  about  the  year 
1840.  Mr.  White  is  one  of  a  family  of  twelve 
children,  namely  :  Mary  Ann,  wife  of  John 
Shumard,  living  in  Kansas;  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
William  Cox,  living  in  Union  Township;  Will- 
iam Younger,  is  living  in  Clay  Countj*;  Mans- 
field, subject;  Isaac,  living  in  Union  Township, 
Effingham  Co.;  John,  living  in  Union  Township, 
Effingham  Co.;  Amanda,  living  with  her  moth- 
er; Ruhama,  wife  of  John  Westfall,  living  in 
Union  Township;  James,  deceased;  Ida, 
deceased;  Joshua,  deceased.  Mr.  White  was 
married,  in  the  spring  of  1881,  to  Lj'dia  Ship- 
man,  a  native  of  Clay  Countj'.  She  was  born 
in  1860.  They  have  one  child,  Mertie  Edith. 
Our  subject  has  always  been  successfully 
engaged  in  farming. 

WILLIAM  ,M.  WILSON,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Mason.  Among  the  old  pioneers  in  this  town- 
ship is  Mr.  Wilson,  who  was  born  1808,  March 
25,  in  Frederick  Count}',  Va.,  eldest  son  of 
William  A.  Wilson,  of  Frederick  Count}',  Va., 
only  son  of  his  father,  William,  of  Scotch  ances- 
try. Our  subject's  mother's  maiden  name  was 
Catharine  Hotsenpillar,  daughter  of  John 
Hotsenpillar,  who,  and  wife  also,  were  from  Ger- 
many. William  Marshall  was  raised  on  a  farm 
and  remained  with  his  father  until  he  was  twenty- 
five  years  of  age.  January  30,  1833,  he  married 
M.ary  E.,  daughter  of  John  Snapp;  she  was  born 
January  21,  1813,  in  Fredirick  County,  Va.; 
after  he  was  married,  he  located  near  the  home- 


256 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


stead,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  and 
remained  here  until  the  spring  of  1835,  when  he 
moved  to  Fairfield  Count}',  Ohio,  but  remained 
here  a  short  time,  as  the  country  did  not  please 
him,  and  made  no  purchase.  In  October,  1846, 
he  came  to  EfBngham  Count}',  and  bought 
eighty  acres  in  Mason  Township,  paid  $3  per 
acre,  sta3ed  here  eighteen  months  and  sold  his 
place  back  to  same  man  he  purchased  of,  and 
entered  where  he  now  lives,  200  acres,  and 
located  on  the  same,  and  since  been  a  resident; 
has  the  same  amount  of  land  that  he  began  on. 
He  has  had  sis  children  born  him,  four  sons 
and  two  daughters,  five  living,  viz.:  Charles  C, 
Sarah  K.,  Jane,  James  D.,  John  W.  Sarah, 
wife  of  Nathaniel  Turner,  of  Jackson  Township; 
Jane  resides  in  Mason,  wife  of  David  Leith; 
Charles  C.  resides  in  Mason;  John  W.,  in  this 
township;  James  D.  resides  at  home.  Demo- 
cratic, and  cast  his  first  vote  for  Jackson.  Has 
been  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  I.  0.  O.  F., 
No.  85,  Ewington.  Served  as  Justice  of  the 
Peace  in  this  township  from  1849  until  1872, 
and  has  been  one  of  the  substantial  men  of 
Union  Township. 

VOLNEY  WILLETT,  farmer,  P.  0.  Hill, 
was  born  in  Columbiana  County,  Ohio,  March 
8,  1837,  to  George  and  Elizabeth  (Rhodes) 
Willett.  He  was  born  in  Loudoun  County,  Va., 
May  10,  1807,  and  died  in  Wayne  County,  III., 
in  June,  1880.  He  was  a  farmer  and  came  to 
Illinois  in  1841.  His  wife  and  the  mother  of 
our  subject  was  born  in  Loudoun  County,  Va., 
in  1812,  and  she  is  now  residing  in  Wayne 
County,  111.  She  is  the  mother  of  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  our  subject  is  the  youngest 
child.  His  early  life  was  spent  in  receiving 
such  an  education  as  the  common  schools  of 
his  day  aflTorded,  and  assisting  in  tilling  the 
soil  of  his  father's  farm.  He  was  brought  to 
Wayne  County,  111.,  by  his  parents,  in  1841, 
and  remained  with  them  there  until  1856,  when 
he  was  nineteen  years  of  age.  He  then  appren- 
ticed   himself    to   the   blacksmith's    trade   at 


Fairfield,  Waj-ne  County,  where  he  worked  one 
year,  and  in  1857  he  moved  to  Flora,  and 
worked  there  fifteen  months.  In  1859,  he  re- 
moved to  California,  where  he  engaged  in  min- 
ing and  farming  for  about  five  years.  In 
November,  1863,  he  returned  to  Wayne  County, 
111.,  and  in  the  spring  of  1864  went  to  work  at 
his  trade  again,  in  Flora,  for  one  3'ear.  In  the 
spring  of  1865,  he  returned  to  Wayne  County 
and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  for 
nearly  two  j-ears.  In  the  fall  of  1866,  he  came 
to  Effingham  Count}'  and  located  at  Mason, 
and  engaged  in  the  hardware  business,  and 
after  a  few  months  traded  his  stock  for  a  farm 
in  West  Township,  and  removed  to  it  in 
September,  1867,  where  he  has  remained  ac- 
tively engaged  in  farming.  His  farm  consists 
of  ninet3'-six  acres,  and  in  Union  Township  he 
has  a  farm  of  160  acres,  upon  which  he  intends 
to  remove  in  December,  1882.  In  Mattoon, 
111.,  April  13,  1864,  he  married  Miss  Louisa 
Wilborn,  a  daughter  of  Willis  and  Prances 
(Rees)  Wilborn,  natives  of  Kentucky.  Mrs. 
Willett  was  born  in  Fayette  County,  111.,  Decem- 
ber 26,  1841.  She  is  the  mother  of  nine  chil- 
dren, five  of  whom  are  now  living — Volney  H., 
Charles  Edgar,  Frank,  Presley,  Oscar.  In 
1879,  our  subject  was  elected  Supervisor  of 
West  Township,  and  served  one  year.  West 
Township  is  strongly  Democratic,  but  he  was 
elected  to  the  office,  though  a  Republican. 
While  in  California,  he  was  a  Lieutenant  in 
the  State  Militia  for  about  three  j'ears.  He 
worked  up  from  a  private.  He  is  an  active 
member  of  the  order  of  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at 
Altaniont.     Politicall}',  he   is  a  Republican. 

JOHN  \Y  OODY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Eberle,  whose 
portrait  appears  in  this  work,  is  among  the 
prominent  farmers  and  self-made  men  of  Effing- 
ham County.  He  was  born  in  Lawrence 
County,  Ind.,  August  27,  1829,  the  second 
child  of  his  father,  whose  name  was  William, 
a  North  Carolinian,  from  Wilkes  Count}-,  and 
removed  to  Indiana,  and  there   settled,  about 


BANNER    TOWNSHIP. 


257 


the  3'ear  1825,  and  remained  there  until  his 
removal  to  Wayne  County,  this  State.  John's 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Edwards, 
native  of  Ashe  County,  N.  C.  The  parents  had 
seven  children,  two  of  whom  are  living — 
Amanda,  and  our  subject,  who  was  raised  at 
home,  and  had  but  three  months  of  schooling, 
all  told.  His  early  boyhood  was  spent  work- 
ing out  by  the  month.  His  father  received 
the  benefit  of  his  wages  up  to  the  time  he  was 
nineteen  years  of  age.  Then  he  started  for 
himself;  began  farming  for  himself  renting. 
During  the  winter  season,  his  time  was  spent 
working  in  a  mill  for  other  parties.  He  rented 
for  four  years,  then  purchased  120  acres  of 
canal  land ;  cost,  $2  per  acre  ;  this  he  never 
moved  on,  but  sold  the  same  after,  and  pur- 
chased 240  acres  in  the  same  county  ;  cost,  $5 
per  acre  ;  some  improvements.  This  he  sold 
in  1855,  and  purcha.sed  another  tract  of  240 
acres  at  $10  per  acre  ;  after,  sold  this  and  rented 
four  years,  when  he  came  to  this  State,  locat- 
ing in  this  township  October  5,  18(52,  and 
located  on  eighty  acres  that  he  had  previously 
purchased,  costing  $10  per  acre,  and  located 
where  he  now  resides,  and  remained  here  two 
years,  when  he  removed  to  Trapp  Prairie,  where 
he  stayed  one  winter,  and  returned  to  his  former 
place  of  living,  where  he  has  since  remained. 
He  has  bqen  one  of  the  most  successful  farmers 


in  the  county.  He  has  accumulated  nearly 
1.000  acres  of  land,  all  of  which  are  the  fruits 
of  his  own  labor.  He  has  been  twice  married  ; 
first,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  November  29,  1848, 
to  Charlotte  Cox,  born  in  Martin  County,  Ind., 
May  15,  1831,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Sarah 
(Boone)  Cox,  the  former  a  native  of  North  Car- 
olina, she  of  Kentucky,  and  a  descendant  of 
Daniel  Boone.  His  wife  died  March  29,  1875. 
By  her  he  had  ten  children,  nine  of  whom  are 
living,  viz.:  Minerva  J.,  Granville  <3r.,  Tillman 
C,  H.  H.',  Tabitha  E.,  Sylvanus  G.  (dead),  Davie 
G.,  Schuyler  C,  Samuel  N.  and  Edith  E.  Syl- 
vanus died  in  infancy.  Minerva  resides  in 
Lucas  township,  the  wife  of  John  Merr'j'.  Tabi- 
tha, wife  of  Richard  Merrj-,  of  Lucas  Township. 
Three  sons,  Granville  G.,  Tillman  C,  and  H.  H., 
are  married  and  doing  business  for  themselves. 
Our  subject's  last  marriage  occurred  in  March, 
1876,  to  Mrs.  Martha  E.  Jacobs,  born  in  this 
State,  daughter  of  Mr.  Cooper,  by  which  mar- 
riage he  had  three  children,  two  living,  Stella  G. 
and  Leslie  ;  James  and  Melissa  deceased.  Our 
subject  was  formerly  a  Democrat  until  Lin- 
coln's election,  since  which  he  has  been  a  Repub- 
lican. He  is  not  a  member  of  any  churcii  or 
society,  but  lives  in  harmony  with  the  prin- 
ciples of  moralit}',  and  enjoj-s  the  esteem 
and  respect  of  the  community  in  which  he 
resides. 


BANNER   T 

HENRY  BERNHARD,  miller,  Shumway, 
whose  portrait  appears  in  this  work,  was  born 
in  Ittlingen,  Baden,  Germany,  April  9,  1835,  a  | 
son  of  Henry  and  Margaret  (Ziegler)  Bernhard, 
both  natives  of  Baden,  Germany;  he,  born  j 
September  4,  1802,  is  a  retired  farmer,  living 
now  with  our  subject ;  she  died  in  her  native 
country  in  1837.  The  father  was  twice  mar- 
ried, his  second  wife  being  Anna  Eve  Ziegler. 
He  is  the  father  of  four  children,  two  of  whom 


OWNSHIP. 

are  living — Louis  and  Henry.  He  (the  father) 
came  to  America  in  1879.  Our  subject  received 
his  early  schooling  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
village,  and  his  first  occupation  in  life  was  that 
of  milling,  which  trade  he  commenced  learning 
in  Ittlingen,  Gerraanj-,  at  an  early  age.  He 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1853,  and  for 
nine  months  was  engaged  in  milling  in  New 
Jersey.  He  came  to  St.  Clair  County,  this 
State,  where  he  remained  until  1864,  when  he 


258 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


came  to  Banner  Township,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  He  was  married  in  St.  Clair  County, 
this  State,  October  27,  1858,  to  Catharine  Sinn, 
who  was  born  in  the  same  place  as  he,  Decem- 
ber 2,  1838,  the  daughter  of  Michael  and 
Rosetta  (Lilli)  Sinn.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bcrnhard 
have  had  four  children,  two  of  whom  are  living 
■ — Lizzie  and  Louisa.  In  1872,  our  subject 
took  an  active  part  in  securing  the  establish- 
ment of  a  post  office  then  called  Tolerance,  of 
which  he  was  appointed  Postmaster,  serving  in 
that  capacity  until  1879,  when  the  office  was 
changed  to  Shumway.  In  1878,  he  erected  the 
"  Tolerance  Flouring  Mills "  in  the  town  of 
Shumway,  Banner  Township,  of  which  he  is 
proprietor,  at  a  cost  of  $11,000.  The  mill  car- 
ries three  run  of  stone,  and  handles  about 
30,000  bushels  of  wheat  per  annum.  Prior  to 
entering  into  the  milling  business,  our  subject 
was  engaged  in  merchandising  for  a  period  of 
eight  j'ears,  in  which  business  he  was  very  suc- 
cessful, lu  his  present  business,  he  ships 
largely,  but  is  doing  principally  custom  work. 
He  is  trul}'  a  self-made  man  of  excellent  charac- 
teristics, the  artificer  of  his  own  fortune,  having 
become  wealthy  liy  his  own  enterprising  efforts. 
He  has  served  his  township  as  Clerk,  School 
Treasurer,  and  is  the  present  Super\'isor.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  in 
politics  is  a  Democrat. 

F.  W.  GIESEKING,  merchant,  Shumway, 
was  born  at  Nashville,  Washington  Co.,  111. 
His  father,  William  Gieseking,  married  Miss 
Caroline  Heseman  in  1855;  the  result  of  this 
union  was  ten  children,  of  whom  eight  survive, 
of  whom  the  subject  is  the  eldest  sop.  Mr. 
Gieseking  obtained  the  rudiments  of  his  educa- 
tion at  Freemanton,  in  Effingham  Count}-,  and 
then  entered  the  Central  Wesleyan  College,  at 
Warrenton,  Mo.,  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years, 
taking  a  course  of  study  for  the  period  of 
three  years.  He  then  returned  to  Effingham 
County,  and  engaged  as  clerk  in  the  store  of 
George  Hilleman,  at  Altamont,  111.,  being  there 


engaged  for  ten  months.  He  then  began  busi- 
ness as  a  merchant,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Gieseking  &  Son,  at  the  town  of  Shumway, 
where  he  still  continues.  On  the  2Gth  of  Janu- 
ary, 1882,  he  married  Miss  Marj-  Schroth,  of 
Banner  Township.  He  was  reared  under  the 
religious  instruction  of  the  German  Methodist 
Church.  William  Gieseking,  the  father  of  our 
subject  is  one  of  the  extensive  farmers  of 
Effingham  Count}',  residing  in  Moccasin  Town- 
ship.    The  mother  is  also  living. 

IGNATZ  HELMBACHER,  Postmaster  of 
Shumway,  was  born  May  28,  1851,  in  the  State 
of  Louisiana.  His  father,  Louis  Helmbacher, 
and  mother,  Margaret  Helmbacher,  were  born  in 
Paris,  France.  His  mother  died  in  St.  Clair 
County,  111.,  in  1860.  His  parents  left  France 
for  America,  settling  in  New  Orleans  in  1847, 
from  whence  they  came  to  Belleville,  111.,  in 
1859.  In  1873,  they  went  to  Teutopolis,  111., 
where  his  father  died  in  1880.  Our  subject 
began  his  education  at  the  common  schools  of 
the  county,  coming  to  Shumway  in  1862,  where 
he  has  made  his  home,  with  the  exception  of 
three  years'  travel  in  the  West.  Our  subject 
has  three  brothers  and  one  sister,  as  follows : 
Frederick,  John,  Alois,  surviving,  and  Hellena. 
Of  the  half  brothers  and  sisters,  there  are  living, 
Joseph  and  Ruben,  Christina,  Mary  and  Dora. 
Christina  married  Peter  Hutemacher,  residing 
at  Teutopolis.  The  second  wife  of  our  subject's 
father,  whose  maiden  name  was  Metcker,  sur- 
vives him,  and  is  residing  at  Teutopolis.  Our 
subject  was  appointed  Postmaster  in  Shumway 
September  26,  1882,  which  position  he  still 
holds.  The  family  are  Catholic  in  their  re- 
ligion. 

iMATTHEW  M.  HEMPHILL,  grain  dealer, 
Shumway,  was  born  May  10,  1842,  in  County 
Antrim  Ireland,  son  of  Matthew  and  Matilda 
(White)  Hemphill. _  He  came  to  America  with 
his  parents  in  1850,  and  settled  in  Randolph 
County,  111.,  where  he  remained  until  1866.  He 
enlisted  in  the  armv  in  1862,  being  assigned 


BANNER    TOWNSHIP. 


259 


to  the  Eightieth  Illinois  Infantiy,  Col.  Thomas 
G.  Allen.  After  a  short  service,  he  was  hon- 
orabh-  discharged  on  account  of  phj-sical  disa- 
bilit)-,  February-,  1863.  He  began  life  as  a 
farmer ;  his  education  commenced  in  the  dis- 
trict school,  which  he  entered  at  the  age  of 
eight  3'ears.  In  1 864,  he  took  a  course  at  the 
Commercial  College,  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  gradu- 
ating April  1-t,  1865,  the  da\'  President  Lincoln 
was  assassinated.  Returning  home,  he  took 
charge  of  a  school  as  teacher,  which  he  has  fol- 
lowed alternately  with  farming  and  grain  deal- 
ing. On  the  30th  day  of  5Iarch,  1869,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Stirrett,  of 
Effingham  Count}'.  There  were  born  unto 
them  four  children,  of  whom  Andrew  Otis, 
Anna  KUa,  and  Katie  Etta  are  surviving.  Mr. 
Hemphill  was  reared  in  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
He  was  elected  Assessor  of  Banner  Township 
on  the  Republican  ticket  in  1882,  and  was 
appointed  Notary  Public  in  1879.  In  1880,  he 
was  appointed  census  taker  for  his  township. 
He  is  a  member  of  McPherson  Post,  No.  88, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  at  Effingham. 

WENDLINE  REIS,  farmer,  P.  0.  Shum- 
way,  was  born  December  26,  1836,  in  Ger- 
many. His  father,  Lawrence  Reis,  was  mar- 
ried to  Eva  Weichel  (date  not  known). 
Unto  them  were  born  five  sons  and  three 
daughters,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the  third 
youngest.  His  parents  came  to  America  in 
1837,  coming  to  Bayliss  Landing,  Mo.,  where 
thej-  settled,  at  which  place  the  parents  died; 
after  which  subject  left  that  locality,  settling 
in  Shumway,  Effingham  County,  in  1875.  On 
the  18th  day  of  January,  1857,  he  was  married 
to  Elizabeth  Underriner.  Unto  tliem  were  born 
ten  children,  seven  sons  and  three  daughters, 
all  living — Theodore,  Martin,  Wilhelm,  Joseph, 
John,  Wendline,  Louis,  and  Theresa,  ^Lar}-  and 
Josephine.  Theresa  married  Frank  Andrews, 
and  Theodore  married  Mary  AnnaCrupy.  The 
famil}-  were  brought  up  under  the  instruction 
of  the  Catholic  Church.     Our  subject  attended 


the  Abbj-  Creek  Church  School  for  three  years; 
then  engaged  in  farming,  in  which  he  has  been 
ver^-  successful. 

THOMAS  J.  RENTFROW,  farmer,  P.  O.  Ef- 
fingham, was  born  in  Maur}'  County,  Middle 
Tenn.,in  July,  1812.  In  the  fall  of  1829,  became 
to  Illinois  with  his  mother,  who  settled  in  Wayne 
County,  near  what  is  known  as  Fairfield,  until 
the  spring  of  1830,  when  they  came  to  Effing- 
ham County.  Richard  Cohee  and  Hickman 
Langford,  brothers-in-law,  came  at  the  same 
time,  and  four  brothers  of  our  subject — Jesse, 
John,  Joseph  and  Eli — ^joined  the  party  in  this 
county  in  1860.  They  settled  on  the  Little 
Wabash,  just  above  Ewiugton,  this  county.  At 
this  time  there  were  more  Indians  in  the  county 
than  white  people.  Our  subject  states  that 
there  were  only  two  white  families  within  ten 
miles  of  their  home  ;  these  were  John  P.  Far- 
ley and  Samuel  Bratton.  The  Rentfrows 
brought  four  horses  and  one  ox  team.  On  their 
arrival,  they  went  into  a  deserted  Indian  camp 
on  the  Wabash  bottom,  near  what  is  now  known 
as  the  old  Reynolds  place,  in  the  month  of 
March,  while  snow  was  yet  on  the  ground; 
making  their  surroundings  as  comfortable  as 
possible,  they  began  to  tap  the  maple  trees  and 
make  sugar.  The  old  camp  was  made  of  linn 
puncheons  pinned  to  trees  with  wooden  pegs  ; 
they  contented  themselves  as  best  they  could 
in  this  temporar}-  shelter,  until  thej*  had  time  to 
build  a  house  on  the  hill,  near  a  spring,  as  the 
Tennesseans  in  those  earlj-  days  did  not  know 
what  a  well  was.  Joseph  was  the  bread  finder, 
and  went  as  far  as  Paris,  in  Edgar  County,  to  get 
corn,  on  horseback.  In  those  days  the  green- 
head  flies  were  so  thick  and  ravenous  that  it 
was  impossible  to  travel  in  mid-day  with  the 
additional  pest  of  mosquitoes  and  gnats.  They 
cleared  off  a  patch  in  the  bottom  and  planted 
corn,  and  also  a  patch  of  cotton,  but  the  latter 
was  a  failure.  The  corn  for  bread  was  pounded 
in  a  wooden  mortar,  dug  out  of  a  log  or  stump, 
with  a  pole  attached  like  a  well  sweep,  with  an 


2G0 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


iron  wedge  as  a  pounder.     Kising  early  in  the 
morning,  preparing  the   frugal   breakfast,  the 
pounding  for  meal  was   answered  by  the  gob- 
bling of  the    wild  turkeys,   which  \)ere   very 
abundant  in  those  days.     In  a  few  years,  the 
convenience  of  the  colony  was  improved  by  the 
erectiou  of  a  horse  mdl  on  the  Okaw,  thirt}'- 
five  miles  distant,  whither  the  subject  would  go 
with  his  grist,  and  had  to  wait  four  or  five  days 
for  his  turn  at  the  grist,  living  on  parched  corn 
and  sleeping  in  the  mill.     The  journey  on  these 
occasions   was  made  with  ox  teams  across  the 
prairie  at  night,  driving  into  the  bushes,  cutting 
them  down,  and  building  "  bush  harbors "  for 
protection,  the  o.Kcn  feeding  on  the  high  grass 
so  common    in  those   days.     When  the  grist 
haulers  arrived  and  squatted  around  the  mill, 
it  had  the  appearance  of  a  modern  camp-meet- 
ing.    Deer,  wild   turkeys   and  bee   trees  were 
plenty,  and  it  took  but  a  short  time  to  secure 
either  to  supply  their  need.     A  few  black  bears 
could   be   encountered,   and   wolves,   big  and 
little,   were   plenty,    and  at  times   dangerous. 
The  tables  of  the  settlers    were  furnished  with 
wild  meat,  wild   honey  and  corn-bread.     Our 
subject  went  to  school  a  few  months  in  Tennes- 
see, but  never  had  an  arithmatic  or  a  quire  of 
paper,  and  never  attended  a  school  after  settling 
in  this  county.     He  remained  a  member  of  his 
mother's  family  until  he  was  married.  May  18, 
1843,  to  Miss  Eleanor  Trapp,  daughter  of  John 
Trapp,  of  this  county,  who  was   at   one  time 
Sheriff  of  Effingham  County.     He    had   made 
improvements  on    the    first  settlement  of  the 
family,  and  bought  the  interest  of  his  mother 
and  others,   which   he   sold   to  Reynolds   for 
SI  60,  and  entered  120  acres  in  Section   35,  in 
1842.  afterward  entering  280  acres  more  ;    he 
now  owns  300  acres,  all  under  cultivation,  rais- 
ing principally  grain,  with  good    success.     Mr. 
Rentfrow  is  the  father  of  ten  children,  six  of 
whom  are   living — John   C,   of  this   countyj; 
Mary  E.,  wife  of  Dennis  0.  Keating  ;  William 
Elijah,  of  this  county  ;  Sarah,  wife  of  Lee  Bur- 


rell,  of  Effingham  ;  Stephen  A.  and  Michael,  at 
home.  Once  upon  a  time,  Mr.  Rentfrow,  while 
hunting  with  Alexander  McWiiorter,  they 
would  lay  out  all  night,  Rentfrow  placing  a 
coon  skin  under  his  head  for  a  pillow;  the 
natural  warmth  of  his  head  united  with  the 
heat  from  the  log-heap,  melted  the  snow  and 
frozen  ground  while  he  was  sleeping  ;  on  awak- 
ening, he  found  his  hair  frozen  to  the  ground, 
requiring  skill,  patience  and  solid  pulling  to 
get  him  loose.  Mr.  Rentford  was  elected  Sheriff 
of  this  county  in  1843,  which  he  held  for  eight 
years  ;  he  was  nominated  by  the  Democrats,  of 
which  party  he  has  been  a  life-long  member. 
The  first  revenue  he  collected  in  the  county 
was  $300,  on  which  his  commission  was  three 
per  cent ;  it  was  in  this  line  of  his  duty  to  take 
it  to  Springfield,  paying  his  own  expenses. 

M.  SCHROTH,  farmer,  P.  0.  Shumway,  was 
born  December  13,  1831,  at  Wurtemberg,  Ger- 
many. He  came  alone  to  America  in  1854, 
landing  in  New  York  Cit}'.  From  thence  he 
soon  moved  to  Pennsylvania,  remaining  there 
a  short  time.  He  then  went  down  the  Ohio 
River,  to  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  he 
and  a  companion  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  a  summer  beverage,  a  substitute  for  stronger 
liquors.  In  1855,  he  came  to  St.  Clair  County, 
111.,  where  he  married  Catharina  Beckman, 
June  2,  1859.  They  then  settled  in  Washing- 
ton County,  Ill._  In  1861,  they  came  to  Effing- 
ham County,  and  purchased  120  acres  of  land 
from  the  Illinois  Central  R.  R.,  on  which  he 
began  to  farm  on  the  raw  prairie,  where  he 
now  resides.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schroth  have  had 
born  unto  them  eleven  children,  of  whom  nine 
are  surviving.  His  mother,  Dora  Schroth,  is 
living  with  them,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two. 
The  family  were  Lutherans,  to  which  religion 
they  still  adhere.  His  children — Mary  E., 
Christiana,  Margaret,  Michael,  Henry,  Dora, 
Frederick,  Lidda,  Lewis — are  living  ;  on  the 
4th  of  May,  1877,  their  son  Phillip  was  killed 
b}'  falling  from  a  tree. 


SUMMIT  TOWNSHIP. 


261 


JOHN  H.  WALDECKER,  cooper,  Shumway, 
was  bora  in  the  kingdom  of  Hanover,  German^', 
on  the  8th  of  March,  1851.  His  parents,  John 
H.  Waldecker  and  A.  M.  Henrietta  Gruetze- 
macher,  were  married  in  1836.  Unto  them  were 
born  five  children,  three  of  whom  are  living. 
The  subject  was  the  youngest,  who  came  with 
his  parents  to  America  in  1854,  settling  in  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  where  he  remained  until  1872. 
From  there  he  moved  to  St.  Clair  County,  111. ; 
thence  to  Shumway,  in  Banner  Township,  111., 
1878,  engaging  in  his  trade.  Mr.  Waldecker 
availed  himself  of  the  advantages  of  the  com- 
mon schools  until  he  was  fourteen  years  old  ; 
then  he  entered  Roher's  Commercial  School,  at 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  he  took  a  course  at  book- 


keeping. He  kept  books  in  various  lines  of 
business  for  some  time ;  then  concluded  to 
learn  the  trade  of  coopering,  which  he  is  now 
following  successfully.  In  the  3'ear  1874, 
October  1,  Mr.  Waldecker  and  Miss  Diana 
Miller  were  married,  at  Belleville,  St.  Clair  Co., 
111.  They  have  one  son,  Frederick.  The 
Waldeckers  were  Protestants  from  the  begin- 
ning, and  the  descendants  adhere  to  that  faith 
without  denominational  preference.  Mr.  Wal- 
decker has  held  several  otHces  of  honor  and 
profit,  conferred  upon  him  by  his  fellow-citizens. 
He  was  first  elected  Constable  in  1879,  which  he 
held  for  two  years ;  then  he  was  elected  Justice 
of  the  Peace,  in  the  spring  of  1881,  which  office 
he  still  holds,  giving  satisfaction  to  the  people. 


SUMMIT 

LORENZO  D.  GLOYD,  farmer,  was  born 
in  Prince  George  County,  Md.,  near  Wash- 
ington .City,  D.  C,  in  1814.  William,  his 
father,  a  farmer  bj'  occupation,  was  born 
in  the  same  State,  at  a  date  unknown  to 
the  subject.  He  died  in  1825.  Our  subject's 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Skeggs.  It 
is  supposed  that  slie  was  born  in  Virginia,  the 
date  of  which  is  unknown.  She  died  in  1827. 
In  this  family  there  were  five  children  ;  four 
boys  and  one  girl,  all  of  whom  are  deceased 
but  two.  Our  subject  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  in  Ohio,  in  which  State  lie 
was  also  raised  to  farming,  which  has  always 
been  his  occupation.  He  was  married  in  Lick- 
ving  County,  Ohio,  in  1836,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Hilderbrand,  the  date  and  place  of  whose  birth 
is  unknown.  Her  father  was  James  Hilder- 
brand, who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  Our 
sulycct's  marriage  was  blessed  with  the  follow- 
ing children,  named  in  the  order  of  their  births 
— William,  Jane,  Elbridge,  Ellen,  George, 
Percy,  Jerome,  Magdaline.  Mr.  Gloyd  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal   Church, 


TOWNSHIP. 

and  a  Republican  in  politics.  In  1825,  our 
subject  removed,  with  his  parents,  from  Mary- 
land, to  Licking  Count}',  Ohio,  where  they 
engaged  in  farming,  until  1839,  when  they 
removed  to  Indiana,  and  to  Efliugham  County, 
111.,  in  1866.  On  his  arrival  here,  he  bought  a 
farm,  containing  240  acres,  where  he  now  re- 
sides, and  which  he  has  improved.  He  has 
built  upon  his  farm  a  large  dwelling,  40x20. 
His  grandmother  was  German,  and  his  grand- 
father Gloyd  was  English.  He  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Revolutionary  war,  going  into  that  war 
as  a  substitute  for  his  father. 

SAMUEL  F.  HAN  KINS,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Shumway,  was  born  in  Tennessee,  in  1824 ; 
came  with  his  parents  to  Vandalia,  in  1827, 
remaining  there  until  1831  ;  then  he  settled 
in  Fayette  County,  III.,  a  portion  of  which  now 
comprises  Effingham  County.  William  J. 
Hankins,  his  father,  was  a  man  of  enterprising 
spirit,  in  those  early  days,  and  when  the  Na- 
tional road  was  projected,  he  took  the  contract 
on  a  division,  of  clearing  and  grading,  and 
built  the  bridge  across  the  Little  Wabash,  in 


263 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Summit  Township.  In  early  life,  his  father 
learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter,  and  soon  con- 
tracted to  build  bouses  and  bridges.  There 
were  twelve  children  born  unto  him,  six  of 
whom  reside  in  this  township.  He  was  mar- 
ried, March  30,  1819,  to  Catharine  Funk,  in 
the  State  of  Tennessee.  Of  the  six  surviving 
children  of  this  union,  Presley  C,  Samuel  F. 
and  Elizabeth  were  born  in  Tennessee,  and 
Sarah  A.,  Lewis  J.  and  Mary  Ann  were  born 
in  Illinois.  Elizabeth  married  0.  L.  Kelley, 
who  was  killed  in  a  railroad  accident  during 
the  late  war  while  on  the  way  to  the  field  of 
action.  Sarah  A.  married  D.  W.  Powell  ;  Mary 
Ann  married  Paris  Griffith  ;  Presley  C.  married 
Nancy  J.  Wai-ren,  October  24,  1850,  two  chil- 
dren surviving.  The  father  and  the  subject 
were  soldiers  in  the  Mexican  war,  each  be- 
longing to  Company  C,  Second  Regiment 
Illinois  Volunteers,  of  which  the  fiither  was 
Second  Lieutenant,  and  Harvj-  Lee,  Captain. 
They  landed  at  Tampico  ;  from  thence  the}' 
went  to  Vera  Cruz,  and  were  then  ordered  to 
march  to  the  City  of  Mexico,  which  was  taken 
before  their  arrival.  When  William  J.  Hau- 
kms,  the  pioneer  of  this  familj-,  came  to  what 
is  now  Effingham  County,  it  was  a  wild  prairie. 
Green-head  flies  were  so  plentiful  that  stock 
was  often  destroyed  by  them,  compelling  the 
early  settlers  to  cultivate  the  bottom  lands  on 
the  river.  Provisions  could  be  obtained  at  no 
nearer  point  than  Wa3'ne  Count}'  and  St.  Louis, 
excepting  meat,  which  was  supplied  by  captur- 
ing bear,  deer  and  wild  turkej'S.  Hogs  were 
fattened  on  the  mast.  The  subject  remarks, 
■'  it  was  truh',  root  hog  or  die."  Farms  in  their 
neighborhood  were  opened  in  1839,  which  was 
very  tedious,  oxen  being  chiefly  used  for  plow- 
ing, as  horses  were  not  plentj'.  Oats  and  corn 
were  the  principal  crops,  and  the  vield  gener- 
ally good.  Schools  were  supported  by  sub- 
scription until  1839,  when  it  appears  by  the 
record  in  possession  of  the  subject  that  "the 
residents  of  this  township  shall  each  pay  the 


sum  of  two  dollars  per  quarter  for  each  scholar 
they  send  to  school ;  and  non-residents  shall 
pa}'  the  sum  of  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  per 
quarter  for  each  scholar  they  may  send."  "  T. 
J.  Gillenwaters,  President  of  Board  of  Trustees, 
August  17,  1838."  Samuel  F.  Hankins  was 
many  years  School  Director.  In  1871,  he  was 
chosen  School  Treasurer,  in  which  capacity  he 
still  acts.  He  is  a  bachelor.  In  early  life  he 
became  a  Mason,  in  which  honorable  institution 
he  was  advanced  to  the  Royal  Arch  Degree. 

T.  B.  RINEHART,  farmer,  P.  0.  Effingham, 
was  born  in  Effingham  County  in  1841.  -His 
father  was  Daniel  Rinehart,  who  was  born  in 
Tennessee  and  educated  in  Fairfield  County, 
Ohio,  also  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  was 
married  in  Ohio,  in  1818,  to  Miss  Barbara 
Keagy,  of  the  same  county.  In  his  family  there 
were  six  children,  two  girls  and  four  boys,  all 
living  except  Jemima,  former  wife  of  William 
C.  Wright,  who  died.  Our  subject  is  the  third 
child  of  the  family.  His  father  died  in  Jan- 
uary, 18G8.  He  came  to  this  State  in  1841, 
and  settled  in  Watson  Township,  where  he  re- 
mained until  his  election  to  the  office  of  County 
Clerk,  when  he  removed  to  Effingham.  He 
served  some  years  in  this  capacity,  during 
which  time  our  subject  embraced  the  oppor- 
tunity of  gaining  a  high  school  education,  and 
after  gi-aduation  at  McKendree  College.  He 
was  once  chosen  Supervisor  of  his  township, 
and  in  1 882  was  a  candidate  for  County  Clerk, 
on  the  National  ticket.  In  January,  1868,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Crooker  Blakely,  by 
which  union  they  have  had  six  children,  two 
of  whom  died  in  infancy.  His  father  had  been 
prominent  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  many 
years.  Mr.  Rinehart's  father-in-law  was  the 
late  Judge  BlakeU,  who  came  to  Effingham 
County  at  an  early  day,  when  the  country  was 
a  vast  wilderness  and  sparsely  settled.  In  1839, 
he  was  chosen  County  Clerk,  and  was  several 
times  elected  to  the  Legislature,  and  was  also 
member  of  the  Constitutional   Convention  for 


SUMMIT    TOWNSHIP. 


263 


the  counties  of  Effingham  and  Clay,  in  1847. 
In  1852,  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature,  and 
again  in  1872,  after  twentj-  j-ears  of  private 
life.  He  was  born  in  Columbia  County,  N.  Y., 
October  16,  1808.  In  October,  1839,  he  was 
married,  in  Lawrenceburg,  lud.,  to  Miss  Aman- 
da Crooker,  who  was  born  in  Greene  County, 
N.  Y.,  in  1814.  The  marriage  eeremonj-  was 
performed  by  the  late  Judge  Holden,  who  was 
in  early  life  a  prominent  clergyman.  On  ar- 
riving in  Effingham.  Mr.  Blakel}-  was  engaged 
in  merchandising,  at  wiiich  time  money  was 
scarce,  and  he  frequently  had  to  exchange  mer- 
chandise for  furs  and  feathers  and  like  com- 
modities. 

NATHAN  SKIPPER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Effing- 
ham, son  of  Nathan  and  Frances  (Williams) 
Skipper,  was  born  in  Hickman  County,  Tenn., 
in  1842;  while  young,  he  removed  with  his 
father's  family  from  that  State  to  Illinois,  in 
1850.  They  made  the  long,  tedious  journey 
through  the  then  wilderness  of  prairie  grass 
and  roadless  prairies,  with  two  yoke  of  oxen 
and  wagons.  Arriving  in  Illinois,  they  settled 
near  Weston,  where  his  father  settled  upon  a 
piece  of  land,  which  was  entered  over  him  by 
another  part}-.  Soon  after  this,  he  left  and 
came  to  Summit  Township,  where  he  purchased 
eighty  acres,  which  were  partly  improved.  Here 
our  subject  received  such  advantages  of  an 
education  as  were  offered  by  the  school  system 
of  those  times,  and  raised  to  farming  on  his 
father's  farm.  He  was  married  in  1861  to  Miss 
Sarah  Tims;  the  result  of  the  union  was  one 
child,  L.  C.  They  are  both  deceased  and  their 
remains  repose  in  the  cemetery  at  Watson. 
Mr.  Sliipper  takes  an  interest  in  the  educational 
and  political  affairs,  of  the  community  in 
which  he  lives,  and  is  respected  by  his  fellow- 


men.  In  his  father's  family  there  were  fourteen 
children,  of  whom  Mr.  Skipper  is  the  tenth. 
There  names  are  as  follows,  named  in  order  : 
Mary  Ann,  William,  Eli,  Catharine,  Sarah, 
Matilda  J.,  Elizabeth,  Margara  and  Louis. 
One  not  named  died  j-oung.  His  father  was  of 
Irish  descent,  and  was  born  in  North  Carolina 
October  19,  1805,  and  died  July  14,  1880,  and 
was  buried  at  Blue  Point  Cemeterj'.  His 
mother  is  of  French  origin,  her  age,  etc.,  are 
not  remembered.  In  politics,  Mr.  Skipper  is  a 
Democrat. 

J.  F.  THOMPSON,  nirmer,  P.  0.  Shumway, 
was  born  in  Wayne  Count}',  Ind.,  in  May,  1834, 
son  of  L.  W.  and  Catharina  (Whiting)  Thomp- 
son, both  natives  of  Virginia,  and  both  died  in 
this  count}',  the  father  in  1877  and  the  mother  the 
year  previous.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  four  of  whom  are  living.  Our  subject 
received  his  early  schooling  in  Tippecanoe 
County,  Ind.,  and  farming  he  chose  for  his 
occupation  in  early  life.  He  was  married, 
January  23,  1868,  in  this  county,  to  Miss 
Emma  E.  Kagay,  born  in  Ripley  Count}',  Ohio, 
August  28,  1840,  daughter  of  Abram  and 
Elizabeth  Kagay,  both  Alrginians  by  birth. 
Mrs.  Thompson  is  a  sister  of  Hon.  B.  F.  Kagay, 
of  this  county.  She  had  a  brother  in  the  late 
civil  war,  who  died  at  New  Albany,  Ind.  Her 
grandfather  was  Daniel  Hall.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Thompson  have  six  children — Laura,  May, 
William  Franklin,  Charles  Arthur,  Ivy  and 
Fealdon.  Our  subject  came  to  this  county  in 
1804.  He  ran  a  drug  store  in  Effingham  three 
years,  but  has  farmed  mostly,  having  purchased 
in  1869,  eighty  acres  at  $17  per  acre,  on  which 
he  does  general  farming.  He  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church.  In  politics, 
he  is  a  Democrat. 


A^PPENDIX. 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


INCLUDIXG  A  BRIEF 


HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS 


GEOGRAPHICAL    POSITION. 

WIIEX  the  Nortlnvestei-n  Tcri-itory 
was  ceded  to  the  United  States  by 
Virginia  in  1784-,  it  embraced  only  the  terri- 
tory lying  between  the  Oliio  and  the  Missis- 
sippi Rivers,  and  north  to  the  northern  lim- 
its of  the  United  States.  It  coincided  with 
the  area  now  embraced  in  the  States  of  Ohio, 
Indiana,  Michigan,  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  and 
that  portion  of  Minnesota  lying  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Mississippi  liiver.  The  United 
States  itself  at  that  period  extended  no 
farther  west  than  the  Mississippi  liiver; 
but  by  the  purchase  of  Louisiana  in  1803, 
the  western  boundary  of  the  United  States 
was  extended  to  the  Hocky  Mountains  and 
the  Northern  Pacific  Ocean.  The  new 
territory  thus  added  to  the  National  do- 
main, and  snbsefjuently  opened  to  settle- 
ment, has  been  called  the  "New  North- 
west," in  contnidistinction  from  the  old 
"  Northwestern  Territory." 

In  compai-ison  with  the  old  Northwest 
this  is  a  territory  of  vast  magnitude.  It 
includes  an  area  of  1,887,850  square  miles; 
being  greater  in  extent  than  the  united 
areas  of  all  the  Middle  and  Southern  States, 
including  Texas.     Out  of  this  magnilicent 


territory  liavebeen  erected  eleven"sovereign 
States  and  eight  Territories,  with  an  aggre- 
gate population,  at  the  present  time,  of 
13,000,000  inhabitants,  or  nearly  one-third 
of  the  entire  population  of  the  United 
States. 

Its  lakes  are  fresh-water  seas,  and  the 
larger  rivers  of  the  continent  flow  for  a 
thousand  miles  through  its  rich  alluvial  val- 
leys and  far-stretching  prairies,  more  acres 
of  which  are  arable  and  productive  of  the 
highest  percentage  of  the  cereals  than  of 
any  other  area  of  like  extent  on  the  globe. 

For  the  last  twenty  years  the  increase  of 
population  in  the  Northwest  has  been  about 
as  three  to  one  in  any  other  portion  of  the 
United  States. 

EAKI.Y    EXPLOKATIONS. 

In  the  year  1511,  De  Soto  first  saw  the 
Great  West  in  the  New  World.  He,  liow- 
ever,  penetrated  no  farther  north  than  the 
35th  parallel  of  latitude.  The  expedition 
resulted  in  his  death  and  that  of  nutre  than 
lialf  his  army,  the  rcmaitider  of  whom 
found  their  way  to  Cuba,  thence  to  Spain, 
in  a  famished  and  demoralized  condition. 
De  Soto  founded  no  settlements,  produced 
.no  results,  and  lett  no  tnics,  unless  it  were 


TlIK  NUKTinVEST  TKUKITt  )liV. 


that  he  awakened  the  liostility  of  the  red 
man  against  the  white  man,  and  disheart- 
ened such  as  might  desire  to  follow  np  the 
career  of  discovery  for  better  purposes. 
The  French  nation  were  eager  and  ready  to 
seize  upon  any  news  from  this  extensive 
domain,  and  were  the  first  to  profit  by  De 
Soto's  defeat.  Yet  it  was  more  than  a 
century  before  any  adventurer  took  advan- 
tage of  tliese  discoveries. 

In  1616,  four  years  before  the  pilgrims 
"  moored  tlieir  bark  on  the  wild  New  Eng- 
land shore,"  Le  Caron,  a  French  Franciscan, 
had  penetrated  tlirough  the  Iroq\iois  and 
and  Wyandots  (Ilurons)  to  the  streams 
whicli  run  into  Lake  Huron;  and  in  1Q?A, 
two  Jesuit  missionaries  founded  the  first 
mission  among  the  lake  tribes.  It  was  just 
one  hundred  years  from  the  discovei-y  of 
the  Mississippi  by  De  Soto  (15-il)  until  the 
Canadian  envoys  met  the  savage  nations  of 
the  Northwest  at'the  Falls  of  St.  Mary,  be- 
low the  outlet  of  Lake  Superior.  This 
visit  led  to  no  permanent  result,  yet  it  was 
not  until  1659  that  any  of  the  adventurous 
fur  traders  attempted  to  spend  a  winter  in 
the  frozen  wilds  about  tlie  great  lakes,  nor 
was  it  until  1660  that  a  station  was  estab- 
lished upon  their  borders  by  Mesnard,  who 
perished  in  the  woods  a  few  months  after. 
In  1665,  Claude  Allouez  built  the  earliest 
lasting  liabitation  of  the  white  man  among 
the  Indians  of  the  Nortliwest.  In  1668, 
Claude  Dablon  and  James  Marquette 
founded  the  mission  of  Sault  Ste.  Marie  at 
the  Falls  of  St.  Mary,  and  two  years  after- 
ward, Nicholas  Perrot,  as  agent  for  M. 
Talon,  Governor  General  of  Canada,  ex- 
plored Lake  Illinois  (Micliigan)  as  far 
south  as  the  present  City  of  Chicago,  and 
invited  the  Indian  nations  to  meet  him  at 


a  grand  council  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie  the 
following  spring,  where  they  were  taken 
under  the  protection  of  the  king,  and  formal 
possession  was  taken  of  the  Northwest. 
This  same  year  Marqnette  established  a 
mission  at  Point  St.  Ignatius,  wliere  was 
founded  tiie  old  town  of  town  of  Michilli- 
mackinac. 

During  M.  Talon's  exjilorations  and  Mar- 
quette's residence  at  St.  Ignatius,  they 
learned  of  a  great  river  away  to  the  west, 
and  fancied — as  ail  others  did  then — ^tliat 
u]ion  its  fertile  banks  wliole  tribes  of  God's 
children  resided,  to  wliom  the  sound  of  tlie 
Gospel  had  never  come.  Filled  with  a 
wisli  to  go  and  preach  to  them,  and  in  coni- 
pliance  witli  a  request  of  M.  Talon,  wlio 
earnestly  desired  to  extend  the  domain  of 
his  king,  and  to  ascertain  whetiier  the 
river  flowed  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  or  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  Marquette  with  Joliet,  as 
commander  of  the  expedition,  prepared  for 
the  undertaking. 

On  the  13th  of  May,  1673,  the  explorers, 
accompanied  by  five  assistant  French  Can- 
adians, set  out  from  Mackinaw  on  their 
daring  voyage  of  discovery.  The  Indians, 
who  gathered  to  witness  their  departure, 
were  astonished  at  the  boldness  of  the 
undertaking,  and  endeavored  to  dissuade 
them  from  their  purpose  by  representing 
the  tribes  on  the  Mississippi  as  exceedingly 
savage  and  cruel,  and  the  river  itself  as 
full  of  all  sorts  of  frightful  monsters  ready 
to  swallow  them  and  their  canoes  together. 
Cut,  nothing  daunted  by  tliese  teri'ific  de- 
scriptions, Marquette  told  them  ho  was 
willing  not  oidy  to  encounter  all  the  per- 
ils of  the  unknown  region  they  were  about 
to  explore,  but  to  lay  down  his  life  in  a 
cause    in    which  the  salvation  of  souls  was 


THE  NORTHWEST  TEURITORY. 


involved;  :ind  having  prayed  together  they 
sepai-ated.  Coasting  along  the  northern 
shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  the  adventurers 
entered  Green  Bay,  and  passed  thence  up 
the  Fox  River  and  Lake  Winnebago  to  a 
village  of  the  Miamis  and  Kickapoos. 
Here  Marquette  was  delighted  to  tind  a 
beautiful  cross  planted  in  the  middle  of  the 
town,  ornamented  with  white  skins,  red  gir- 
dles and  bows  and  arrows,  which  tJiese 
good  people  had  offered  to  the  great  Man- 
itou,  or  God,  to  thank  him  for  the  pity  he 
liad  bestowed  on  them  during  the  winter  in 
giving  tliem  an  abundant  "  chase."  This 
was  the  fa!  thest  outpost  to  which  Dablon  and 
Allouez  had  extended  their  misi?ionar3'  la- 
Ijors  the  year  jirjvious.  Here  Marqnette 
drank  mineral  waters  and  was  instructed  in 
tiie  secret  of  a  root  which  cures  the  bite  of 
the  venomous  rattlesnake.  Ue  assembled 
the  chiefs  and  old  men  of  the  village,  and, 
pointing  to  Joliet,  said:  "  My  friend  is  an 
envoy  of  France,  to  discover  new  coun- 
tries, and  I  am  an  ambassaiior  from  God  to 
enlighten  them  with  the  truths  of  the  Gos- 
pel." Two  Jliami  guides  were  here  fur- 
nished to  conduct  them  to  the  Wisconsin 
River,  and  they  set  out  from  the  Indian 
village  on  the  lOtli  of  June,  amidst  a  great 
crowd  of  natives  who  had  assembled  to 
witness  their  departure  into  a  region  where 
no  white  man  had  ever  yet  ventured.  The 
guides,  having  condueted  them  across  the 
portage,  returned.  Tlie  explorers  launched 
their  canoes  upon  the  Wisconsin  which 
they  descended  to  the  Mississippi  and  pro- 
ceeded down  it;  nidcnown  waters.  What 
emotions  must  have  swelled  their  breasts 
as  they  struck  out  into  tlie  broadening  cur- 
rent and  became  conscious  that  they  were 
now  upon  the  bfisom  of  the    Father  of  Wa- 


ters. The  mystery  was  about  to  ba  lifte.i 
from  the  long-sought  river.  The  scenurv 
in  that  locality  is  beautiful,  and  on  that 
delightful  seventeenth  of  June  must  iiave 
been  clad  in  all  its  primeval  loveliness  as  it 
had  been  adorned  by  the  hand  of  Nature. 
Drifting  rapidly,  it  is  said  that  the  bold 
bluffs  on  either  hand  "  reminded  them  of 
the  castled  shores  of  their  own  beautiful 
rivers  of  France."  By-and-bj',  as  they 
drii'ted  along,  great  herds  of  buffalo  ap- 
peared on  the  banks.  On  going  to  the 
heads  of  the  valley  they  could  see  a  coun- 
try of  the  greatest  beauty  and  fertility,  ap- 
parently destitute  of  inhabitants  yet  pre- 
senting the  appearance  of  extensive  man- 
ors, under  the  fastidious  cultivation  of 
lordly  proprietors. 

On  June  25th,  they  went  ashore  and  found 
some  fresh  traces  of  men  upon  tlie  sand, 
and  a  ]iath  which  led  to  the  prairie.  Tiio 
men  remained  in  the  boat,  and  Marquette 
and  Joliet  followed  the  path  till  they  dis- 
covered a  village  on  the  banks  of  a  river, 
and  two  other  villages  on  a  hill,  within  a 
half  league  of  the  first,  inhabited  by  Indians. 
Tliey  were  received  most  hospitably  by 
these  natives,  who  had  never  before  seen  a 
white  person.  After  remaining  a  few  days 
they  re-embarked  and  descended  the  river 
to  about  latitude  33",  where  they  found  a 
village  of  the  Arkansas,  and  beinw  satisfied 
that  the  river  flowed  into  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  turned  their  course  up  the  river, 
and  ascending  the  stream  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Illinois,  rowed  up  that  stream  to  its 
source,  and  procured  guides  from  that 
point  to  the  lakes.  "  No  where  on  this 
journey,"  says  Marquette,  "did  we  see  such 
grounds,  meadows,  woods,  stags,  buffaloes, 
deer,  wildcats,  bustards,  swans,  ducks,  par- 


TIIF,  XORTIIWKST  TKUUIToKY. 


roquets,  and  even  beavers,  as  on  the  Illinois 
River."  Tlie  party,  witliout  loss  or  injury, 
reached  Green  Bay  in  September,  and  re- 
ported their  discoverj' — one  of  the  most 
important  of  the  age,  but  of  which  no 
record  was  preserved  save  Marquette's, 
Joliet  losing  his  b}'  the  upsetting  of  his 
canoe  on  his  way  to  Quebec.  Afterward 
Marquette  returned  to  the  Illinois  Indians 
by  their  request,  and  ministered  to  them 
nntil  1675.  On  the  18th  of  May,  in  that 
year,  as  lie  was  passing  the  mouth  of  a 
stream — going  with  his  boatmen  up  Lake 
Michigan — he  asked  to  land  at  its  mouth 
and  celebrate  mass.  Leaving  his  men  with 
the  canoe,  he  retired  a  shore  distance  and 
began  his  devotions.  As  much  time  passed 
and  he  did  not  return,  his  men  went  in 
search  of  him,  and  found  him  upon  his 
knees,  dead.  He  had  peacefully  passed 
away  while  at  prayer.  He  was  buried  at 
this  spot.  Charlevoix,  who  visited  the 
place  fifty  years  after,  found  the  waters  had 
retreated  from  the  grave,  leaving  the  be- 
loved missionary  to  repose  in  peace.  The 
river  has  since  been  called  Marquette. 

While  Marquette  and  his  companions 
were  pursuing  their  labors  in  the  West, 
two  men,  differing  widely  from  him  and 
each  other,  were  preparing  to  follow  in  his 
footsteps  and  jierfect  the  discoveries  so  well 
begun  by  him.  These  were  Kobert  de  La 
Salle  and  Louis  Hennepin. 

After  La  Salle's  return  from  the  discovery 
of  the  Ohio  River  (see  the  narrative  else- 
wiiere),  he  established  himself  again  among 
the  French  trading  posts  in  Canada.  Hero 
he  mused  long  upon  the  pet  project  of 
those  ages — a  short  way  to  China  and  the 
East,  and  was  busily  planning  an  expedi- 
tion    up    the    g'.'eat    hikes,  and  so    aci'uss 


the  continent  to  the  Pacific,  when  Mar- 
quette returned  from  the  Mississippi.  At 
once  the  vigorous  mind  of  La  Salle  received 
from  his  and  his  companions'  stories  the 
idea  that  by  following  the  Great  River 
northward,  or  l>y  turning  up  some  of  the 
numerous  western  tributaries,  the  object 
coulil  easily  be  gained.  lie  applied  to 
Frontenac,  Governor  General  of  Canada, 
and  laid  before  him  the  plan,  dim  but 
gigantic.  Frontenac  entered  warmly  into 
his  plans,  and  saw  that  L'l  S;i!le's  idea  to 
connect  the  great  lakes  by  a  chain  of  f  )rts 
with  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  would  bind  the 
country  so  wonderfully  together,  give  un- 
measured power  to  France,  and  glory  to 
himself,  under  whose  administration  he 
earnestly  hoped  all  would  be  realized. 

La  Salle  now  repaired  to  France,  laid  his 
plans  before  the  King,  who  warmly  ap- 
proved of  them,  and  made  him  a  Chevalier. 
He  also  received  from  all  the  noblemen  the 
warmest  wishes  for  his  success.  The  Chev- 
alier returned  to  (Janada,  and  busily  en- 
tered u]ion  his  work.  He  at  once  rebuilt 
Fort  Frontenac  and  constructed  the  first 
ship  to  sail  on  these  fresh-water  seas.  On 
the  7th  of  August,  1679,  having  been  joined 
by  Hennepin,  he  began  his  voyage  in  the 
Griflin  u]i  Lake  Erie.  He  passed  over 
this  lake,  through  the  straits  beyond,  up 
Lake  St.  Clair  and  into  Huron.  In  this 
lake  they  encountered  lieavy  storms.  The^' 
were  some  timeatMichillimackinac,  where 
La  Salle  founded  a  fort,  and  passed  on  to 
Green  Bay,  the  "  Bale  des  Pnans  "  of  the 
French,  where  he  found  a  large  quantity  of 
fui-s  collected  for  him.  He  loaded  the 
Griffin  with  these,  and  placing  her  under 
the  care  of  a  pilot  and  fourteen  sailors, 
startcil  her  on  her  return  voyage.     The  ves- 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


sel  was  never  afterward  heard  of.  lie  re- 
mained about  these  parts  until  early  in  the 
winter,  when,  iieariiig  nothing  from  the 
Griffin,  he  collected  all  iiis  men — thirty 
wurkinn-  men  and  three  monks — and 
started  again  npon  his  great  undertaking. 

By  a  short  ])oi-tage  they  passed  to  the  Il- 
linois or  Kankakee,  called  by  the  Indians, 
"Tiieakeke,"  wo?/,  because  of  the  tribes  of 
Indians  called  by  tliat  name,  commonly 
known  as  tiie  Maluiigans,  dwelling  there. 
The  French  pronounced  it  ICiali/ki,  which 
became  corrupted  to  Kankakee.  "Falling 
down  the  said  river  by  easy  journeys,  the 
better  to  observe  the  country,"  about  the 
last  of  Deceinber  tliey  reached  a  village  of 
the  Illinois  Indians,  containing  some  five 
hundred  cabins,  but  at  that  moment  no  in- 
habitants. The  Seur  de  La  Salic  being  in 
want  of  some  brcadstuifs,  took  advantage 
of  the  absence  of  the  Indians  to  heli)  him- 
self to  a  sufficiency  of  maize,  large  quanti- 
ties of  which  he  found  concealed  in  holes 
under  the  wigwams.  This  village  was  sit- 
uated near  the  present  village  of  Utica  in 
La  Salle  County,  Illinois.  The  corn  being 
securely  stored,  the  voyagers  again  l)etook 
tliemselves  to  the  stream,  and  toward  even- 
ing on  the  ith  day  of  January,  KjSO,  they 
came  into  a  lake,  which  must  have  been 
the  lake  of  Peoria.  This  was  called  by  the 
Indians  Plm-i-te-wl,  that  is  a  place  where 
there  are  many  fat  beasts.  Here  the  na- 
tives were  met  with  in  large  numbers,  but 
they  were  gentle  and  kind,  and  having 
spent  some  time  with  them.  La  Salle  deter- 
mined to  erect  another  fort  in  that  place, 
for  he  had  heard  rumors  that  some  of  the 
adjciining  tribes  were  trying  to  disturb  the 
good  feeling  which  existed,  and  some  of 
his  men  were  disposed  to  complain,  owing 


to  the  hardships  and  perils  of  the  travel. 
lie  called  tiiis  fort  "  Crevecoiur"  (broken - 
lieart),  a  name  expressive  of  the  very  nat- 
ural sorrow  and  anxiety  which  the  pretty 
certain  loss  of  his  ship.  Griffin,  and  hiscon- 
SG(pient  impoverishment,  the  danger  of 
hostdity  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  and  of 
mutiiiv  anionir  his  own  men,  might  well 
cause  him.  His  fears  were  not  entirely 
groundless.  Atone  time  poison  was  placed 
in  his  food,  but  fortunately  was  discovered. 

"While  building  this  fort,  the  winter 
wore  away,  the  prairies  began  to  look 
green,  and  La  Salle,  despairing  of  any  rein- 
forcements, concluded  to  return  to  Canada, 
raise  new  means  and  new  men,  and  embark 
anew  in  the  enterprise.  For  this  purpose 
he  made  Hennepin  the  leader  of  a  party  to 
explore  the  head  waters  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  lie  set  out  on  his  journey.  This  jour- 
ney was  accomplished  with  the  aid  of  a 
few  persons,  and  was  successfully  made, 
though  over  an  almostunknown  route,  and 
in  a  bad  season  of  the  year.  He  safely 
reached  Canada,  and  set  out  again  for  the 
object  of  his  search. 

Hennepin  and  his  party  left  Fort  Creve- 
co3ur  on  the  last  of  February,  1680.  When 
La  Salle  reached  this  place  on  his  return  ex- 
pedition, he  found  the  fort  entirely  desert- 
ed, and  he  was  obliged  to  return  again  to 
Canada.  He  en^barked  the  third  time, 
and  succeeded.  Seven  days  after  leaving 
the  fort,  Hennepin  reached  the  Mississippi, 
and  paddling  up  the  icy  stream  as  best  he 
could,  reached  no  higher  than  the  Wis- 
consin liiver  by  the  11th  of  A])ril.  Here 
he  and  his  followers  were  taken  prisoners 
by  a  band  of  Northern  Indians,  who  treat- 
ed them  with  great  kindness.  Hennepin's 
comrades  were   Anthony  Auguel  and  Mi- 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


chael  Ako.  On  this  voyage  they  found  sev- 
eral beautiful  lakes,  and  "  saw  some  charm- 
ing prairies."  Tiieir  captors  were  the 
Isaute  or  Saiiteurs,  Chippewas,  a  tribe  of 
the  Sioux  nation,  who  took  them  up  tlie 
river  until  about  the  iirstof  May,  when 
tlicy  reached  some  falls,  whicli  Hen- 
nepin clu-istened  Falls  of  St.  Anthony 
in  honor  of  his  patron  saint.  Here  tjiev 
took  the  land,  and  traveling  nearly  two 
liundred  miles  to  the  northwest,  brought 
them  to  their  villages.  Here  they  were 
kept  about  three  months,  were  treated  kind- 
ly by  their  captors,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time,  were  met  by  a  band  of  Frenchmen, 
headed  by  one  Seur  de  Luth,  who,  in  pur- 
suit of  trade  and  game,  had  penetrated  thus 
far  by  the  route  of  Lake  Superior;  and 
with  these  fellow-c..)untrynien  Hennepin  and 
liis  comjianions  were  allowed  to  return  to 
the  borders  of  civilized  life  in  JSTovember, 
1680,  just  after  La  Salle  had  returned 
to  the  wilderness  on  his  second  trip.  Hen- 
nepin soon  after  went  to  France,  where 
lie  publislied  an  account  of  his  adven- 
tures. 

The  Mississippi  was  first  discovered  by 
De  Soto  in  April,  1541,  in  his  vain  endeav- 
or to  find  gold  and  precious  gems.  In  the 
following  spring,  De  Soto,  weary  with  hope 
long  deferred,  and  worn  out  with  his  wan- 
derings, fell  a  victim  to  disease,  and  on 
the  21st  of  May,  died.  His  followers,  re- 
duced by  fetigue  and  disease  to  less  than 
three  hundred  men,  wandered  about  the 
country  nearly  a  year,  in  the  vain  endeavor 
to  rescue  themselves  by  land,  and  finally 
constructed  seven  small  vessels,  called  brio-. 
antines,  in  which  they  embarked,  and  de- 
scending the  river,  supposing  it  would 
lead  them  to  the  sea,  in  Julv  thcv  came  to 


the  sea  (Gulf  of  Mexico),  and  by  Septem- 
ber reached  the  Island  of  Cuba. 

They  were  the  first  to  see  the  great  out- 
let of  the  Mississippi;  but,  being  so  weary 
and  discouraged,  made  no  attem]>t  to  claim 
the  country,  and  hardly  had  an  intelligent 
idea  of  what  they  liad  passed  through. 

To  LaS-iIle,  the  intrepid  explorer,  l)elongs 
the  honor  of  giving  the  first  account  of 
the  mouths  of  the  ri^-er.  His  great  desire 
was  to  possess  this  entire  country  for  liis 
king,  and  in  January,  16S2,  he  and  his 
band  of  explorers  left  the  shores  of  Lake 
Michigan  on  their  third  attempt,  crossed 
the  portage,  passed  down  the  Illinois  Kiv- 
er,  and  on  the  (Jth  of  February,  reached  the 
banks  of  the  Mississippi. 

On  the  13th  they  commenced  their  down- 
ward course,  which  they  pursued  with  but 
one  interruption,  until  npon  the  6th  of 
March  they  discovered  the  three  great  pas- 
sages by  which  the  river  discharges  its 
waters  into  the  gulf  La  Salle  thus  narrates 
the  event: 

"  We  landed  on  the  bank  of  the  most 
western  channel,  about  three  leagues  (nine 
utiles)  from  its  mouth.  On  the  seventh, 
M.  de  La  Salle  went  to  reconnoiter  the  shores 
of  the  neighboring  sea,  and  M.  de  Tonti 
meanwhile  examined  the  great  middle  chan- 
nel. They  found  the  main  outlets  beau- 
tiful, large  and  deep.  On  the  Sth  we  reas- 
cendcd  the  rivei,a  little  above  its  conflu- 
ence with  tlie  sea,  to  find  a  dry  place  be- 
yond the  reach  of  inundations.  The  el- 
evation of  the  jS'orth  Pole  was  here  about 
twenty-seven  degrees.  Here  we  prepared 
a  column  and  a  cross,  and  to  the  column 
were  affixed  the  arms  of  France  with  this 
inscription: 

Louis  IjeGrand,  Roi  De  France  et  de  Navarre, 
regne;  Le  neuviemeAvril  1682. 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


The  whole  party,  under  arms,  chanted 
the  Te  Deum,  and  tlien,  after  a  salute  and 
cries  of*'  Vive  h'  Jiol"  the  cohiiiin  was 
erected  by  M.  dc  La  Salle,  who,  standing 
near  it,  proclaimed  in  a  loud  voice  the  au- 
thoi-ity  of  the  King  of  France.  La  Salle 
returned  and  laid  tlie  foundations  of  the 
Mississippi  settlements  in  Illinois,  thence 
lie  proceeded  to  France,  where  another  ex- 
pedition was  fittud  out,  of  which  he  was 
commander,  and  in  two  succeeding  voy- 
ages failed  to  find  the  outlet  of  the  river 
l)y  sailing  along  the  shore  of  the  gulf.  On 
his  thii'd  voyage  he  was  killed,  through 
the  treachery  of  his  followers,  and  the  ob- 
ject of  his  expeditions  was  not  accom- 
plished until  1699,  when  D'Iberville,  un- 
der the  authority  of  the  crown,  discovered, 
on  the  second  of  March,  by  way  of  the  sea, 
the  mouth  of  the  "  Hidden  River."  This 
majestic  stream  was  called  by  the  natives 
"  Jfaldouc/ua,"  and  by  the  Spaniards,  "fo 
Palissade, "  from  the  great  number  of 
trees  about  its  mouth.  After  traversing  tlie 
several  outlets,  and  satisfying  himself  as  to 
its  certainty,  he  erected  a  fort  near  its 
Avestern  outlet  and  returned  to  France. 

An  avenue  of  trade  was  now  opened  out, 
which  was  fully  improved.  In  1718,  New 
Orleans  was  laid  out  and  settled  hy  some 
European  colonists.  In  1762,  the  colony 
was  made  over  to  Sjiain,  to  be  regained  by 
France  under  the  consulate  of  Napoleon. 
In  1803,  it  was  purchased  by  the  Ignited 
States  for  the  sum  of  fifteen  million  dollars, 
and  the  territor\-  of  Louisiana  and  com- 
merce of  the  ]\Iis?issippi  River  came  under 
the  charge  of  the  United  States.  Although 
La  Salle's  labors  ended  in  defeat  and  death, 
he  had  not  worked  and  suffered  in  vain. 
He    had    thrown  open  to  France  and  the 


world  an  immense  and  most  valuable  coun- 
try; had  established  several  ports,  and  laid 
the  foundations  of  more  than  one  settle- 
ment there.  '•  Peoria,  Kaskaskia  and  Ca- 
hokia,  are  to  this  day  monuments  of  La 
Salle's  labors;  for,  though  he  had  founded 
neither  of  them  (unless  Peoria,  which  was 
built  nearly  upon  the  site  of  Fort  Creve- 
coMir,)  it  was  by  those  whom  he  led  into  tlie 
West  that  these  places  were  peopled  and 
civilized.  He  was,  if  not  the  discoverer, 
the  first  settler  of  the  Mississippi  Valley, 
and  as  such  deserves  to  be  known  and 
honored." 

The  Fi-ench  early  improved  the  opening 
made  for  them.  Before  the  year  1698,  the 
Rev.  Father  Gravier  began  a  mission  among 
the  Illinois,  and  founded  Kaskaskia.  For 
some  time  this  was  merely  a  missionary 
station,  where  none  but  natives  resided,  it 
being  one  of  three  such  villages,  the  other 
two  being  Cahokia  and  Peoria.  What  is 
known  of  these  missions  is  learned  from  a 
letter  written  by  Father  Gabriel  Marest, 
dated  ''Aux  Cascaskias,  autrement  dit  do 
I'lmmaculate  Conception  de  la  Sainte 
Vierge,  le  9  Noverabre,  1712."  Soon  after 
the  founding  of  Kaskaskia,  the  missionary, 
Pinet,  gathered  a  Hock  at  Cahokia,  while 
Peoria  arose  near  the  ruins  of  Fort  Creve- 
cfBur.  This  must  have  been  about  a  year 
1700.  The  post  at  Vincennes  on  the 
Oubache  river,  (])ronounced  Wa-ba,  mean- 
ing i^miimer  dowl  moving  nw/ff/i/)  was  es- 
tablished in  1702,  according  to  the  best 
authorities.*     It  is  altogether  probable  that 

*  There  is  consideraljle  dispute  about  this  date, 
some  asserting  it  was  founded  as  late  as  1742.  When 
the  new  court  house  at  Vincennes  was  erected,  all 
authorities  on  the  subject  were  carefully  examined, 
and  1702  fixed  upon  as  the  correct  date.  It  was  ac- 
cordingly engrave<I  on  the  corner-stone  of  the  court 
house. 


thp:  northwest  territory. 


on  La  Salle's  last  trip  he  established  the 
stations  at  Kaskaskia  and  Cahokia.  In 
Jnl^-,  1701,  tlie  foundations  of  Fort  Pon- 
chartrain  were  laid  by  De  laMotte  Cadillac 
on  the  Detroit  River.  These  stations,  with 
tliose  establisiiod  further  north,  were  the 
earliest  attempts  to  occupy  the  Northwest 
Territory.  At  the  same  time  efforts  were 
being  made  to  occupy  the  Southwest,  wliich 
finally  culminated  in  the  settlement  and 
founding  of  tiie  City  of  New  Orleans  by  a 
colony  from  England  in  1718.  TJiis  was 
mainly  accomplished  tlirough  the  eiforts  of 
tlie  famotis  Mississippi  Company,  estab- 
lislied  by  the  notorious  John  Law,  who  so 
qnickly  arose  into  prominence  in  France, 
and  wlio  with  his  scheme  so  qnickly  and  so 
ignominiously  passed  away. 

From  tlie  time  of  the  fonnding  of  these 
stations  for  fifty  years  the  Fi'ench  nation 
■were  engrossed  with  the  settlement  of  the 
lower  Mississippi,  and  the  war  witii  the 
Chicasaws,  who  had,  in  revenge  for  repeated 
injuries,  cutoff  the  entire  colony  at  Natchez. 
Altiiough  the  company  did  little  for  Louis- 
iana, as  the  entire  AVest  was  then  called, 
yet  it  opened  tlie  trade  through  the  Missis- 
sippi Eiver,  and  started  the  raising  of 
grains  indigenous  to  that  climate.  Until 
the  year  1750,  but  little  is  known  of  the 
settlements  in  the  Northwest,  as  it  was  not 
until  this  time  that  the  attention  of  the 
English  was  called  to  the  occupation  of 
this  portion  of  the  New  World,  which  tlie^- 
then  supposed  they  owned.  Vivier,  a  mis- 
sionary among  the  Illinois,  writing  from 
"Aux  Illinois,"  six  leagues  from  Fort 
Cliartres,  June  8,  1750,  says:  "  AVe  have 
liere  whites,  negroes  and  Indians,  to  say 
nothing  of  cross-breeds.  There  are  five 
French  villages,  and  three  villages  of  "the 


natives,  within  a  space  of  twenty-one 
leagues  situated  between  the  Mississippi 
and  another  river  called  the  Ivarkadaid 
(Kaskaskias).  In  the  five  French  villages 
are,  perhaps,  eleven  luindred  whites,  three 
hundred  blacks  and  some  sixty  red  slaves 
or  savages.  The  three  Illinois  towns  do 
not  contain  more  than  eight  hundred  souls 
all  told.  Most  of  the  French  till  the  soil  ; 
they  raise  wheat,  cattle,  pigs  and  horses, 
and  live  like  princes.  Three  times  as  much 
is  produced  as  can  be  consumed  ;  and  great 
quantities  of  grain  and  flour  are  sent  to 
New  Orleans."  This  city  was  now  the 
seaport  town  of  the  Northwest,  and  save 
in  the  extreme  northern  ])art,  where  only 
furs  and  copper  ore  were  found,  almost  all 
the  products  of  the  country  found  their 
way  to  France  by  the  mouth  of  the  Father 
of  Waters.  In  another  letter,  dated  No- 
vember 7,  1750,  this  same  priest  saj's: 
"  For  fifteen  leagues  above  the  mouth  of 
the  Mississippi  one  sees  no  dwellings,  the 
ground  being  too  low  to  be  habitable. 
Thence  to  New  Orleans,  the  lands  are  only 
partially  occupied.  New  Orleans  contains 
black,  white  and  red,  not  more,  I  think, 
than  twelve  hundred  persons.  To  this 
point  come  all  lumber,  bricks,  salt-beef, 
tallow,  tar,  skins  and  bear's  grease  ;  and 
above  all,  pork  and  flour  from  tlie  Illinois. 
Tliese  things  create  some  commerce,  as 
forty  vessels  and  more  have  come  hither 
this  year.  Above  New  Orleans,  plantations 
are  again  met  with  ;  the  most  considerable 
is  a  colony  of  Germans,  some  ten  leagues 
up  the  river.  At  Point  Coupee,  thirtj'-five 
leagues  above  the  German  settlement,  is  a 
fort.  Along  here,  within  five  or  six  leagues, 
are  not  less  than  sixty  habitations.  Fifty 
leagues   farther   up  is    the   Natchez  post, 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


where  we  have  a  garrison,  who  are  kept 
prisoners  througli  tear  of  the  Chicasaws. 
Here  and  at  point  Conpee,  tliey  raise  excel- 
lent tobacco.  Anotiier  hundred  leagues 
brings  ns  to  the  Arkansas,  where  we  have 
also  a  fort  and  a  garrison  for  the  benefit  of 
the  river  traders.  *  *  *  From  the  Ar- 
kansas to  the  Illinois,  nearly  five  hundred 
leagues,  there  is  not  a  settlement.  There 
should  be,  however,  a  fort  at  the  Oubache 
(Ohio),  the  only  path  by  which  the  English 
can  reach  the  Mississippi.  In  the  Illinois 
country  are  numberless  mines,  but  no  one 
to  work  them  as  they  deserve."  Father 
Marest,  writing  from  thepost  at  Vincennes, 
in  1812,  makes  the  same  observation.  Vi- 
vier  also  says:  "Some  individuals  dig 
lead  near  the  surfixce  and  supply  tlie  Ind- 
ians and  Canada.  Two  Spaniards  now  here, 
who  claim  to  be  adepts,  say  that  our  mines 
are  like  those  of  Mexico,  and  that  if  we 
would  dig  deeper,  we  should  find  silver  un- 
der the  lead  ;  and  at  any  rate  the  lead  is 
excellent.  There  is  also  in  this  country, 
beyond  doubt,  copper  ore,  as  from  time  to 
time  large  pieces  are  found  in  the  streams." 
At  the  close  of  the  year  1750,  the  French 
occupied,  in  addition  to  the  lower  Missis- 
sippi posts  and  those  in  Illinois,  one  at 
Da  Quesne,  one  at  the  Maumee  in  the 
country  of  the  Miamis,  and  one  at  Sandus- 
ky, in  what  may  be  termed  the  Ohio  Val- 
ley. In  the  northern  part  of  the  North- 
west they  had  stations  at  St.  Joseph's  on 
the  St.  Joseph's  of  Lake  Michigan,  at  Fort 
Poncliartraiii  (Detroit),  at  Michiilimack- 
anac  or  Massillimacanac,  Fox  Iliver  of 
Green  Bay,  and  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie.  The 
fondest  dreams  of  La  Salle  were  now  fully 
realized.  The  French  alone  were  possess- 
ors of  this  vast  realm,  basing  tlieir  claim 


on  discovery  and  settlement.  Another  na- 
tion, liowever,  was  now  turning  its  atten- 
tion to  this  extensive  country,  andhearing 
of  its  wealth,  began  to  lay  plans  for  oc- 
cupying it  and  tor  securing  the  great 
profits  arising  therefrom. 

The  French,  however,  had  another  claim 
to  this  country,  namely,  the 

DISCOVEEY    OF   THE    OHIO. 

This  "  Beautiful  "  river  was  discovered 
by  Robert  Cavalier  de  La  Salle  in  1669,  four 
years  before  the  discovery  of  the  Missis- 
sippi by  Joliet  and  Marquette. 

"While  La  Salle  was  at  his  trading  post 
on  the  St.  Lawrence,  he  found  leisure  to 
study  nine  Indian  dialects,  the  chief  of 
which  was  tlie  Iroquois.  He  not  only  de- 
sired to  facilitate  his  intercourse  in  trade, 
but  he  longed  to  travel  and  explore  the  un- 
known regions  of  tlie  West.  An  incident 
soon  occurred  which  decided  him  to  fit  out 
an  exploi'iiig  expedition. 

While  conversing  with  some  Senecas,  he 
learned  of  a  river  called  the  Ohio,  which 
rose  in  their  country  and  fiowed  to  the  sea, 
but  at  snch  a  distance  that  it  required 
eiffbt  months  to  reach  its  mouth.  In  this 
statement  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributa- 
ries were  considered  as  one  stream.  La 
Salle,  believing,  as  most  of  the  French  at 
that  period  did,  tliat  the  great  rivers  flow- 
ing west  emptied  into  the  Sea  of  Califor- 
nia, was  anxious  to  embark  inthcenter- 
])rise  of  discovering  a  route  across  the  con- 
tinent to  the  commerce  of  China  and 
Japan. 

lie  repaired  at  once  to  Quebec  to  obtain 
the  approval  of  the  Governor.  His  elo- 
quent ajipeal  prevailed.  The  Governor 
and    the    Intendant,   Talon,  issued   letters 


10 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


patent  authorizing  the  enterprise,  but  made 
uo  provision  to  defray  the  expenses.  At 
this  juncture  tlie  seminary  of  St.  Siilpice 
decided  to  send  out  missionaries  in  connec- 
tion witli  the  ex]iedition,  and  La  Salle  olTer- 
ing  to  sell  Ids  impr()ven;ients  at  La  Chine  to 
raise  money,  the  offer  was  accepted  by  the 
Superior,  and  two  tiiousand  eight  hundred 
dollars  were  raised,  with  which  La  Salle 
purchased  four  canoes  and  the  necessary 
supplies  for  the  outfit. 

On  the  6th  of  July,  1CG9,  the  party,  num- 
bering twenty-four  persons,  embarked  in 
seven  canoes  on  the  St.  Lawrence;  two  ad- 
ditional canoes  carried  the  Indian  guides. 
Li  three  days  they  were  gliding  over  the 
bosom  of  Lake  Ontario.  Tiieir  guides  con- 
ducted them  directly  to  the  Seneca  village 
on  the  bank  of  the  Genesee,  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  present  City  of  Kochester,  Kew 
York.  Here  they  expected  to  procure 
guides  to  conduct  them  to  the  Ohio,  but  in 
this  they  were  disappointed. 

The  Indians  seemed  unfriendly  to  the 
enterprise.  La  Salle  suspected  that  the 
Jesuits  had  prejudiced  tlieir  minds 
against  his  plans.  After  waiting  a  month 
in  the  hope  of  gaining  their  object,  thev 
met  an  Indian  from  the  Iroquois  colony  at 
the  head  of  Lake  Ontario,  who  assured 
them  that  they  could  there  find  guides,  and 
ofiei'ed  to  conduct  them  thence. 

On  their  way  they  passed  the  mouth  of 
the  Niagara  River,  when  they  heard  for  the 
first  time  the  distant  thunder  of  the  cata- 
ract. Arriving  among  the  Iroquois,  they 
met  with  a  friendly  reception,  and  learned 
from  a  Shawanee  prisoner  that  they  could 
reach  the  Ohio  in  six  weeks.  Delighted 
witli  the  unexpected  good  fortune,  they 
made  ready  to  resume    their  journey;  but 


just  as  they  were  about  to  start  they  heard 
of  the  ai'rival  of  two  Frenchiuen  in  a  neigh- 
boring village.  One  of  them  proved  to  be 
Louis  Joliet,  afterward  famous  as  an  ex- 
plorer in  the  West.  He  had  been  sent  by 
tlie  Canadian  Government  to  explore  the 
co])per  mines  on  Lake  Superior,  but  had 
failed,  and  was  on  his  way  back  to  Quebec. 
He  gave  the  missionaries  a  map  of  the 
country  he  had  explored  in  the  lake  region, 
together  with  an  account  of  the  condition 
of  the  Indians  in  that  quarter.  This  in- 
duced the  priests  to  deterniine  on  leaving 
the  expedition  and  going  to  Lake  Superior. 
La  Salle  warned  them  that  the  Jesuits  were 
probably  occuj^ying  that  field,  and  that 
they  would  meet  with  a  cold  reception. 
Nevertheless  they  persisted  in  their  pur- 
pose, and  after  worship  on  the  lake  shore 
parted  from  La  Salle.  On  arriving  at  Lake 
Superior,  they  found,  as  La  Salle  had  pre- 
dicted, the  Jesuit  Fathers,  Manjuette  and 
Dablon,  occupying  the  field. 

These  zealous  disciples  of  Loyola  in- 
formed them  that  they  wanted  no  assistance 
from  St.  Sulpice,  nor  from  those  who  made 
him  their  ]iatron  saint;  and  thus  repulsed, 
they  returned  to  Montreal  the  following 
June  without  having  niade  a  single  discov- 
ery or  converted  a  single  Indian. 

After  parting  with  the  priests,  La  Salle 
went  to  the  chief  Iroquois  village  at  Onon- 
daga, where  he  obtained  guides,  and  passing 
thence  to  a  tributary  of  the  Ohio  south  of 
Lake  Erie,  he  descended  the  latter  as  far  as 
the  falls  at  Louisville.  Thus  was  the  Ohio 
discovered  by  La  Salle,  the  persevering  and 
successful  French  explorer  of  the  AVest,  in 
1669. 

The  account  of  the  latter  part  of  his 
journey  is  found  in  an  anonymous   paper, 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITOKV. 


11 


wliicli  purports  toliave  Lecn  taken  from  the 
lips  of  La  Salle  himself  during  a  subsequent 
visit  to  Pai-is.  In  a  letter  written  to  Count 
Frontenac  in  1067,  shortl}-  after  the  discov- 
ery, he  himself  says  that  he  discovered  the 
Ohio  and  descended  it  to  the  falls.  This 
was  regarded  as  an  indisputable  fact  by  the 
French  authorities,  who  claimed  the  Ohio 
Valley  upon  another  ground.  When  "Wash- 
ington was  sent  by  the  colony  of  Virginia 
in  1753,  to  demand  of  Gordeur  de  St.  Pierre 
why  the  French  had  built  a  fort  on  the  Mo- 
iiongahela,  the  haughty  commandant  at 
Quebec  replied:  "  We  claim  the  country  on 
the  Ohio  by  virtue  of  the  discoveries  of 
La  Salle,  and  will  not  give  it  up  to  the  Eng- 
lish. Our  orders  are  to  make  prisoners  of 
ever\'  Englishman  found  trading  in  the 
Ohio  Valley." 

ENGLISH      EXPLORATIONS     AND     SETTLEMENTS. 

When  the  new  year  of  1750  broke  in  up- 
on the  Father  of  Waters  and  the  Great 
Northwest,  all  was  still  wild  save  at  the 
French  posts  already  described.  Li  1749, 
when  the  English  first  began  to  think  seri- 
ously about  sending  men  into  the  West, 
the  greater  portion  of  the  States  of  Indi- 
ana, Ohio,  Illinois,  Miciiigan,  Wisconsin, 
and  Minnesota  were  yet  under  the  domin- 
ion of  the  red  men.  The  English  knew, 
however,  pretty  conclusively  of  the  nature 
of  the  wealth  of  these  wilds.  As  early  as 
1710,  Governor  Spotswood,  of  Virginia, 
liad  commenced  movements  to  secure  the 
country  west  of  the  Alleghanies  to  the 
English  crown.  In  Pennsylvania,  Gover- 
nor Keith  and  James  Logan,  secretary  of 
the  province,  from  1719  to  1731,  represent- 
ed to  the  powers  of  England  the  necessity 
of  securing  the  Western   lauds.       Xothimr 


was  done,  however,  by  that  power  save  to 
take  some  diplomatic  steps  to  secure  the 
claims  of  Britain  to  this  unexplored  w'ilder- 
ness. 

England  had  from  the  outset  claimed 
from  the  Atlantic  to  tlie  Pacific,  on  the 
ground  that  the  discovery  of  the  seacoast 
and  its  possession  was  a  discovery  and  pos- 
session of  the  country,  and,  as  is  well  known, 
her  grants  to  the  colonies  extended  "from 
sea  to  sea."  This  was  not  all  her  claim. 
She  had  purchased  from  tlie  Indian  tribes 
large  tracts  of  laud.  This  latter  was  also  a 
strong  argument.  As  early  as  16S4,  Lord 
Howard,  Governor  of  Virginia,  held  a  trea- 
ty with  the  six  nations.  These  were  the 
great  Northern  Confederacy,  and  comprised 
at  first  the  Mohawks,  Oneidas,  Onondagas, 
Cayngas,  and  Senecas.  Afterward  the  Tus- 
caroras  were  taken  into  the  confederacy, 
and  it  became  known  as  the  Six  Nations. 
They  came  under  the  protection  of  the 
mother  country,  and  again  in  1701,  they 
repeated  the  agreement,  and  in  September, 
172(3,  a  formal  deed  was  drawn  np  and 
signed  by  the  chiefs.  The  validity  of  this 
claim  has  often  been  disputed,  but  never 
successfully.  In  1744,  a  purchase  was  made 
at  Laucaster,  Pennsylvania,  of  certain  lands 
within  the  "Colony  of  Virginia,"  for  which 
the  Indians  received  £200  in  gold  and  a 
like  sum  in  goods,  with  a  promise  that,  as 
settlements  increased,  more  should  be  paid. 
The  Commissioners  from  Vii'ginia  were 
Colonel  Thomas  Lee  and  Colonel  William 
Beverley.  As  settlements  extended,  the 
]iromise  of  more  pay  was  called  to  mind, 
and  Mr.  Conrad  Weiser  was  sent  across  the 
mountains  with  presents  to  appease  the 
savages.  Col.  Lee,  and  some  Virginians 
accompanied   him  with    the    intention    of 


12 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


soiiii(lin£j;  the  Indians  upon  tlieir  feelings 
regarding  tlie  English.  They  were  not 
satisfied  with  their  treatment,  and  plainly 
told  the  Commissioners  why.  The  English 
did  not  desire  tlie  cultivation  of  the  country, 
hut  the  monopoly  of  the  Indian  trade.  In 
ITJrS,  the  Ohio  Company  was  formed,  and 
petitioned  the  king  for  a  grant  of  hind 
beyond  the  Alleghenies.  This  was  granted, 
and  the  government  of  Virginia  was  or- 
dered to  grant  to  them  a  half  million  acres, 
two  hundred  thousand  of  which  were  to  be 
located  at  once.  Upon  the  12th  of  June, 
1740,  800,000  acres  from  the  line  of  Canada 
north  and  west  was  made  to  the  Loyal 
Company,    and    on    the    29th    of  October, 

1751,  100,000  acres  were  given  to  the 
Greenbriar  Company.  All  this  time  the 
French  were  not  idle.  They  saw  that, 
should  the  British  gain  a  foothold  in  the 
West,  especially  upon  the  Ohio,  they 
might  not  only  prevent  the  French  set- 
tling upon  if,  but  in  time  would  come  to 
the  lower  posts  and  so  gain  •possession  of 
the  whole  country.  Upon  the  10th  of  May, 
1774,  Yaudreuil,  Governor  of  Canada  and 
the  French  possessions,  well  knowing  the 
consequences  that  must  arise  from  allow- 
ing the  English  to  build  trading  posts  in 
the  Northwest,  seized  some  of  tlieir  frontier 
posts,  and  to  further  secure  the  claim  of  the 
French  to  the  West,  he,  in  174!),  sent  Louis 
Celeron  with  a  party  of  soldiers  to  plant 
along  the  Ohio  River,  in  the  mounds  and 
at  the  mouths  of  its  principal  tributaries, 
plates  of  lead,  on  which  were  inscrii)ed  the 
claims  of  France.     These  were  heard  of  in 

1752,  and  within  the  memory  of  residents 
now  living  along  the  "Oyo,"  as  the  beauti- 
ful river  was  called  by  the  French.  One 
of  these  plates  was  found  with  the  inscrip- 


tion partly  defaced.  It  bears  date  August 
ICi,  174'J,  and  a  copy  of  the  inscription  with 
j)articuhir  account  of  the  discovery  of  the 
plate,  was  sent  by  DeWitt  Clinton  to  the 
American  Anti(juarian  Society,  among 
whose  journals  it  may  now  be  found.* 
These  measures  did  not,  however,  deter  the 
English  from  going  on  with  their  explora- 
tions, and  though  neither  party  resorted  to 
arms,  yet  the  conflict  was  gathering,  and  it 
was  only  a  question  of  time  when  the  storm 
would  burst  upon  the  frontier  settlements. 
In  1750,  Christopher  Gist  was  sent  by  tlie 
Ohio  Company  to  examine  its  lands.  He 
went  to  a  village  of  the  Twigtwees,  on  the 
Miami,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
above  its  mouth.  He  afterward  spoke  of  it 
as  very  populous.  From  there  he  went 
down  the  Ohio  River  nearly  to  the  falls  at 
the  present  City  of  Louisville,  and  in 
ISovember  he  commenced  a  survey  of  the 
comjmny's  lands.  During  the  winter, 
General  Andrew  Lewis  performed  a  similar 
work  for  the  Greenbriar  Company.  Mean- 
while the  French  were  busy  in  preparing 
their  forts  for  defense,  and  in  opening 
roads,  and  also  sent  a  small  party  of  soldiers 
to  keep  the  Ohio  clear.  This  party,  having 
heard   of  the  English  post  on  the  Miami 

*  The  following  is  a  translation  of  the  inscription  on 
the  plate:  "In  the  year  1749,  reign  of  JiOuis  XV., 
King  of  France,  we,  Celeron,  commandant  of  a  de- 
tachment by  Monsieur  the  Marquis  of  Gallisoniere, 
conunander-in-cliief  of  New  France,  to  establish  tran- 
quility in  certain  Indian  villages  of  these  cantons, 
have  buried  this  plate  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Toradakoin,  this  tvventy-ninth  of  July,  near  the  river 
Ohio,  otlierwise  Beautiful  River,  as  a  monument  of 
renewal  of  possession  which  we  have  taken  of  the 
said  i-iver,  and  all  its  tributaries;  inasmuch  as  the 
preceding  Kings  of  France  have  enjoyed  it,  and 
maintained  it  by  their  arms  and  treaties;  esp  cially 
by  those  of  Ryswick,  Utrecht,  and  Aix  La  C'hapelle." 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


13 


River,  early  in  1652,  assisted  by  the 
Ottawas  and  Ciiipptiwas,  attacked  it,  and, 
after  a  severe  battle,  in  which  fourteen  of 
the  natives  were  killed  and  others  wounded, 
captured  the  garrison.  (They  were  pi'ob- 
ably  garrisoned  in  a  block  house).  The 
traders  were  carried  away  to  Canada,  and 
one  account  saj'S  several  were  burned.  This 
fort  or  post  was  called  by  the  English 
Pickawillany.  A  memorial  of  the  king's 
ministers  refers  to  it  as  "  Pickawillanes,  in 
the  center  of  the  territory  between  the  Ohio 
and  the  Wabash.  The  name  is  probalily 
some  variation  of  Pickaway  or  Picqna,  in 
1773,  written  by  Ilev.  David  Jones,  Pick- 
aweke." 

Tliiswas  the  first  blood  shed  between  the 
French  and  English,  and  occurred  near  the 
present  City  of  Piqua,  Ohio,  or  at  least  at 
a  point  about  forty-seven  miles  north  of 
Dayton.  Each  nation  became  now  more 
interested  in  the  progress  of  events  in  the 
Kortliwest.  The  English  determined  to 
purchase  from  the  Indians  a  title  to  the 
lands  they  wished  to  occupy,  and  Messrs. 
Fry  (afterward  ('ommander-in-chief  over 
Washington  at  the  commencemant  of  the 
French  War  of  1775-1763),  Lomax  and 
Patton  were  sent  in  the  spring  of  1753  to 
hold  a  conference  with  the  natives  at  Logs- 
town  to  learn  what  they  objected  to  in  the 
treaty  of  Lancaster  already  noticed  and  to 
settle  all  difficulties.  On  the  Oth  of  June, 
these  Commissioners  met  the  red  men  at 
Logstown,  a  little  village  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  Ohio,  about  seventeen  miles 
below  the  site  of  Pittsburgh.  Here  had 
been  a  trading  point  for  many  3'ears,  but  it 
was  abandoned  by  the  Indians  in  1750.  At 
first  the  Indians  declined  to  recognize  the 
treaty  of  Lancaster,  but,  the  Commission- 


ers taking  aside  Montour,  the  interpreter, 
who  was  a  son  of  the  famous  Catharine  Mon- 
tour, and  a  chief  among  the  Six  Nations, 
induced  him  to  use  his  influence  in  their 
favor.  This  he  did,  and  upon  the  13th  of 
June  they  all  united  in  signing  a  deed,  con- 
firming the  Lancaster  tre;i,ty  in  its  full  ex- 
tent, consenting  to  asettlement  of  the  south- 
east  of  the  Ohio,  and  ijuaranteeino;  that  it 
should  not  be  disturbed  by  them.  Those 
were  the  means  used  to  obtain  the  first 
treaty  with  the  Indians  in  the  Ohio  Valley. 

Aleanwhile  the  powers  beyond  the  sea 
were  trying  to  out-maneuver  each  other, 
and  were  professing  to  be  at  peace.  The 
English  generally  outwitted  the  Indians, 
and  failed  in  many  instances  to  fulfill  their 
contracts.  They  thereby  gained  the  ill- 
will  of  the  red  men,  and  further  increased 
the  feeling  by  failing  to  provide  them  with 
arms  and  ammunition.  Said  an  old  chief, 
at  Easton,  in  175S:  "The  Indians  on  the 
Ohio  left  you  because  of  _yonr  own  fault. 
When  we  heard  the  French  were  coming, 
we  asked  you  for  help  and  arms,  but  we  did 
not  get  them.  The  French  came,  they 
treated  us  kindly,  and  gained  our  aftections. 
The  Governor  of  Virginia  settled  on  our 
lands  for  his  own  benefit,  and,  when  we 
wanted  help,  forsook  us." 

At  the  beginning  of  1653,  the  English 
thought  they  had  secured  by  title  the  lands 
in  the  West,  but  the  French  hud  (piietly 
gathered  cannon  and  military  stores  to  be 
in  readitiess  for  the  expected  blow.  The 
English  made  other  attempts  to  ratify  these 
existing  treaties,  but  not  until  the  s  immer 
could  the  Indians  be  gathered  together  to 
discuss  the  plans  of  the  French.  They  had 
sent  messages  to  the  French,  warning  them 
away;    but  they  replied  that  they  intended 


14 


THF,  NUUTIIWK.ST  TEUItlTOliV. 


to  complete  tlie  chain  of  forts  already  be- 
gun, and  would  not  abandon  the  field. 

Soon  after  this,  no  satisfaction  being  ob- 
tained from  the  Oliio  regarding   the   posi- 
tions and  purposes  of  the  French,  Governor 
Dinwiddle  of  Virginia  determined  to  send 
to  them  another  messenger  and  learn  from 
them,   if  possible,    their  intentions.     For 
this  purpose  he   selected  a   young   man,  a 
surveyor,  who,  at  the  early  age  of  nineteen, 
had  received   the  rank  of  major,  and  who 
was  thoroughly  posted   regarding   frontier 
life.     This  personage  was  no  other  than  the 
illustrious  George  Washington,  who  then 
held  considerable  interest  in  "Western  lands. 
He  was  at  this  time  just  twenty-two  j'ears 
of  age.     Taking  Gist  as  his  guide,  the  two, 
accompanied  by  four  servitors,  set  out  on 
their    perilons    march.      They    left    Will's 
Creek  on  the  10th  of  November,  1753,  and 
on  the  22d  reached  the  Monongahela,  about 
ten  miles  above  the  fork.    From  there  they 
went  to  Logstovvn,  where  Washington  had 
a  long  conference  with  the  chiefs  of  the  Six 
Nations.     From  them  he  learned  the  con- 
dition .of  the   French,  and   also  heard  of 
their  determination  not  to  come  down  the 
river  till  the  following  spring.     The  Indi- 
ans were  non-committal,  as  they  were  afraid 
to   turn    either   way,  and,  as   far   as   they 
could,  desired  to  remain  neutral.     Wash- 
ington,   finding  nothing    could    be   done 
with    them,  went   on    to  Venango,  an  old 
Indian  town  at  the  mouth  of  French  Creek. 
Here   the  French    had  a   fort,  called  Fort 
Machault.     Through  the  rum    and  flattery 
of  the  French,  he  nearly  lost  all  his  Indian 
followers.     Finding  nothing  of  importance 
here,  he  pursued  his  way  amid  great  priva- 
tions, and  on  the  11th  of  December  reached 
the  fort  at  the  head  of  French  Creek.     Here 


he  delivered  Governor  Dinwiddle's  letter, 
received  his  answer,  took  his  observations, 
and  on  the  16th  set  out  upon  his  return 
journey  with  no  one  but  Gist,  his  guide, 
and  a  few  Indians  who  still  remained  true 
to  him,  notwithstanding  the  endeavors  of 
the  French  to  retain  them.  Their  home- 
ward journey  was  one  of  great  peril  and 
suffering  from  the  cold,  yet  they  reached 
home  in  safety  on  the  6th  of  January, 
1754. 

From  the  letter  of  St.  Pierre,  commander 
of  the  French  fort,  sent  by  Washington  to 
Governor  Dinwiddle,  it  was  learned  that 
the  French  would  not  give  up  without  a 
struggle.  Active  preparations  were  at 
once  made  in  all  the  English  colonies  for 
the  coming  conflict,  while  the  French  fin- 
ished the  fort  at  Venango  and  strengthened 
their  lines  of  fortifications,  and  gathered 
their  furces  to  be  in  readiness. 

The  Old  Dominion  was  all  alive.  Vir- 
ginia was  the  center  of  great  activities;  vo  - 
unteers  were  called  for,  and  from  all  the 
neighboring  colonies  men  rallied  to  the 
conflict,  and  everywhere  along  the  Potomac 
men  were  enlisting  under  the  governor's 
]5roclamation — which  promised  two  hun- 
dred thousand  acres  on  the  Ohio.  Along 
this  river  they  were  gathering  as  far  as 
Will's  Creek,  and  far  beyond  this  point, 
whither  Trent  had  come  for  assistance  for 
his  little  band  of  forty-one  men,  who  were 
working  away  in  hunger  and  want,  to  for- 
tify that  point  at  the  fork  of  the  Ohio,  to 
which  both  parties  were  looking  with  deep 
interest. 

"The  first  birds  of  s]iring  filled  the  air 
with  their  song;  the  swift  river  rolled  by 
the  Allegheny  hillsides,  swollen  l)y  rhe 
melting  snows    of    spi-ing  and    the    April 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


IT) 


sliowers.  The  leaves  were  appearing;  a 
few  Indian  seoiits  were  seen,  but  no  enemy 
seemed  near  at  hand;  and  all  was  so  qniet, 
that  Frazier,  an  old  Indian  scout  and  trader, 
who  had  been  left  b^'  Trent  in  command, 
ventured  to  his  home  at  the  month  of 
Turtle  Creek,  ten  miles  up  the  Monongaliela. 
But,  though  all  was  so  quiet  in  that  wilder- 
ness, keen  eyes  had  seen  the  low  intrench- 
nie.it  rising  at  the  fork,  and  swift  feet  had 
borne  the  news  of  it  up  the  river;  and  upon 
the  morning  of  the  17th  of  April,  Ensign 
Ward,  who  then  had  charge  of  it,  saw  n]-)on 
the  AUeirhenv  a  sight  that   made,  his  heart 


sinlv--si.\ty    hatteaux   and    three 


d 


canoes  filled  with  nien,  and  laden  deep  with 
cannon  and  stores.  *  *  *  Tlnit  evening 
he  supped  with  his  captoi',  Oontrecceiir,  and 
the  next  day  he  was  bowed  off  by  the 
Frenchman,  and  with  his  men  and  tools, 
marched  u])  the  Monongalicla. '' 

The  French  and  Indian  war  had  begun. 
The  treaty  of  Aix  la  Chapelle,  in  17-18,  had 
left  the  boundaries  between  the  French  and 
English  possessions  unsettled,  and  the 
events  already  nairated  show  the  French 
were  determined  to  hold  the  country  wa- 
tered by  tiie  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries; 
while  the  English  laid  claims  to  the  country 
by  virtue  of  the  discoveries  of  the  Cabots, 
and  claimed  all  the  country  from  New- 
foundland to  Florida,  extending  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific.  The  first  decisive 
blow  had  now  been  sti-nck,  and  the  first 
attempt  of  the  English,  through  the  Ohio 
Company,  to  occupy  these  lauds,  had  re- 
sulted disastrously  to  them.  The  Frenuli 
and  Indians  immediately  completed  the 
fortifications  begun  at  the  Fork,  wliich  they 
had  so  easily  captured,  and  when  completed 
gave  to  the  fort  the  name  of  Du  Quesne. 


Washington  was  at  Will's  Cieek  when  the 
news  of  the  ca])tureof  the  fort  arrived.  He 
at  once  departed  to  recapture  it.  On  his 
way  he  entrenched  himself  at  a  place  called 
the  "  Meadows,"  where  he  erected  a  tort 
called  by  him  Fort  Necessity.  From  there 
he  surprised  and  captured  a  force  of  French 
and  Indians  marching  against  him,  but  was 
soon  after  attacked  in  his  fort  by  a  much 
superior  force,  and  was  obliged  to  yield  on 
the  morningof  July  ith.  He  was  allowed 
to  return  to  Virginia. 

The  English  Government  immediately 
]ilanned  fonr  campaigns;  one  against  Fort 
Du  Quesne;  one  against  Nova  Scotia;  one 
against  Fort  Niagara,  aiul  one  against 
Crown  Point.  These  occurred  during 
1755-6,  and  were  not  successful  in  driving 
the  French  from  their  possessions.  The 
expedition  against  Fort  Dii  Quesne  was  led 
by  the  famous  General  Braddock,  who,  re- 
fusing to  listen  to  the  advice  of  Washington 
and  those  acquainted  with  Indian  warfare, 
sufiercd  sucii  an  inglorious  defeat.  This 
occurred  on  the  morning  of  Jul}'  0th,  and 
is  generally  known  as  the  battle  of  Monon- 
gahela,  or  "  Braddock's  Defeat."  The  war 
continued  with  various  vicissitudes  through 
the  years  1750-7;  when,  at  the  commenee- 
of  1758  in  accordance  with  the  plans  of 
William  Pitt,  then  Secretary  of  State, 
afterward  Lord  Chatham,  active  prepara- 
tions were  made  to  carry  on  the  war. 
Three  expeditions  were  jilanned  for  this 
year:  one,  under  General  Amherst,  against 
Louisburg;  another,  under  Abercrombie, 
against  Fort  Ticonderoga;  and  a  third,  un- 
der General  Forbes,  against  Fort  Du 
Quesne.  On  the  2fith  of  July,  Louisburg 
surrendered  after  a  dcsjici'ate  resistance  of 
more  than  forty  days,  and  the  eastern  part 


]6 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


of  tlie  Canadian  possessions  fell  into  the 
hands  of  tlie  British.  Abercrombie  cap- 
tured Fort  Frontenac,  and  when  the  ex- 
pedition against  Fort  Du  Quesiie,  of  which 
Washington  had  the  active  command,  ar- 
rived there,  it  was  fonnd  in  flames  and  de- 
serted. The  English  at  once  took  posses- 
sion, rebuilt  the  fort,  and  in  honor  of  tlieir 
ill nstrions  statesman,  changed  tlie  name  to 
'  Fort  Pitt. 

The  great  olijcct  of  the  campaign  of 
1759,  was  the  reduction  of  Canada.  Gen- 
eral Wolfe  was  to  lay  siege  to  Quebec;  Am- 
herst was  to  reduce  Ticonderoga  and  Crown 
Point,  and  General  Prideaux  was  to  cap- 
ture Niagara.  This  latter  place  was  taken 
in  Jiilj,  but  the  gallant  Prideaux  lost  his 
life  in  the  attempt.  Amherst  captured 
Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  without  a 
blow;  and  Wolfe,  after  making  tlie  memor- 
able ascent  to  the  plains  of  Abraham,  on 
September  13th,  defeated  Montcalm,  and 
on  the  IStli,  the  city  capitulated.  In  this 
engagement  Montcalm  and  Wolfe  both 
lost  tlieir  lives.  De  Levi,  Montcalm's  suc- 
cessor, marched  to  Sillery,  three  miles 
above  the  city,  with  the  purpose  of  defeat- 
ing the  English,  and  there,  on  the  2Sth  of 
the  following  April,  was  fought  one  of  the 
bloodiest  battles  of  the  Freneii  and  Indian 
war.  It  resulted  in  the  defeat  of  the 
French,  and  the  fall  of  the  city  of  Montreal. 
The  Governor  signed  a  capitulation,  by 
which  the  whole  of  Canada  was  surrendered 
to  the  English.  This  practically  conclu- 
ded the  war,  but  it  was  not  until  1763  that 
tlie  treaties  of  peace  between  France  and 
England  were  signed.  This  was  done  on 
tiie  lOih  of  February  of  that  year,  and  un- 
der its  provisions  all  the  country  east  of 
the  Mississipjii  and   north  of  the  Ihci-^-ille 


river,  in  Louisiana,  were  ceded  to  England. 
At  the  same  time  Spain  ceded  Florida  to 
Great  Britain. 

On  the  13th  of  September,  17C0,  Major 
Eobert  Rogers  was  sent  from  Montreal  to 
take  charge  of  Detroit,  the  only  remaining 
French  post  in  the  territory.  Lie  arrived 
thereon  the  19th  of  November,  and  sum- 
moned the  place  to  surrender.  At  first  the 
commander  of  the  post,  Beletre,  refused, 
but  on  the  29th,  hearing  of  the  continued 
defeat  of  the  French-  arms,  surrendered. 
Rogers  remained  there  until  December  23d, 
under  the  personal  protection  of  the  cele- 
brated chief,  Pontiac,  to  whom,  no  doubt, 
he  owed  his  safety.  Pontiac  had  come  here 
to  inquire  the  purposes  of  the  English  in 
taking  possession  of  the  country.  He  was 
assured  that  the}'  came  simply  to  trade 
with  the  natives,  and  did  not  desire  their- 
country.  This  answer  conciliated  the  sav- 
ages, and  did  much  to  insure  the  safet}'  of 
Rogers  and  his  party  during  their  stay, 
and  while  on  their  journey  home. 

Rogers  set  out  for  Fort  Pitt  on  Decem- 
ber 23d,  and  was  just  one  month  on  the 
way.  His  route  was  from  Detroit  to  Mau- 
mee,  thence  across  the  present  State  of 
Ohio  directly  to  the  fort.  This  was  the 
common  trail  of  the  Indians  in  their  jour- 
neys from  Sanduskv  to  the  Fork  of  the 
Ohio.  It  went  from  Fort  Sandusky,  where 
Sandusky  city  now  is,  crossed  the  Huron 
river,  then  called  Bald  Eagle  Creek,  to  "Mo- 
liickon  John's  Town"  Creek,  on  Moliikon 
Creek,  the  northern  branch  of  White 
Woman's  river,  and  then  crossed  to  Bea- 
ver's town,  a  Delaware  town  on  what  is 
now  Sandy  Creek.  At  Beaver's  town  were 
prcibably  one  hundred  and  tifty  warriors, 
and  not  less  than   three  thousand  acres  of 


THE  NORTinVKST  TEKKITOKY. 


17 


cleared  hiinl.  From  there  tlie  track  went 
lip  Sanily  Ci-eek  to  and  across  Big  Beaver, 
and  11])  the  Oliio  toLogstown,  thence  on  to 
the  tork. 

The  Xortliwest  Territory  was  now  en- 
tirely' niider  the  English  rule.  New  settle- 
ments began  to  be  rapidly  made,  and  the 
jironiisc  of  a  large  trade  was  speedily  mani- 
fested. Had  the  British  carried  out  their 
jiromises  with  the  natives,  none  of  those 
savage  butcheries  would  liave  been  perpe- 
trated, and  the  country  would  liave  been 
(■pared  tlieir  recital. 

Tlie  renowned  chief,  Pontiac,  was  one  of 
the  leading  spirits  in  these  atrocities.  We 
will  now  pause  in  our  narrative,  and  notice 
the  leading  events  in  liis  life.  The  earliest 
authentic  information  regarding  this  noted 
Indian  chief,  is  leai'iied  from  an  account  of 
an  Indian  trader  named  Alexander  Henry, 
wlio,  in  the  spring  of  1761,  penetrated  his 
domains  as  far  as  Missillimacnac.  I'onti- 
ac  was  then  a  great  friend  of  the  French, 
but  a  bitter  foe  of  the  English,  whom  he 
considered  as  encroaching  on  his  hunting 
grounds.  Henry  was  obliged  to  disguise 
liimself  as  a  Canadian  to  insure  safety,  but 
was  discovered  by  Pontiac,  who  bitterly 
reproached  him,  and  the  English  for  their 
attempted  snljjugation  of  the  AV^est.  He 
declared  that  no  treaty  had  been  made 
with  them;  no  presents  sent  them,  and 
tliat  he  would  resent  any  possession  of  the 
West  by  that  nation.  He  was  at  the  time 
about  fifty  years  of  age,  tall  and  dignified, 
and  was  civil  and  military  ruler  of  the  Ot- 
tawas,  Ojibwas  and  Pottawatomies. 

The  Indians,  from  Lake  ]\[icliigan  to  the 
borders  of  Xorth  Carolina,  were  united  in 
this  feeling,  and  at  the  time  of  the  treaty 
of  Paris,  ratified  February  K),  1763,  a  gen- 


eral conspiracy  was  formed  to  fall  suddenly 
upon  the  frontier  British  posts,  and  with 
one  blow  strike  every  man  dead.  Pontiac 
was  the  marked  leader  in  all  this,  and  was 
the  commander  of  the  Cliij)pewas,  Otta 
was,  AVyandots,  Miainis,  Sliawanese,  Dela- 
wares  and  Mingoes,  who  liad,  for  the  time, 
laid  aside  their  local  quarrels  to  unite  in 
this  enterprise. 

The  blow  came,  as  near  as  can  bo  ascer- 
tained, on  ]\[ay  7,  1763.  Nine  British 
jiosts  fell,  and  the  Indians  drank,  "scooped 
lip  in  the  hollow  of  joined  Iiands,"  the 
blood  of  many  a  Briton. 

Pontiac's  immediate  field  of  action,  was 
the  garrison  at  Detroit.  Here,  liowever, 
the  plans  were  frustrated  by  an  Indian 
woman  disclosing  the  plot  the  evening  pre- 
vious to  his  ai-rivaL  Everything  was  car- 
ried out,  however,  according  to  Poutiac's 
plans  until  the  moment  of  action,  when 
Major  Gladwyn,  the  comiuander  of  the 
post,  stepping  to  one  of  the  Indian  chiefs, 
suddenl}'  drew  aside  his  blanket  and  dis- 
closed the  concealed  musket.  Pontiac 
tliough  a  brave  man,  turned  pale  and 
trembled.  He  saw  liis  plan  was  known 
and  that  the  garrison  were  prepared.  He 
endeavored  to  exculpate  liimself  from  any 
such  intentions;  but  the  guilt  was  evident, 
and  he  and  his  followers  were  dismissed 
with  a  severe  reprimand,  and  warned  never 
to  again  enter  the  walls  of  the  post. 

Pontiac  at  once  laid  siege  to  the  fort, 
and  until  the  treaty  of  peace  between  the 
British  and  the  Western  Indians,  conclud- 
ed in  August,  1764,  continued  to  harass 
and  besiege  the  fortress.  He  organized  a 
regular  commissariat  department,  issued 
bills  of  credit  written  out  on  bark,  which  to 
liis  credit,  it  may  be   stated,  were  punctu- 


IS 


THE  XOUTHWKST  TKIlRITOIiV. 


ally  redeemed.  At  the  conclusion  of  the 
treaty,  in  which  it  seems  he  took  no  part, 
he  went  farther  south,  living  many  years 
among  the  Illinois. 

He  had  given  up  all  hope  of  saving  his 
country  and  race.  After  a  time  he  endeav- 
ored to  unite  the  Illinois  tribe  and  those 
about  St.  Louis  in  a  war  with  the  whites. 
Ilis  efforts  were  fruitless,  and  only  ended 
in  a  quarrel  between  himself  and  some 
Kaskaskia  Indians,  one  of  whom  soon  after- 
ward killed  him.  Ilis  death  was, however, 
avenged  by  the  northern  Indians,  m-1io 
nearly  exterminated  the  Illinois  in  the 
wars  which  followed. 

Had  it  not  been  for  the  treachery  of  a 
few  of  his  followers,  his  plan  for  the  ex- 
termination of  the  wliites,  a  masterly 
one,  would  undoubtedly  have  been  carried 

out. 

It  was  in  the  spring  of  the  year  follow- 
ing Rogers'  visit  that  Alexander  Henry 
went  to  Missillimacnac,  and  everywhere 
found  the  strongest  feelings  against  the 
English  who  had  not  carried  out  their 
promises,  and  were  doing  nothing  to  con- 
ciliate the  natives.  Here  he  met  the  chief, 
Pontiac,  who  after  conveying  to  him  in  a 
speech  the  idea  that  their  French  father 
would  awake  soon  and  utterly  destro}'  his 
enemies,  said:  "Englishman,  although 
you  have  conquered  the  French,  you  have 
not  yet  conquered  us  !  We  are  not  joiiv 
slaves!  These  lakes,  these  woods,  these 
mountains,  were  left  us  by  our  ancestors. 
They  are  our  inheritance,  and  we  will  part 
with  them  to  none.  Your  nation  supposes 
that  we,  like  the  white  peojile,  can  not  live 
without  bread  and  pork  and  beef.  But  you 
ought  to  know  that  He,  the  Great  Spirit  and 
Master  of  Life,  has  pro\ided  food  for  \is 


upon  tliese  broad  lakes  and  in  these  moun- 
tains." 

He  then  spoke  of  the  foct  that  no 
treaty  had  been  made  with  them,  no 
presents  sent  them,  and  that  he  and  his 
people  were  yet  for  war.  Such  were 
the  feelings  of  the  Northwestern  Indians 
immediately  after  the  English  took  posses- 
sion of  their  country.  These  feelings  were 
no  doubt  encouraged  by  the  Canadians  and 
French,  who  hoped  that  yet  the  French 
arms  might  prevail.  The  treaty  of  Paris, 
however,  gave  to  the  English  tlio  riuht  to 
this  vast  domain,  and  active  preparations 
were  going  on  to  occupy  it  and  enjoy  its 
trade  and  emoluments. 

In  1762,  France,  by  a  secret  treaty,  ceded 
Louisiana  to  Spain,  to  prevent  it  falling 
into  the  hands  of  the  English,  who  were 
becoming  masters  of  the  entire  West.  The 
next  year  the  treaty  of  Paris,  signeil  at 
Fontainbleau,  gave  to  the  English  the  do- 
main of  the  country  in  question.  Twenty 
years  after,  by  the  treaty  of  peace  between 
the  United  States  and  England,  that  part 
of  Canada  lying  south  and  west  of  the 
Great  Lakes,  comprehending  a  large  terri- 
tory which  is  the  subject  of  these  sketches, 
was  acknowledged  to  be  a  portion  of  the 
United  States;  and  twenty  years  still  later, 
in  1803,  Louisiana  was  ceded  by  Spain 
back  to  France,  and  by  France  sold  to  the 
United  States. 

In  the  half  century,  from  the  building 
of  the  Fort  of  Crevecceur  by  La  Salle,  in 
1680,  up  to  the  erection  of  Fort  Ghatres, 
manj'  French  settlements  had  been  made  in 
tliat  quarter.  These  have  already  been 
noticed,  being  those  at  St.  Vincent  (Vin- 
cennes).  Ivohokia  or  Cahokia,  Kaskaskia 
and  Prairie  du    Podier,  on    the  American 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


lU 


Bjttoin,  a  larj^e  tract  of  ricli  alluvial  soil 
in  Illinois,  on  the  Mississippi,  opposite  the 
site  of  St.  Louis. 

By  the  treaty  of  Paris,  the  regions  east 
of  tlie  Mississippi,  incliuling  all  these  and 
other  towns  of  the  Northwest,  were  given 
over  to  England,  but  they  do  not  appear  to 
have  been  taken  possession  of  until  1705, 
when  Captain  Stirling,  in  the  name  of  the 
Majesty  of  England,  established  himself  at 
Fort  Chartres  bearing  with  him  tlie  procla- 
mation of  General  Gace,  dated  Deeomljcr 
oO,  17tI4,  wiiich  ])roiiiised  religions  I'reedoin 
to  all  Catholics  who  worshipped  here,  and 
a  right  to  leave  the  country  witli  their 
effects  if  they  wished,  or  to  I'cmain  witli 
the  privileges  of  Englishmen.  It  was 
shortly  after  tlie  occupancy  of  the  West  by 
the  British  that  the  war  with  Pontiac 
opened.  It  is  already  noticed  in  the  sketch 
of  that  chieftain.  I>v  it  nu\ny  a  Briton  lost 
his  life,  and  many  a  frontier  settlement  in 
its  infancy  ceased  to  exist.  This  was  not 
ended  until  tlie  year  1761:,  when,  fiiiling  to 
capture  Detroit,  Niagara  and  Fort  Pitt, 
his  coiifederac}'  became  disheartened,  and, 
receiving  no  aid  from  the  French,  Pontiac 
abandoned  the  enterprise  and  departed  to 
the  Illinois,  among  whom  he  afterward 
lost  his  life. 

As  soon  as  these  difficulties  were  defi- 
nitely settled,  settlers  began  rapidly  t(j  sui-- 
vey  the  country,  and  prepare  for  occupa- 
tion. During  the  year  1770,  a  number  of 
persons  from  Virginia  and  other  British 
provinces  ex|ilored  and  marked  out  nearly 
all  the  valuable  laiuls  on  the  Monongahela 
and  along  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  as  tar  as 
the  Little  Kanawha.  This  was  followed  by 
another  exploring  expedition,  in  which 
George    Washingt(in    was   a    party.      The 


latter,  accompanied  by  Dr.  ('raik,  Capt. 
Crawford  and  others,  on  tlie  20th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1770,  descended  the  Ohio  from  Pitts- 
burgh to  the  mouth  of  the  Kanawha  ;  as- 
cended that  stream  about  fourteen  miles, 
marked  out  several  large  tracts  of  land, 
shot  several  buffalo,  which  were  then  abun- 
dant in  the  Ohio  vallej',  and  returned  to 
the  fort. 

Pittsburgli  was  at  this  time  a  trading 
post,  abmit  which  was  clustered  a  village 
of  some  twenty  houses,  inhabited  by  In- 
dian traders.  This  same  year,  Capt.  Pitt- 
man  visited  Kaskaskia  and  its  neighbor- 
ing villages.  He  found  there  about  sixty- 
five  resident  families,  and  at  Cahokia  only 
fort3'-five  dwellings.  At  Fort  Chartres  was 
another  small  settlement,  and  at  Detroit 
the  garrison  were  quite  prosperous  and 
strong.  For  a  year  or  two  settlers  con- 
tinued to  locate  near  some  of  these  posts, 
generally  Fort  Pitt  or  Detroit,  owing  to 
the  fears  of  the  Indians,  who  still  main- 
tained some  feelings  of  hatred  to  the  Eng- 
lish. The  trade  from  the  posts  was  quite 
good,  and  from  those  in  Illinois  large  quan- 
tities of  pork  and  flour  found  their  way  to 
the  New  Orleans  market.  At  this  time 
tlie  policy  of  the  British  Government  was 
strongly  opposed  to  the  extension  of  the 
colonies  west.  In  1763,  the  King  of  Eiig- 
land  forbade,  by  royal  proclamation,  his 
colonial  subjects  from  making  a  settle- 
ment beyond  the  sources  of  the  rivers 
which  fall  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  At  the 
instance  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  measures 
were  taken  to  prevent  the  settlement  with- 
out the  limits  prescribed,  and  to  retain  the 
commerce  within  easy  reach  of  Great 
Britain. 

The    commander-in-chief  of    (be   king's 


TllK  NOIiTHWEST  TEIiUIToUV. 


forces  wrote  in  1769  :  "  In  the  course  of  a 
few  years  necessity  will  compel  the  colo- 
nists, should  they  extend  their  settlements 
west,  to  provide  manufactures  of  some  kind 
for  themselves,  and  when  all  connection 
uplield  by  commerce  with  the  mother  coun- 
try ceases,  an  indcjKiuIency  in  their  gov- 
ernment will  soon  follow." 

In  accordance  with  this  policy,  Gov. 
(rU're  issued  a  proclamation  in  1772,  com- 
manding the  inhabitants  of  Vincennes  to 
abandon  their  settlements  and  join  some 
of  the  Eastern  English  colonies.  To  this 
they  strenuously  objected,  giving  good 
reasons  therefor,  and  were  allowed  to  re- 
main. The  strong  opposition  to  this  pol- 
icy of  Great  Britain  led  to  its  change,  and 
to  such  a  course  as  to  gain  the  attachment 
of  the  French  population.  In  December, 
1773,  influential  citizens  of  Quebec  peti- 
tioned the  king  for  an  extension  of  the 
boundary  lines  of  that  province,  which  was 
granted,  and  Parliament  passed  an  act  on 
June  2,  1774-,  extending  the  boundary  so 
as  to  include  the  territory  lying  within  the 
present  states  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois 
and  Michigan. 

In  consequence  of  the  liberal  policy  pur- 
sued by  the  British  Government  toward 
the  French  settlers  in  the  West,  they  were 
disposed  to  favor  that  nation  in  the  war 
which  soon  followed  with  the  colonies;  but 
the  early  alliance  between  France  and 
America  soon  brought  them  to  the  side  of 
the  war  for  independence. 

In  1774,  Gov.  Dunmore,  of  Virgitiia, 
began  to  encourage  emigration  to  the 
Western  lands.  He  appointed  magistrates 
at  Fort  Pitt,  under  the  pretense  that  the 
fort  was  under  the  government  of  that 
commonwealth.       One    of    these  justices. 


John  Connelly,  who  possessed  a  tract  of 
land  in  the  Ohio  Valley,  gathered  a  force 
of  men  and  garrisoned  the  fort,  calling  it 
Fort  Dunmore.  Tiiis  and  other  parties 
were  formed  to  select  sites  for  settlements, 
and  often  came  in  conflict  with  the  Indians, 
who  yet  claimed  portions  of  the  valley,  and 
several  battles  followed.  These  ended  in 
the  famous  battle  of  Kanawha,  in  Jutv, 
where  the  Indians  were  defeated  and  driv- 
en across  the  Ohio. 

During  the  years  1775  and  1776,  by  the 
operations  of  land  companies  and  the  per- 
severance of  individuals,  several  settle- 
ments were  firmly  established  between  the 
Alleghenies  and  the  Ohio  River,  and  west- 
ern land  speculators  were  busy  in  Illinois 
and  on  the  Wabash.  At  a  council  held  in 
Kaskaskia,  on  July  5,  1773,  an  association 
of  English  traders,  calling  themselves  the 
"■  Illinois  Land  Company,"  obtained  from 
ten  chiefs  of  the  Kaskaskia,  Cahokia  and 
Peoria  tribes  two  large  tracts  of  land  lying 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Mississippi  River 
south  of  the  Illinois.  In  1775,  a  merchant 
from  the  Illinois  country,  named  Yiviat, 
came  to  Post  Vincennes  as  the  agent  of  tlie 
association  called  the  "Wabash  Land  Com- 
pany." On  the  8th  of  October  he  obtained 
from  eleven  Piankeshaw  chiefs,  a  deed  for 
37,197,600  acres  of  land.  This  deed  was 
signed  by  the  grantors,  attested  by  a  num- 
ber of  the  inhabitants  of  Vincennes,  and 
afterward  recorded  in  the  ofiice  of  a  notary 
public  at  Kaskaskia.  This  and  other  land 
companies  had  extensive  schemes  for  the 
colonization  of  the  West;  but  all  were  frus- 
trated by  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. On  the  20th  of  April,  17S0,  the  two 
companies  named  consolidated  under  the 
name  of  the  "  Fnited  Illinois  and  AVabash 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


21 


Land  Conipany."  They  afterward  made 
strenuous  efforts  to  have  these  grants  sanc- 
tioned by  Congress,  but  all  signally  failed. 

AVheu  the  War  of  the  Revolution  com- 
menced, Kentucky  was  an  unorganized 
country,  though  there  were  several  settle- 
ments within  her  borders. 

In  Ilntchins'  To]^ography  of  Virginia, 
it  is  stated  that  at  that  time  "Kaskaskia 
contained  SO  houses,  and  nearly  1,000 
white  and  black  inhabitants — the  whites 
being  a  little  the  more  nnmei'ous.  Caho- 
kia  contains  50  houses  and  300  white  in- 
habitants and  SO  negroes.  There  were 
east  of  the  Mississippi  liiver,  about  the 
year  177J  " — when  these  observations  were 
made — "  300  wdiite  men  capable  of  bearing 
arms,  and  230  negroes." 

From  1775  until  the  expedition  of  Clark, 
nothing  is  recorded  and  nothing  known  of 
these  settlements,  save  what  is  contained 
in  a  report  made  by  a  committee  to  Con- 
cress  in  June,  177S.  From  it  the  follow- 
ing  extract  is  made: 

"Near  the  mouth  of  the  River  Kaskas- 
kia, there  is  a  village  which  appears  to 
have  contained  nearly  eighty-  families  from 
the  beginning  of  the  late  ■  revolution. 
There  are  twelve  families  in  a  small  village 
at  la  Prairie  du  Kochers,  and  near  titty 
families  at  the  Kahokia  A'illage.  There 
are  also  four  or  five  fiimilies  at  Fort  Char- 
tres  and  8t.  Phillips,  which  is  tive  miles 
farther  u]i  the  river." 

St.  Louis  had  been  settled  in  ]''ebrnary, 
17ti-i,  and  at  this  time  contained,  including 
its  neighboring  towns,  over  six  hundred 
wlntes  and  one  hundred  and  fift}'  negroes. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  all  the  coun- 
try west  of  the  Mississippi  was  now-  under 
French  rule,  an<l   remained    so  until  ceded 


again  to  Spain,  its  original  owner,  who 
afterwards  sold  it  and  the  country  includ- 
ing New  Orleans  to  the  LTnited  States. 
At  Detroit  there  were,  according  to  Capt. 
Carver,  who  was  in  the  northwest  from 
1706  to  176S,  more  than  one  hundred  houses 
and  the  I'iver  was  settled  for  more  than 
twenty  miles,  although  poorly  cultivated — 
tlie  people  being  engaged  in  the  Indian 
trade.  This  old  town  has  a  history,  wliich 
we  will  here  relate. 

It  is  the  oldest  town  in  the  Northwest, 
having  been  founded  by  Antoine  Lade- 
motte  Cadillac,  in  1701.  It  was  laid  out 
in  the  form  of  an  oblong  square,  of  two 
acres  in  length  and  an  acre  and  a  half  in 
width.  As  described  by  A.  D.  Frazer,  wlio 
first  visited  it  and  became  a  permanent 
resident  of  the  place,  in  1778,  it  comprised 
within  its  limits  that  space  between  Mr. 
Palmer's  store  (Conant  Block)  and  Capt. 
Perkins'  house  (near  the  Arsenal  building), 
and  extended  back  as  far  as  the  public 
barn,  and  w-as  bordered  in  front  by  the 
Detroit  River.  It  was  surrounded  by  oak 
and  cedar  pickets,  about  fifteen  feet  long,  set 
in  the  ground,  and  liad  four  gates-east, west, 
north  and  south.  Over  the  first  three  of 
these  gates  were  block  houses  provided  with 
four  guns  apiece,  each  a  six  pounder.  Two 
six-gun  batteries  were  planted  fronting  the 
river,  and  in  a  parallel  direction  with  the 
hlock  houses.  There  were  four  streets 
running  east  and  west,  the  main  street  be- 
ing twenty  feet  wide  and  the  rest  fifteen 
feet,  while  the  four  streets  crossing  these  at 
ri'dit  angles  were  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet 
in  width. 

At  the  date  spoken  of  by  Mr.  Frazer, 
there  was  no  fort  within  the  enclosure,  but 
a  citadel  on  the  ground  corresponding   to 


2? 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


tlie  present  northwest  corner  of  Jefferson 
Avenue  and  "Wayne  Street.  The  citadel 
was  inclosed  by  pickets,  and  witliin  it  were 
erected  barracks  of  wood,  two  stories  higli, 
sutHcient  to  contain  ten  ofKcers,  and  also 
barracks  sufficient  to  contain  four  hundred 
men,  and  a  provision  store  built  of  brick. 
Tlie  citadel  also  contained  a  hospital  and 
a  guard-honse.  The  old  town  of  Detroit, 
in  1778,  contained  about  sixty  houses, 
most  of  them  one  story,  with  a  few  a  story 
and  a  half  in  heiglit.  They  were  all  of 
logs,  some  hewn  and  some  round.  There 
was  one  building  of  splendid  appearance, 
crtlled  the  "  King's  Palace,"  two  stories 
high,  which  stood  near  the  east  gate.  It 
was  built  for  Governor  Hamilton,  the  first 
governor  commissioned  by  the  British. 
There  were  two  guard-houses,  one  near  tlie 
west  gate  and  the  otiier  near  the  Govern- 
ment House.  Each  of  the  guards  con- 
sisted of  twent3'-four  men  and  a  subaltern, 
wlio  mounted  regularly  every  morning  be- 
tween nine  and  ten  o'clock.  Eacli  fur- 
nished four  sentinels,  who  were  relieved 
every  two  hours.  There  was  also  an  offi- 
cer of  the  day,  who  performed  strict  duty. 
Eacii  of  the  gates  was  shut  regularly  at 
sunset ;  even  wicket  gates  were  shut  at 
nine  o'clock,  and  all  the  keys  were  deliv- 
ered into  tlie  hands  of  the  commanding 
officer.  They  were  opened  in  the  morning 
at  sunrise.  No  Indian  or  squaw  was  per- 
mitted to  enter  town  with  any  weapon, 
such  as  a  tomahawk  or  a  knife.  It  was  a 
standing  order  that  the  Indians  should  de- 
liver their  arms  and  instruments  of  every 
kind  before  they  were  permitted  to  pass 
tlie  sentinel,  and  they  were  restored  to 
them  on  their  return.  No  more  tlian 
tweiitv-five  Indians  were  allowed    to  enter 


the  town  at  any  one  time,  and  they  were 
admitted  only  at  the  east  and  west  gates. 
At  sundown  the  drums  beat,  and  all  the 
Indians  were  required  to  leave  town  in- 
stantl^'.  There  was  a  council  house  near 
the  water  side  for  the  ])urpose  of  holding 
council  with  the  Indians.  The  population 
of  the  town  was  about  sixty  families,  in  all 
about  two  hundred  males  and  one  hundred 
females.  This  town  was  destroyed  by  lire, 
all  except  one  dwelling,  in  1805.  After 
which  the  present  "new"  town  was  laid 
out. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolution, 
the  British  held  every  post  of  importance 
in  the  West.  Kentucky  was  formed  as  a 
component  part  of  Virginia,  and  the  sturdy 
pioneers  of  the  West,  alive  to  their  inter- 
ests, and  recognizing  the  great  benefits  of 
obtaining  the  control  of  the  trade  in  this 
part  of  the  jSTew  World,  held  steadily  to 
their  purposes,  and  those  within  the  com- 
monwealth of  Kentucky  proceeded  to  ex- 
-  ercise  their  civil  privileges,  by  electing 
John  Todd  and  Ricliard  Calloway,  burgess- 
es to  represent  them  in  the  Assembly  of 
the  parent  state.  Early  in  8e]iteinl>er  of 
that  year  (1777)  tlie  first  court  was  held  in 
Ilarrodsburg,  and  Col.  Bowman,  afterward 
major,  who  had  arrived  in  August,  was 
made  the  commander  of  a  militia  organiza- 
tion which  had  been  commenced  the  March 
previous.  Thus  the  tree  of  loyalty  was 
growing.  The  chief  spirit  in  this  far-out 
colony,  who  had  represented  her  the  year 
previous  cast  of  the  mountains,  was  now 
meditating  a  move  unequaled  in  its  bold- 
ness. He  had  been  watching  the  move- 
ments of  the  British  throughout  the  North- 
west, and  understood  their  whole  plan. 
He  saw  it  was  through  their  possession  of 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


23 


the  posts  at  Detroit,  Viucennes,  Kaskaskia, 
and  other  places,  whicli  would  give  them 
constant  and  easy  access  to  tlie  various  In- 
dian tribes  in  the  Xortiiwest,  tliat  the  Brit- 
ish intended  to  penetrate  the  country  from 
tlie  nortli  and  sontli,  and  annihilate  tlie 
frontier  fortresses.  This  moving,  energetic 
man  was  Colonel,  afterward  General, 
(ieorge  Rogers  Clark.  lie  knew  the  In- 
dians were  not  unaiiimonsly  in  accord  with 
the  English,  and  he  was  convinced  that, 
could  the  British  ho  defeate  1  and  expelled 
from  the  Northwest,  the  natives  might  he 
easily  awed  into  neutrality  ;  and  by  spies 
sent  for  the  ]nir]iosc,  he  satisfied  himself 
that  the  enterprise  against  the  Illinois  set- 
tlements might  easily  succeed.  Having 
convinced  himself  of  the  certainty  of  the 
project,  he  repaired' to  the  Cajiital  of  Vir- 
i^inia,  which  place  he  reached  on  November 
5th.  AYhile  he  was  on  his  way,  fortunately, 
on  October  17th,  Burgoyne  had  been  de- 
feated, and  the  spirits  of  the  colonists 
greatly  encouraged  thereby.  Patrick  Henry 
M-as  Governor  of  Virginia,  and  at  once 
entered  heartily  into  Clark's  plans.  The 
same  plan  had  before  been  agitated  in  the 
Colonial  Assemblies,  but  there  was  no  one 
until  Clark  canio  who  was  sufficiently 
.acquainted  with  thr  condition  of  affairs  at 
the  scene  of  action  to  be  able  to  guide  them. 
Clark,  havingisatisfied  the  Yirginia  lead- 
ers of  the  feasibility  of  his  plan,  received, 
(in  the  2d  of  January,  two  sets  of  instruc- 
tions— one  secret,  the  other  open — the  lat- 
ter authorized  him  to  proceed  to  enlist 
seven  com]ianies  to  go  to  Kentucky',  sub- 
ject to  his  orders,  and  to  serve  three  months 
from  their  arrival  in  the  West.  The  secret 
order  authorized  him  to  arm  these  troops, 
to  procure  his  powder  ami  lead  of  General 


Hand   at   Pittsburgh,  and    to   proceed   at 
once  to  subjugate  the  country. 

With  these  instructions  Clark  repaired 
to  Pittshurgli,  choosing  rather  to  raise  his 
men  west  of  the  mountains,  as  he  well 
knew  all  were  needed  in  the  colonies  in 
the  conflict  there.  He  sent  Col.  W.  B. 
Smith  to  Holston  for  the  same  purpose, 
but  neither  succeeded  in  raising  the  re- 
quired number  of  men.  The  settlers  in 
these  parts  were  afraid  to  leave  their  own 
firesides  exposed  to  a  vigilant  foe,  atid  but 
few  could  be  induced  to  join  the  proposed 
expedition.  AYith  three  companies  and 
several  private  volunteers,  Clark  at  length 
commenced  his  descent  of  the  Ohio,  which 
he  navigated  as  far  as  the  Falls,  where  he 
took  possession  of  and  fortified  Corn  Isl- 
and, a  small  island  between  the  present 
cities  of  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  New 
Albany,  Indiana.  Remains  of  this  forti- 
fication may  yet  be  found.  At  this  place 
he  appointed  Col.  Bowman  to  meet  him 
with  such  recruits  as  had  reached  Ken- 
tucky by  the  southern  route,  and  as  many 
as  could  be  spared  from  the  station.  Here 
he  announced  to  the  men  their  real  desti- 
nation. Having  completed  his  arrange- 
ments, and  chosen  his  party,  he  left  a  small 
garrison  upon  the  island,  and  on  the  Sith 
of  June,  during  a  total  eclipse  of  the  sun, 
which  to  them  augured  no  good,  and  which 
fixes  beyond  dispute  the  date  of  starting, 
he  with  his  chosen  hand,  fell  down  the 
river.  His  plan  was  to  go  by  water  as  far 
as  Fort  Massac  or  Massacre,  and  thence 
march  direct  to  Kaskaskia.  Here  he  in- 
tended to  surprise  the  garrison,  and  after 
its  capture  go  to  Cahokia,  then  to  Viucen- 
nes, and  lastly  to  Detroit.  Should  he  fail, 
he  intended  to  march  directlv  to  the  Miss- 


24 


TIIK  XORTIIWE,ST  TEHPJTURY. 


issippi  River  and  cross  it  into  the  Spanish 
country.  Before  his  start  lie  received  two 
c;ood  items  of  information  ;  one  that  the 
alliance  had  been  foi-med  between  France 
and  the  United  States  ;  and  the  other  tliat 
the  Indians  tlu'oughont  the  Illinois  country 
and  the  inhabitants,  at  the  various  frontier 
posts,  had  been  led  to  believe  by  the  Brit- 
ish that  the  "  Long  Knives"  or  Virginians, 
were  the  most  fierce,  bloodthirsty  and  cruel 
savages  that  everscaljied  a  foe.  With  this 
impression  on  their  minds,  Clark  saw  that 
proper  management  would  cause  them  to 
submit  at  once  from  fear,  if  surprised,  and 
then  from  gratitude  would  become  friendly 
if  treated  with  unexpected  leniencj'. 

The  march  to  Kaskaskia  was  accomplish- 
ed through  a  hot  July  sun,  and  the  town 
reached  on  tlieeveningof  July  4.  He  cap- 
tured the  fort  near  the  village,  and  soon 
after  the  village  itself  by  surprise,  and  with- 
out the  loss  of  a  single  man  or  by  killing 
any  of  the  enemy.  After  sufficient]  v  work- 
ing upon  the  fears  of  the  natives,  Clark 
toid  them  they  were  at  perfect  liberty  to 
worship  as  they  pleased,  and  to  take  which- 
ever side  of  the  great  conflict  they  would, 
also,  he  would  protect  them  from  any  Ijar- 
barity  from  British  or  Indian  foe.  This 
had  the  desired  effect,  and  the  inhabitants, 
60  unexpectedly  and  so  gratefully  surprised 
by  the  unlooked-for  turn  of  afi'airs,  at  once 
swore  allegiance  to  the  American  arms,  and 
when  Clark  desired  to  go  to  Cahokia  on 
the  Gth  of  July,  they  accompanied  him, 
and  thrcmgh  their  influence  the  inhabitants 
of  the  place  surrendered,  and  gladly  placed 
themselves  under  his  protection.  Thus 
the  two  important  posts  in  Illinois  passed 
from  the  hands  of  the  English  into  the  pos- 
session of  Yirij-inia. 


In  the  person  of  tlie  priest  at  Kaskaskia, 
M.  Gibault,  Clark  found  a  powerful  ally 
and  generous  friend.  Clark  saw  that,  to 
retain  possession  of  the  Xorthwest  and 
treat  successfully  with  the  Indians  within 
its  boundaries,  he  must  establisii  a  govern- 
ment for  the  colonies  he  had  taken.  St. 
Vincent,  the  next  important  post  to  De- 
troit, remained  yet  to  be  taken  before  the 
Mississippi  Valley  was  conquered.  M.  Gib- 
ault told  him  that  he  would  alone,  by  per- 
suasion, lead  Vincoiines  to  throw  oft'  its 
connection  with  England.  Clark  gladly 
accepted  his  offer,  and  on  the  litli  of  Julv, 
in  company  with  a  fellow- townsman,  M. 
Gibault  started  on  his  mission  of  peace 
and  on  the  1st  of  August  returned  with  the 
cheerful  intelligence  that  the  post  on  the 
"Oubache"  had  taken'  tiie  oath  of  allegi- 
ance to  the  Old  Dominion.  During  this 
interval,  Clark  established  his  courts,  placed 
garrisons  at  Kaskaskia  and  Cahokia,  suc- 
cessfully re-enlisted  his  men,  sent  word  to 
have  a  fort,  which  proved  the  germ  of  Louis- 
ville, erected  at  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio,  and 
dispatched  M.  Ilocheblave,  who  had  lieen 
comniaTider  at  Kaskaskia,  as  a  prisoner  of 
war  to  Richmond.  In  Oetoi)er  the  County 
of  Illinois  was  established  by  the  Lenfis- 
lature  of  Virginia,  John  Ti)dd  a]ipointed 
Lieutenant  Colonel  and  Civil  Governor, 
and  in  November  Geiierfil  Clark  and  his 
men  received  the  thanks  of  the  Old  Do- 
minion through  their  Legislature. 

In  a  speech  a  few  days  afterward,  Clark 
made  known  fully  to  the  natives  his  plans, 
and  at  its  close  all  came  forward  and  swore 
allegiance  to  the  Long  Knives.  While  he 
was  doing  this  Governor  Hamilton,  having 
made  his  various  arrangements,  had  left 
Detroit   ami   moved   down   the  Wabash  to 


THE  NORTHWEST  TEKU[TORY. 


25 


Vineennes  inteiidiu!:^  to  operate  from  that 
point  in  reducing  the  Illinois  posts,  and 
then  proceed  on  down  to  Kentucky  and 
dris'e  the  rebels  from  the  West.  Gen. 
Clark  had,  on  tlie  return  of  M.  Gibault, 
dispatched  Captain  Helm,  of  Fauquier 
County,  Virginia,  with  an  attendant  named 
Henry,  across  the  Illinois  prairies  to  com- 
mand the  fort.  Hamilton  knew  nothing 
of  tlie  capitulation  of  the  post,  and  was 
greatly  surprised  on  his  arrival  to  be  con- 
fronted by  Capt.  Helm,  who,  standing  at 
the  entrance  of  the  fort  by  a  loaded  cannon 
ready  to  fire  upon  his  assailants,  demanded 
upon  what  terms  Hamilton  demanded  pos- 
session of  the  furt.  Being  granted  the 
rights  of  a  prisoner  of  war,  he  surrendered 
to  the  British  General,  who  could  scarcely 
believe  his  eyes  when  he  saw  the  force  in 
the  garrison. 

Hamilton,  not  realizing  the  character  of 
the  men  with  whom  he  was  contending, 
gave  up  his  intended  campaign  for  the 
winter,  sent  his  four  hui\dred  Indian  war- 
riors to  prevent  troops  from  coming  down 
the  Ohio,  and  to  annoy  the  Americans  in 
all  ways,  and  sat  quietly  down  to  pass  the 
winter.  Information  of  all  these  proceed- 
ings having  reached  Clark,  he  saw  that 
immediate  and  decisive  action  was  neces- 
sary, and  that  unless  he  captured  Hamil- 
ton, Hamilton  would  capture  him.  Clark 
received  the  news  on  tlie  29th  of  January, 
1779,  and  on  February  -tth,  having  suffi- 
ciently garrisoned  Kaskaskia  and  Cahokia, 
ho  sent  down  the  Mississippi  a  "  battoo," 
as  Major  Bowman  writes  it,  in  order  to  as- 
cend the  Ohio  and  Wabasli,  and  operate 
with  the  land  forces  gathering  fur  the 
fray. 

On    the  next  dav.  Chirk,  with  his   little 


force  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  men,  set 
out  for  the  post,  and  after  incredible  hard 
marching  through  much  mud,  the  ground 
being  thawed  by  the  incessant  spring  rains, 
on  the  22ad  reached  the  fort,  and  being 
joined  by  his  "  battoe,"  at  once  commenced 
the  attack  on  the  post.  The  aim  of  the 
American  backwoodsmen  was  unerring, 
and  on  the  24th  the  garrison  surrendered 
to  the  intrepid  boldness  of  Clark.  The 
French  were  treated  with  great  kindness, 
and  gladly  renewed  their  allegiance  to  Vir- 
ginia.  Hamilton  was  sent  as  a  prisoner  to 
Virginia,  where  he  was  kept  in  close  con- 
finement. During  his  command  of  the 
British  frontier  posts,  he  had  oflTered  prizes 
to  the  Indians  for  all  the  scalps  of  Ameri- 
cans they  would  bring  to  him,  and  had 
earned  in  consequence  thereof,  the  title 
"Hair-buyer  General,"  by  which  he  was 
ever  afterward  known. 

Detroit  was  now  without  doubt  within 
easy  reach  of  the  enterprising  Virginian, 
could  he  but  raise  the  necessary  force. 
Governor  Henry  being  apprised  of  this, 
promised  him  the  needed  reinforcement, 
and  Clark  concluded  to  wait  until  he  could 
capture  and  sufficiently  garrison  the  posts. 
Had  Clark  failed  in  this  bold  undertaking, 
and  Hamilton  succeeded  in  uniting  the 
western  Indians  for  the  next  spring's  cam- 
paign, the  West  would  indeed  have  been 
swept  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Allegheny 
Mountains,  and  the  great  blow  struck, 
which  had  been  contemplated  from  the 
commencement,  by  the  British. 

"But  for  this  small  army  of  dri])])ing, 
but  fearless  Virginians,  the  union  of  all 
the  tribes  from  Georgia  to  Maine  against 
the  colonies  might  have  been  effected,  and 
the  whole  current  of  our  historv  changed.'' 


26 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


At  this  time  some  fears  were  entertained 
by  the  Colonial  Governments  that  the  In- 
dians in  the  North  and  Northwest  were  in- 
clinins;  to  the  British,  and  nnder  the  in- 
structions of  Washington,  now  Commander- 
in-Chief  of  the  Colonial  army,  and  so 
bravely  fighting  for  American  independ- 
ence, armed  forces  were  sent  against  the 
Six  Nations,  and  upon  the  Ohio  frontier, 
Col.  Bowman,  acting  under  the  same  gen- 
eral's orders,  marched  against  Indians 
within  the  present  limits  of  that  State. 
These  expeditions  were  in  the  main  suc- 
cessful, and  the  Indians  were  compelled  to 
sne  for  peace. 

During  the  same  year  (1779)  the  famous 
'Land  Laws "  of  Virginia  were  passed. 
The  passage  of  these  laws  was  of  more  con- 
sequence to  the  pioneers  of  Kentucky  and 
the  Northwest  than  the  gaining  of  a  few 
Indian  conflicts.  These  laws  confirmed  in 
main  all  grants  made,  and  guaranteed  to  all 
actual  settlers  their  rights  and  privileges. 
After  providing  for  the  settlers,  the  laws 
provided  for  selling  the  balance  of  the  pub- 
lic lands  at  forty  cents  per  acre.  To  carry 
the  Land  Laws  into  effect,  the  Legislature 
sent  four  Virginians  westward  to  attend  to 
the  various  claims,  over  many  of  wliich 
great  confusion  prevailed  concerning  their 
validity.  These  gentlemen  opened  their 
court  on  October  13,  1779,  at  St.  Asaphs, 
and  continued  until  April  26,  17S<),  when 
thev  adjourned,  having  decided  three  thou- 
sand claims.  They  were  succeeded  by  the 
surveyor,  who  came  in  the  person  of  Mr. 
George  May,  and  assumed  liis  duties  on 
the  loth  day  of  the  month  whoso  name  he 
bore.  With  the  opening  of  the  next  year 
(1780)  the  tr(Mibles  concerning  the  naviga- 
tion uf  the  Missis#ip[ii   commenced.     The 


Spanish  Government  exacted  such  measures 
in  relation  to  its  trade  as  to  cause  the  over- 
tures made  to  the  United  States  to  be  re- 
jected. The  American  Government  con- 
sidered they  had  a  risrht  to  navigate  its 
channel.  To  enforce  their  claims,  a  fort 
was  erected  below  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio 
on  the  Kentucky  side  of  the  river.  The 
settlements  in  Kentucky  were  being  rapidly 
filled  by  emigrants.  It  was  during  this 
year  tliat  the  first  seminary  of  learning  was 
established  in  the  West  in  this  young  and 
enterprising  Commonwealth. 

The  settlers  here  did  not  look  upon  the 
building  of  this  fort  in  a  friendly  manner, 
as  it  aroused  the  hostility  of  the  Indians. 
Spain  had  been  friendly  to  the  Colonies 
during  their  struggle  for  independence, 
and  though  for  a  while  this  friendship  ap- 
peared in  danger  from  the  refusal  of  the 
free  navigation  of  the  river,  yet  it  was 
finally  settled  to  the  satisfaction  of  both 
nations. 

The  winter  of  1779-80  was  one  of  the 
most  unusually  severe  ones  ever  experienced 
in  the  West.  The  Indians  always  referred 
to  it  as  the  "  Great  Cold."  Numbers  of  wild 
animals  perished,  and  not  a  few  pioneers 
lost  their  lives.  The  following  summer  a 
party  of  Canadians  and  Indians  attacked 
St.  Louis,  and  attempted  to  take  possession 
of  it  in  consequence  of  the  friendly  dispo- 
sition of  Spain  to  the  revolting  Colonies. 
They  met  with  such  a  determined  resist- 
ance on  the  part  of  the  inhabitants,  even 
the  women  taking  part  in  the  battle,  that 
they  were  com]ielled  to  abandon  the  con- 
test. They  also  made  an  attack  on  the 
settlements  in  Kentucky,  but,  becoming 
alarmed  in  some  unaccountable  .  manner, 
thev  fled  the  conutrv  in  ijreat  haste. 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRlTORy. 


27 


About  this  time  arose  the  question  in 
the  Colonial  Congress  concerning  the  west- 
ern lands  claimed  by  Yirgiiiia,  New  York, 
Massachusetts  and  Connecticut.  The  agi- 
tation concerning  tliis  subject  finally  led 
New  York,  on  tlie  19th  of  February,  17S0, 
to  pass  a  law  giving  to  the  delegates  of 
that  State  in  Congress  the  power  to  cede 
her  western  lands  for  the  benefit  of  the 
United  States.  This  law  was  laid  before 
Congress  during  the  next  month,  but  no 
steps  were  taken  concerning  it  until  Sep- 
tember 0th,  when  a  resolution  passed  that 
body  calling  upon  the  States  claiming  west- 
ern lands  to  release  their  claims  in  favor  of 
the  whole  body.  This  basis  formed  the 
nnion,  and  was  the  first  after  all  of  those 
legislative  measures  which  resulted  in  the 
creation  of  the  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Michigan,  "Wisconsin  and  Minne- 
sota. In  December  of  the  same  year,  the 
])lan  of  conquering  Detroit  again  arose. 
The  conquest  might  have  easily  been 
effected  by  Clark  ha<l  the  necessary  aid 
been  furnished  him.  Nothing  decisive  was 
dtine,  yet  the  heads  of  the  Government 
knew  that  the  safety  of  the  Northwest  from 
B'itish  invasion  lay  in  the  capture  and 
retention  of  that  important  post,  the  onlv 
uiiconquered  one  in  the  territory. 

Befijre  the  close  of  the  year,  Kentucky 
was  divided  into  the  Counties  of  Lincoln, 
Fayette  and  Jefferson,  and  the  act  estab- 
lishing the  Town  of  Louisville  was  passed. 
This  same  year  is  also  noted  in  the  annals 
of  American  history  as  the  year  in  which 
occurred  Arnold's  treason  to  the  United 
States. 

Virginia,  in  accordance  with  the  resolu- 
tion of  Congress,  on  the  !id  day  of  January, 
^T^^1,  agreed  to  yield  her  western   lands  to 


the  United  States  upon  certain  conditions, 
which  Congress  would  not  accede  to,  and 
the  act  of  Cession,  on  the  part  of  the  Old 
Dominion,  failed,  nor  was  anj'thiug  fur- 
ther done  until  1783.  During  all  that 
time  the  Colonies  were  l)usily  engaged  in 
the  struggle  with  the  motlier  country,  and 
in  consequence  thereof  but  little  heed  was 
given  to  the  western  settlements.  Upon 
the  IGth  of  A])ril,  1781,  the  first  birth 
north  of  the  Ohio  River  of  American  par- 
entage occurred,  being  that  of  Mary  Ileck- 
ewelder,  daughter  of  the  widely  known 
Moravian  missionary,  whose  band  of  Chris- 
tian Indians  suffered  in  after  years  a  hor- 
rible massacre  by  the  hands  of  the  frontier 
settlers,  who  had  been  exasperated  by  the 
murder  of  several  of  their  neighbors,  and 
in  their  rage  committed,  without  regard  to 
humanity,  a  deed  which  forever  afterward 
cast  a  shade  of  shame  upon  their  lives. 
For  this  and  kindred  outrages  on  the  part 
of  the  whites,  the  Indians  committed  many 
deeds  of  crucltv  which  darken  the  j'ears  of 
1771  and  1772  in  the  history  of  the  North- 
west. 

During  the  3'ear  1782  a  number  of  bat- 
tles among  the  Indians  and  frontiersmen 
occurred,  and  between  the  Moi-avian  Indi- 
ans and  the  AVyandots.  In  these,  horrible 
acts  of  cruelty  were  practiced  on  the  cap- 
tives, many  of  such  dark  deeds  transpiring 
under  the  leadership  of  the  notorious  front- 
ier outlaw,  Simon  Girty,  whose  name,  as 
well  as  those  of  his  brothers,  was  a  terror 
to  women  and  children.  These  occurred 
chiefly  in  the  Ohio  valleys.  Contempo- 
rary with  them  were  several  engagements 
in  Kentucky,  in  which  the  famous  Daniel 
Boone  engaged,  and  who  often,  by  his 
skill    and    knowledge    of    Indian    warfare, 


28 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


sav^ed  the  outposts  from  cruel  destruction . 
By  the  close  of  the  year  victory  had 
perched  upon  the  American  banner,  and 
on  the  SOtii  of  November,  provisional  arti- 
cles of  peace  had  been  arranged  between 
the  Commissioners  of  England,  and  her 
unconquerable  Colonies.  Cornwallis  had 
been  defeated  on  tiie  19th  of  October  pre- 
ceding, and  the  liberty  of  America  was  as- 
sured. On  the  19ch  of  April  following, 
the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  Lexington, 
peace  was  proclaimed  to  tlie  army  of  tlie 
United  States,  and  on  tlie  3d  of  the  next 
September,  tlie  definite  treaty  which  ended 
our  revolutionary  struggle,  was  concluded. 
By  the  terms  of  that  treaty,  the  bounda- 
ries of  the  AVest  were  as  follows:  On  the 
nortii  the  line  was  to  extend  along  the  cen- 
ter of  the  Great  Lakes;  from  the  western 
point  of  Lake  Superior  to  Long  Lake; 
thence  to  the  Lake  of  the  Woods;  thence 
to  the  head  of  tlie  Mississippi  River,  down 
its  center  to  the  31st  parallel  of  latitude, 
then  on  that  line  east  to  the  head  of  the 
Appalacliicola  Biver;  down  its  center  to 
its  junction  with  the  Flint;  thence  straight 
to  the  head  of  St.  Mary's  River,  and  thence 
down  along  its  center  to  the  Atlantic 
Ocean. 

Following  the  cessation  of  hostilities 
with  England,  several  posts  were  still  occu- 
]iied  by  the  British  in  the  North  and  West. 
Among  these  was  Detroit,  still  in  the  hands 
of  the  enemy.  Numerous  engagements 
with  the  Indians  throughout  Ohio  and  Li- 
diaua  occurred,  upon  whose  lands  adventur- 
ous whites  would  settle  ere  the  title  had 
been  acquired  by  the  proper  treaty. 

To  remedy  this  latter  evil.  Congress  ap- 
]i(iinted  commissioners  to  treat  with  the 
natives  and   purchase  their  lands,  and  pro- 


hibited the  settlement  of  the  territory  until 
this  could  be  done.  Before  the  close  of  the 
year  another  attempt  was  made  to  capture 
Detroit,  which  was,  however,  not  pushed, 
and  Virginia,  no  longer  feeling  the  interest 
in  the  Northwest  she  had  formerly  done, 
witiidrew  her  troops,  having  on  the  20th  of 
December  preceding  authorized  the  whole 
of  her  possessions  to  be  deeded  to  the 
United  States.  This  was  done  on  the  1st 
of  ilarch  following,  and  the  Northwest 
Territory  passed  from  the  control  of  the 
Old  Dominion.  To  Gen.  Clark  and  his 
soldiers,  however,  she  gave  a  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  acres  of  land, 
to  be  situated  anywhere  north  of  the  Ohio 
wherever  they  chose  to  locate  them.  They 
selected  the  region  opposite  the  falls  of 
the  Ohio,  where  is  now  the  dilapidated 
village  of  Clarksville,  about  midway  be- 
tween the  Cities  of  New  Albany  and  Jeffer- 
sonville,  Indiana. 

While  the  trontier  remained  thus,  and 
Gen.  Haldimand  at  Detroit  refused  to 
evacuate,  alleging  that  he  had  no  orders 
from  his  King  to  do  so,  settlers  were  rap- 
idly gathering  about  the  inland  forts.  In 
the  spring  of  1784,  Pittsburgh  was  regu- 
larly laid  out,  and  from  the  journal  of  Ar- 
thur Lee,  who  passed  through  the  town 
soon  after  on  his  way  to  the  Indian  council 
at  Fort  Mcintosh,  we  suppose  it  was  not 
verv  prepossessing  in  appearance.  He 
says: 

"  Pittsburgh  is  inhabited  almost  entirely 
by  Scots  and  Irish,  who  live  in  paltry  log 
houses,  and  are  as  dirty  as  if  in  the  nortli 
of  Ireland  or  even  Scotland.  There  is  a 
great  deal  of  trade  carried  on,  the  goods 
being  brought  at  the  vast  expense  of  forty- 
five  shillings  per  pound  t'roni  Philadelphia 


TIIK  XURTIIWEST  TKKKITOKV. 


and  Baltimore.  They  take  in  the  shops 
flour,  wheat,  skins  and  money.  Tliere  are 
in  tlie  town  four  attorneys,  two  doctors, 
and  not  a  priest  of  any  persuasion,  nor 
church  nor  chajieL" 

Kentucky  at  this  time  contained  tliirty 
thousand  inhabitants,  and  was  beginning  to 
discuss  measures  for  a  separation  from 
Virginia.  A  land  office  was  opened  at 
Louisville,  and  measures  were  adopted  to 
take  defensive  precaution  against  the  In- 
dians who  were  yet,  in  some  instances,  in- 
cited to  deeds  of  violence  by  the  British. 
Before  the  close  of  this  year,  1784,  the 
military  claimants  of  land  began  to 
occupy  them,  although  no  entries  were 
i-ecorded  until  ITST. 

The  Indian  title  to  the  Northwest  was 
not  yet  extinguished.  They  held  large 
tracts  of  lands,  and  in  order  to  prevent 
blpodshed  Congress  adopted  means  for 
treaties  with  the  original  owners  and  pi'o- 
vided  for  the  surveys  of  the  lands  gained 
therebj',  as  well  as  for  those  north  of  the 
Ohio,  now  in  its  possession.  On  Januarv 
31,  1786,  a  treaty  was  made  with  the  AVa- 
bash  Indians.  The  treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix 
had  been  made  in  1784.  That  at  Fort  Mc- 
intosh in  1785,  and  through  these  much 
land  was  gained.  The  Wabash  Indians, 
however,  afterward  refused  to  comply  with 
the  provisions  of  the  treaty  made  with 
them,  and  in  order  to  compel  their  adhe- 
rence to  its  provisions,  force  was  used. 
During  the  year  1786,  the  free  navigation 
of  the  Mississippi  came  up  in  Congress, 
and  caused  various  discussions,  which  re- 
suited  in  no  definite  action,  only  servin<j  to 
excite  speculation  in  regard  to  the  western 
lands.  Congress  had  ])romised  bounties 
of  land  to  the  soldiers  of  the  Revolution, 


but  owing  to  the  unsettled  condition  of 
aiFairs  along  the  Mississippi  respecting  its 
navigation,  and  the  trade  of  the  Northwest, 
that  body  had,  in  1783,  declared  its  inabil- 
ity to  fultill  these  promises  until  a  treaty 
could  be  concluded  between  the  two  Gov- 
ernments. Jjcfore  the  close  of  the  year 
17St),  however,  it  was  able,  through  the 
treaties  with  the  Indians,  to  allow  some 
grants  and  the  settlement  thereon,  and  on 
the  14th  of  September,  Connecticut  ceded 
to  the  General  Government  the  tract  of 
land  known  as  the  "Connecticut  Reserve," 
and  before  the  close  of  the  following  year 
a  large  tract  of  land  north  of  the  Ohio  was 
sold  to  a  compan}',  who  at  once  took  meas- 
ures to  settle  it.  By  the  provisions  of  this 
grant,  the  company  were  to  pay  the  United 
States  one  dollar  per  acre,  subject  to  a  de- 
duction of  one-third  for  bad  lands  and  other 
contingencies.  They  received  750,000  acres, 
bounded  on  the  south  by  the  Ohio,  on  the 
east  by  the  seventh  range  of  townships,  on 
the  west  by  the  sixteenth  range,  and  on  the 
north  by  a  line  so  drawn  as  to  make  the 
grant  complete  without  the  reservations. 
In  addition  to  this.  Congress  afterward 
irranted  100,000  acres  to  actual  settlers,  and 
214,285  acres  as  army  bounties  under  the 
resolutions  of  1789  and  1790. 

While  Ur.  Cutler,  one  of  the  agents  of 
the  company,  was  pressing  its  claims  lieforo 
Congress,  that  body  was  bringing  into  form 
an  ordinance  for  the  political  and  social  or- 
ganization of  this  Territory.  When  the 
cession  was  made  by  Yirginia,  in  1784.  a 
plan  was  offered,  but  rejected.  A  motion 
had  been  made  to  sti'ike  from  the  ))roposed 
plan  the  prohibition  of  slavery,  which  pre- 
vailed. The  plan  was  then  discussed  and 
altered,    and  fiinilly    passed    unanimously, 


•.',0 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


with  the  exception  of  South  Carolina.  By 
this  proposition,  the  Territory  was  to  have 
been  divided  into  states  by  parallels  and 
meridian  lines.  This,  it  was  tliouglit,  would 
make  ten  states,  which  were  to  have  been 
named  as  follows — begiuTiinj^  at  the  north- 
west corner  and  going  southwardly:  Savly- 
nia,  Michigania,  Chersonesus,  Assenisipia, 
Metropotamia,  Illenoia,  Saratoga,  Wash- 
ino-ton,  Polypotamia  and  Pelisipia. 

There  was  a  more  serious  objection  to 
tliis  plan  than  its  category  of  names, — the 
boundaries.  Tlie  root  of  the  difficulty  was 
in  the  resolution  of  Congress  passed  in 
October,  17S0,  which  fixed  the  boundaries 
of  the  ceded  lands  to  be  from  one  hundred 
to  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  square. 
These  resolutions  being  presented  to  the 
Legislatures  of  Virginia  and  Massachusetts, 
they  desired  a  change,  and  in  July,  iTSti, 
the  subject  was  taken  up  in  Congress,  and 
changed  to  favor  a  division  into  not  more 
than  five  states,  and  not  less  than  three. 
This  was  approved  by  the  State  Legislature 
of  Vircinia.  The  subject  of  the  Govern- 
ment was  again  taken  up  by  Congress  in 
1786,  and  discussed  throughout  that  year 
and  until  July,  1787,  when  the  famous 
"Com])act  of  1787"  was  passed,  and  the 
foundation  of  the  government  of  tlie  North- 
west laid.  This  compact  is  fully  discussed 
and  explained  in  the  history  of  Illinois  in 
tills  book,  and  to  it  the  reader  is  referred. 

The  passage  of  this  act  and  the  grant  to 
the  New  England  Company  was  soon  fol- 
lowed b^'  an  application  to  the  Government 
by  John  Cleves  Synimes,  of  New  Jersey, 
fur  a  grant  of  the  land  between  the  Miamis. 
This  gentleman  had  visited  these  lands 
soon  after  the  treaty  of  1786,  and,  being 
greatly  pleased  with   them   oftcrcd    similar 


terms  to  tliose  given  to  the  New  England 
Company.  The  petition  was  referred  to  the 
Treasury  Board  with  power  to  act,  and  a 
contract  was  concluded  the  following  year. 
During  the  autumn  the  directors  of  the 
New  England  Company  were  preparing  to 
occupy  theiv  grant  the  following  spring, 
and  upon  the  23d  of  November  made  ar- 
rangements for  a  party  of  forty-seven  men, 
under  the  superintendency  of  Gen.  Eufus 
Putnam,  to  set  forward.  Six  boat-builders 
were  to  leave  at  once,  and  on  the  first  of 
January  the  surveyors  and  their  assistants, 
twenty-six  in  number,  were  to  meet  at  Hart- 
ford and  proceed  on  their  journey  westward ; 
the  remainder  to  follow  as  soon  as  possible. 
Congress,  in  the  mean  time,  upon  the  3d  of 
October,  had  ordered  seven  hundred  troops 
for  defense  of  the  western  settlers,  and  to 
prevent  unauthorized  intrusions;  and  two 
days  later  appointed  Artliur  St.  Clair  Gov- 
ernor of  the  Territory  of  the  Northwest. 

AltEEICAN    SETTLEMENTS. 

The  civil  organization  of  the  Northwest 
Territory  was  now  complete,  and  notwith- 
standing the  uncertaint}'  of  Indian  affairs, 
settlers  from  the  East  began  to  come  into 
the  country  rapidly.  The  New  England 
Company  sent  their  men  during  the  winter 
of  1787-8  pressing  on  over  the  AUeghenies 
by  the  old  Indian  path  which  had  been 
opened  into  Braddock's  road  and  which  has 
since  been  made  a  national  turnpike  from 
Cumberland  westward.  Through  the  weary 
winter  days  they  toiled  on,  and  by  April 
were  all  gathered  on  the  Tohiogany,  where 
boats  had  been  built,  and  at  once  started 
for  the  Muskingum.  Here  they  arrived  on 
the  7th  of  that  month,  and  unless  the  Mo- 
ravian missionaries  be  regarded  as  the  pio- 


TIIK  NORTHWEST  TEURITUUV. 


iieers  of  Ohio,  this  little  band  can  justly 
claim  that  honor. 

General  St.  Clair,  the  appointed  Gover- 
nor of  the  Northwest,  not  having  yet  ar- 
rived, a  set  of  laws  were  passed,  written  out, 
and  published  by  being  nailed  to  a  tree  in 
the  embryo  town,  and  Jonathan  Meigs 
appointed  to  administer  them. 

Washington  in  writing  of  this,  the  first 
American  settlement  iij  the  Northwest, 
said:  "No  colony  in  America  was  ever 
settled  under  such  favorable  auspices  as 
that  which  has  just  commenced  at  iluskin- 
gnai.  Information,  property  and  strength 
will  be  its  characteristics.  I  know  many 
of  its  settlers  personally,  and  there  never 
were  men  better  calculated  to  promote  the 
welfare  of  such  a  community." 

On  the  2d  of  July  a  meeting  of  the  di- 
rectors and  agents  was  held  on  the  banks 
of  the  Muskingum,  "  for  the  purpose  of 
naming  the  new-born  city  and  its  squares." 
As  yet  the  settlement  was  known  as  the 
"Muskingum,"  but  that  was  now  changed 
to  the  name  Marietta,  in  honor  of  Marie 
Antoinette.  The  square  upon  which  the 
block-houses  stood  was  called  '■'■Campus 
Martins;"  square  number  19,  "■Cajnto- 
liwn;''''  square  number  61,  '•Cecilia;''''  and 
the  srreat  rough  road  throuirh  the  covert 
way,  "Sacra  Via."  Two  days  after,  an 
oration  was  delivered  by  James  M.  Var- 
num,  who  with  S.  H.  Parsons  and  John 
Armstrong  had  been  appointed  to  the 
judicial  bench  of  the  Territory  on  the  IGth 
of  October,  1TS7.  On  July  9,  Gov.  St. 
Clair  arrived,  and  the  Colony  began  to  as- 
sume form.  The  act  of  1787  provided  two 
distinct  grades  of  government  for  the 
Northwest,  under  the  first  of  which  the 
whole  power  was  invested  in  the  hands  of 


a  governor  and  three  district  judges.  This 
was  immediately  formed  upon  the  gover- 
nor's arrival,  and  the  first  laws  of  the  Colony 
passed  on  the  25th  of  July.  These  provid- 
ed for  the  organization  of  the  militia,  and 
on  the  next  day  appieared  the  Governor's 
proclamation,  erecting  all  that  country  that 
had  been  ceded  by  the  Indians  east  of  the 
Scioto  Kiver  into  the  County  of  AVashing- 
ton.  From  that  time  forward,  notwith- 
standing the  doubts  yet  existing  as  to  the 
Indians,  all  Marietta  prospered,  and  on 
the  2d  of  September  the  first  court  of  the 
Territory  was  held  with  imposing  cere- 
miinies. 

The  emigration  westward  at  this  time 
was  very  great.  The  commander  at  Fort 
Ilarmar,  at  the  month  of  the  Muskingum, 
reported  four  thousand  five  hundred  per- 
sons as  having  passed  that  post  between 
February  and  June,  17SS — many  of  whom 
would  have  purchased  of  the  "Associates," 
as  the  New  England  Company  was  called, 
had  they  been  ready  to  receive  them. 

On  the  2Cth  of  November,  1787,  Symnies 
issued  a  pamphlet  stating  the  terms  of  his 
contract  and  the  plan  of  sale  he  intended  to 
adopt.  In  January,  1788,  Matthias  Den- 
man,  of  New  Jersey,  took  an  active  inter- 
est in  Symmes'  purchase,  and  located 
among  other  tracts  the  sections  upon  which 
Cincinnati  has  been  built.  Eetaining  one- 
third  of  this  locality,  he  sold  the  other 
two-thirds  to  Robert  Patterson  and  John 
Filson,  and  the  three,  about  August,  com- 
menced to  lay  out  a  town  on  the  spot, 
wliich  was  designated  as  being  opposite 
Licking  Hi  ver,  to  the  mouth  of  which  they 
proposed  to  have  a  road  cut  from  Lexing- 
ton. The  miming  of  the  town  is  thus  nar- 
rated  in    the    "Western  Annals":     "Mr. 


THE  NOUTIIWEST  TEUKlTljUY. 


Filson,  who  bad  been  a  schoolmaster,  was 
appointed  to  name  the  town,  and  in  respect 
to  its  situation,  and  as  if  with  a  prophetic 
perception  of  the  mixed  racea  that  were  to 
inhabit  it  in  after  days,  he  named  it  Lo- 
santiville,  wliicli  being  interpreted,  means: 
ville,  the  town;  anti,  against  or  opposite 
to;  OS,  the  month;  L.  of  Licking." 

Meanwhile,  in  July,  Symmes  got  thirty 
persons  and  eight  four-horse  teams  under 
M'ay  for  the  "West.  These  reached  Lime- 
stone (now  Maysville)  in  September,  where 
were  several  persons  from  Kedstone.  Here 
Mr.  Symmes  ti-ied  to  found  a  settlement, 
but  the  great  freshet  of  1789  caused  the 
"Point,"  as  it  was  and  is  yet  called,  to  be 
fifteen  feet  nnder  water,  and  the  settlement 
to  be  abandoned.  Tlie  little  band  of  settlers 
removed  to  the  mouth  of  the  Miami. 
Before  Symmes  and  his  colony  left  the 
"Point,"'  two  settlements  had  been  made 
on  his  purchase.  The  first  was  by  Mr. 
Stiltes,  the  original  projector  of  the  whole 
plan,  who,  with  a  colony  of  Redstone  peo- 
ple, had  located  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Miami,  whither  Symmes  went  with  his 
Maysville  colony.  Here  a  clearing  had 
been  made  by  the  Indians  owing  to  the 
great  fertility  of  the  soil.  Mr.  Stiltes  with 
his  colony  came  to  this  place  on  the  ISth 
of  November,  1788,  with  twenty-six  per- 
sons, and,  building  a  blockhouse,  prepared 
to  remain  through  the  winter.  They 
named  the  settlement  Columbia.  Here 
they  were  kindly  treated  by  the  Indians, 
but  suffered  greatly  from  the  flood  of  1789. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1789,  the  Consti- 
tntion  of  the  United  States  went  into  op- 
eration, and  on  April  "Otli,  George  Wash- 
ington was  inaugurated  President  of  tlie 
American    people,    and    during    the   next 


summer,  an  Indian  war  was  commenced 
by  the  tribes  nortli  of  the  Ohio.  The 
President  at  first  used  pacitic  means;  but 
these  failing,  he  sent  General  liarmar 
against  tiie  hostile  tribes.  He  destroyed 
several  villages,  bnt  was  defeated  in  two 
battles,  near  the  present  City  of  Fort 
Wayne,  Indiana.  From  this  time  till  the 
close  of  1795,  the  principal  events  were 
the  wars  with  the,  various  Indian  tribes. 
In  1796,  General  St.  Clair  was  appointed 
in  command,  and  marched  against  the  In- 
dians; but  while  he  was  encamped  on  a 
stream,  the  St.  Mary,  a  branch  of  the 
Maumee,  he  was  attacked  and  defeated 
with  the  loss  of  six  hundred  men. 

General  Wayne  was  now  sent  against  the 
savages.  In  August,  1794,  he  mot  them 
near  the  rapids  of  the  Maumee,  and  gained 
a  complete  victory.  This  success,  followed 
by  vigorous  measures,  compelled  the  Indi- 
ans to  sue  for  peace,  and  on  the  30th  of 
July,  the  following  year,  the  treaty  of 
Greenville  was  signed  by  the  principal 
chiefs,  by  which  a  large  tract  of  country 
was  ceded  to  the  United  States. 

Before  proceeding  in  our  narrative,  we 
will  pause  to  notice  Fort  Washington, 
erected  in  the  early  part  of  this  war  on 
the  site  of  Cincinnati.  Nearly  all  of  the 
sreat  cities  of  the  Northwest,  and  indeed 
of  the  whole  country,  have  had  their  nuclei 
in  those  rude  pioneer  structures,  known  as 
forts  or  stockades.  Thus  Forts  Dearborn, 
Washington,  Ponchartrain,  mark  the  orig- 
inal sites  of  the  now  proud  cities  of  Chi- 
caffo,  Cincinnati  and  Detroit.  So  of  most 
of  the  flourishing  cities  east  and  west  of 
the  Mississippi.  Fort  Washington  erected 
by  Doughty  in  1790,  was  a  rude  bnt  highly 
interesting  structure.     It  was  composed  of 


THE  XOKTIIWEST  TEKRITOUV. 


a  number  of  strongly-built  liewed  log  cab- 
ins. Those  designed  for  soldiers'  barracks 
were  a  story  and  a  half  high,  while  those 
composing  the  officers'  quarters  were  more 
imposing  and  more  conveniently  arranged 
and  furnished.  Tlie  whole  were  so  placed 
as  to  form  a  hollow  S(juare,  enclosing  about 
an  acre  of  ground,  with  a  block  house  at 
each  of  the  four  angles. 

The  logs  for  the  construction  of  this 
fort  were  cut  from  the  ground  upon  which 
it  was  erected.  It  stood  between  Tiiird 
ami  Fourth  Streets  of  the  present  city 
(Cincinnati)  extending  east  of  Eastern 
Row,  now  Broadway,  which  was  then  a 
narrow  alley,  and  the  eastern  boundary  of 
the  town  as  it  was  originally  laid  out.  On 
the  bank  of  the  river,  immediately  in  front 
of  the  fort,  was  an  appendage  of  the  fort, 
called  the  Artificer's  Yard.  It  contained 
about  two  acres  of  ground,  enclosed  by 
small  contiguous  buildings,  occupied  by 
workshops  and  quarters  of  laborers. 
AVithin  this  enclosure  there  was  a  large 
two-story  frame  house,  familiarly  called 
the  "  Yellow  House,"  built  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  Quartermaster  General. 
For  many  3'ears  this  was  the  best  finished 
and  most  commodious  edifice  in  the  (^ueen 
City.  I'cirt  AVashington  was  for  some  time 
tiie  head(|uarters  of  both  the  civil  and  mil- 
itary governments  of  the  Jfortliwestern 
Territory. 

Following  the  consummation  of  the 
treaty,  various  gigantic  land  speculations 
were  entered  into  by  different  persons,  who 
hoped  to  obtain  from  the  Indians  in  Mich- 
igan and  northern  Indiana,  large  tracts  of 
lands.  These  were  generally  discovered 
in  time  to  prevent  the  outrageous  schemes 
from  being  carried  out,  and  from  involving 


the  settlers  in  war.  On  October  27, 1795, 
the  treaty  between  the  United  States  and 
Spain  was  signed,  whereby  the  free  navi- 
gation of  the  Alississippi  was  secured. 

No  sooner  had  the  treaty  of  1795  been 
ratified,  than  settlements  began  to  pour 
rapidly  into  the  AYest.  The  great  event 
of  the  year  1796  was  the  occupation  of 
that  part  of  the  JS^orthwest  including 
Michigan,  which  was  this  year,  under  the 
]irovisions  of  the  treaty,  evacuated  by  the 
British  forces.  The  United  States,  owing 
to  certain  conditions,  did  not  feel  justified 
in  addressing  the  authorities  in  Canada 
in  relation  to  Detroit  and  other  frontier 
posts.  AVhen  at  last  the  British  author- 
ities' were  called  to  give  them  up,  they 
at  once  complied,  and  General  AYayne, 
who  had  done  so  much  to  preserve  the 
frontier  settlements,  and  who,  before 
the  year's  close,  sickened  and  died  near 
Erie,  transferred  his  headquarters  to  the 
neighborhood  of  the  lakes,  where  a  coun- 
ty named  after  him  was  formed,  which 
included  the  northwest  of  Ohio,  all  of 
Michigan,  and  the  northeast  of  Indiana. 
During  this  same  year  settlements  were 
formed  at  the  present  City  of  Chillicothe, 
along  the  Miami  from  Middletown  to  Piqua, 
while  in  the  more  distant  AVest,  settlers 
and  speculators  began  to  appear  in  great 
numbers.  In  September,  the  City  of 
Cleveland  was  laid  out,  and  during  the 
summer  and  autumn,  Samuel  Jackson 
and  Jonathan  Sharpless  erected  the  first 
manufactory  of  paper — the  "  Redstone 
Paper  Mill  " — in  the  AYest.  St.  Louis  con- 
tained some  seventy  houses,  and  Detroit 
over  three  hundred,  and  along  the  river, 
contiguous  to  it,  were  more  than  three 
thousand   inhabitants,  mostly  French  Can- 


34 


TIIK  NOUTIIWEST  TICraUToRY. 


adiiin-;,  Indians  and  half-breeds,  scarcely 
ail}'  Americans  venturing  yet  into  that 
part  of  tlie  Xorthwest. 

The  election  of  representatives  for  the 
Territory  had  taken  place,  and  on  the  4th 
of  February,  1799,  they  convened  at  Lo- 
santiville — now  known  as  Cincinnati,  hav- 
ing been  named  so  by  Gov.  St.  Clair,  and 
considered  the  capital  of  the  Territory — to 
nominate  persons  from  whom  the  mem- 
bers of  the  legislature  were  to  be  chosen 
in  accordance  with  a  previous  ordinance. 
These  nominations  being  made,  the  Assem- 
bly adjourned  until  the  16th  of  the  follow- 
ing September.  From  those  named,  the 
President  selected  as  members  of  the 
council,  Henry  Yandenbnrg,  of  Yincennes, 
Robert  Oliver,  of  Marietta,  James  Findlay 
and  Jacob  Burnett,  of  Cincinnati,  and 
David  Vance,  of  Vanceville.  On  the  16th 
of  September  the  Territorial  Legislature 
met,  and  on  the  Slth  the  two  houses  were 
duly  organized,  Henry  Yandenburg  being 
elected  President  of  the  Council. 

The  message  of  Gov.  St.  Clair  was  ad- 
dressed to  the  Legislature  September  20h, 
and  on  October  13th  that  body  elected  as 
a  delegate  to  Congress,  Gen.  Wm.  Henry 
Harrison,  who  received  eleven  of  the  votes 
cast,  being  a  majority  of  one  over  his  op- 
ponent, Arthur  St.  Clair,  son  of  Gun.  St. 
Clair. 

The  whole  number  of  acts  passed  at  this 
session,  and  approved  by  the  Governor, 
were  thirty-seven — -eleven  others  were 
passed,  but  received  his  veto.  The  most 
important  of  those  passed,  related  to  the 
militia,  to  the  administration,  and  to  taxa- 
tion. On  the  19th  of  December,  this  pro- 
tracted session  of  the  first  Legislature  in 
the  West  was  closed,    and    on    the    30th 


of  December,  the  President  nominated 
Charles  Willing  Bryd  to  the  office  of  Sec- 
retary' of  the  Territory  vice  Wm.  Henry 
Harrison,  elected  to  Congress.  The  Sen- 
ate confirmed  his  nomination  the  next  day. 

DIVISION  OF  THE  NORTHWEST  TEREITOEY. 

The  increased  emigration  to  the  North- 
west, the  extent  of  the  domain,  and  the  in- 
convenient modes  of  travel,  made  it  very 
difficult  to  conduct  the  ordinary  operations 
of  government,  and  rendered  the  efficient 
action  of  courts  almost  impossible.  To 
remedy  this,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to 
divide  the  territory  for  civil  purposes. 
Congress,  in  ISOO,  appointed  a  committee 
to  examine  the  question  and  report  some 
means  for  its  solution.  This  committee, 
on  the  3d  of  March,  reported  that: 

"  In  the  three  western  countries,  there 
has  been  but  one  court  having  cognizmce 
of  crimes,  in  five  years,  and  the  immunity 
which  offenders  experience  attracts,  as  to 
an  asylum,  the  most  vile  and  abandoned 
criminals, !  and  at  the  same  time  deters 
useful  citizens  from  making  settlements  in 
such  society.  The  extreme  necessity  of 
judiciary  attention  and  assistance  is  ex- 
perienced in  civil  as  well  as  in  criminal 
cases.  *  *  *  *  To  minister  a  remedy 
to  these  and  other  evils,  it  occurs  to  this 
committee  that  it  is  expedient  that  a  divis- 
ion of  said  territory  into  two  distinct  and 
separate  governments  should  be  made:  and 
that  such  division  be  made  by  a  line  be- 
ginning at  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Miami 
River,  running  directly  north  until  it  in- 
tersects the  boundary  between  the  United 
States  and  Canada.'' 

The  report  was  accepted  by  Congress, 
and,  in  accordance  with  its  suggestions, 
that  liody  passed  an  act  extinguishing  the 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


35 


Northwest  Territory,  which  act  was  ap- 
proved Maji  7th.  Among  its  -p,rov:i^oiis. 
were  these:     .-■■,..  \v:-_  ;. 

"That  t'roia  and  after  July  Ith  next,  all 
that  part  of -the  territory .  of  tiie  United 
States,  iiortliwest  of  tiie  Ohio  River,  which 
lies  to  the  westward,  of  a  line  heginning  at 
a  foiiit  on  the  Ohio,  opposite  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Kentucky  River,  and  running  thence 
to  Fort  Recovery,  and  thence  north  until 
it  shall  intersect  the  territorial  line  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  Canada,  shall, 
for  the  purpose  of  temporary  government, 
constituteaseparate  territory',  and  be  called 
the  Indiana  Territory." 

After  providing  for  the  exercise]  of  the 
civil  and  criminal  powers  of  tiie  Territories, 
and  otlier  provisions,  the  act  farther  pro- 
vides: 

"  Tliat  until  it  shall  otherwise  be  ordered 
by  the  Legislatures  of  the  said  Territories, 
respectively,  Chillicothe  on  the  Scioto 
River  shall  be  the  seat  of  government  of 
the  Territory  of  the  United  States  north- 
west of  the  Ohio  River;  and  that  St.  Vin- 
ceniies  on  tiie  Wabash  River  shall  be  the 
seat  of  govei-nment  for  the  Indiana  Terri- 
tory."' 

(Jen.  Wm.  Henry  llai'rison  was  a])]ioint- 
cd  Governor  of  tint  Imliiuia  Territory,  and 
entered  upon  his  duties  about  a  year  later. 
Connecticut  also  about  this  time  released 
her  claims  to  the  reserve,  and  in  March  a 
law  was  passed  accepting  this  cession. 
Settlements  had  been  made  upon  thirtv- 
five  of  the  townships  in  the  reserve,  mills 
had  been  built,  and  seven  hundred  miles  of 
road  cut  in  various  directions.  On  the  3d 
of  November,  the  General  Assembly  met 
at  Chillicothe.  Near  the  close  of  the  year, 
Uie   first    missionary    of    the    Connecticut 


Reserve  came,  who  found  no  township  cou- 
taitiing  more  than  eleven  families.  It  was 
upon  the, first  of  October  that  the  secret 
treaty  had.|been  made  between  Napoleon 
and  the  Kiiig.of  Spain,  whereby  J;he  latter 
agreed  to  cede  to  .France  the  prgvince  of 
Louisiana. 

In  .laniuuy,  1S02,  the  assembly  of  the 
Northwestern  Territory  chartered  the 
college  at  Athens.  From  the  earliest 
dawn  of  :he  western  colonies,  education 
was  promptly  provided  for,  and  as  early  as 
17S7,  newspapers  were  issued  from  Pitts- 
burgh and  Kentucky,  and  largely  read 
throughout  the  frontier  settlements.  Be- 
fore the  close  of  this  year,  the  Congress  of 
the  United  States  granted  to  the  citizens 
of  the  Northwestern  Territory,  the  forma- 
tion of  a  State  government.  One  of  the 
provisions  of  the  "  compact  of  1787  "  pro- 
vided that  whenever  the  number  of  inhab- 
itants within  prescribed  limits  exceeded 
45,000,  they  should  be  entitled  to  a  sepa- 
rate government.  The  prescribed  limits 
of  Ohio  contained,  from  a  census  taken  to 
ascertain  the  legality  of  the  act,  more  than 
that  number,  and  on  the  30th  of  April, 
]S02,  Congress  ))assed  the  act  defining  its 
limits,  and  on  the  29th  of  November  the 
Constitution  of  the  new  State  of  Ohio,  so 
named  from  the  beautiful  river  forming 
its  southern  boundary,  came  into  existence. 
The  exact  limits  of  Lake  Michigan  were 
not  then  known,  but  the  territoi-y  now 
include<l  within  the  State  of  Michigan  was 
wholly  within  tlic  territory  of  Indiana. 

General  Harrison,  while  residing  at 
Yincennes,  made  several  treaties  with  the 
Indians,  thereby  gaining  large  tracts  of 
lands.  The  next  year  is  memorable  in  the 
histiiry  of  the  West   for    the    ]nirehase    of 


36 


Tiiic  xoRTiiWKST  Ti;i:i;iT( ii:v. 


Louisiana  from  France  by  the  United 
States  lor  $15,000,000.  Tlius  by  a  peace- 
ful mode,  tlie  domain  of  the  United  States 
was  extended  overa  large  tract  of  country 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  was  for  a  time 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Northwest 
government,  and  as  has  been  mentioned 
in  the  early  part  of  this  narrative,  was 
called  the  "New  Northwest."  The  limits 
of  this  history  will  r,ot  allow  a  description 
of  its  territory.  The  same  year  large 
grants  of  land  were  obtained  from  the 
Indians,  and  the  House  of  Representatives 
of  the  new  State  of  Ohio  signed  a  bill 
respecting  the  college  township  in  the 
disti'ict  of  Cincinnati. 

Before  the  close  of  the  year.  General 
Harrison  obtained  additional  grants  of 
lands  from  the  various  Indian  nations  in 
Indiana  and  the  present  limits  of  Illinois, 
and  on  the  ISth  of  August,  ISOi,  a  treaty 
at  St.  Louis,  whereby  over  51,000,000  aci'es 
of  lands  were  obtained  from  the  aborigines. 
Measures  were  also  taken  to  learn  the  con- 
dition of  affairs  in  and  about  Detroit. 

C.  Jouette,  the  Indian  agent  in  Michi- 
gan, still  a  part  of  Indiana  Torritor3-,  re- 
ported as  follows  upon  the  condition  of 
matters  at  that  post: 

"The  Town  of  Detroit.— The  charter, 
which  is  for  fifteen  miles  square,  was 
granted  in  the  time  of  Louis  XIV  of 
France,  and  is  now,  from  the  best  infor- 
mation I  have  been  able  to  get,  at  Quebec. 
Of  those  two  hundred  and  twentj'-five 
acres,  only  four  are  occupied  by  the  town 
and  Fort  Lenault.  The  remainder  is  a 
common,  except  twenty-four  acres,  whicli 
were  added  twenty'  years  ago  to  a  farm 
belonging  to  Wm.  Macomb.  *  «  *  * 
A  stockade  encloses  the  town,  foi-t  and  cit- 


adel. The  pickets,  as  well  as  the  public 
houses,  are  in  a  state  of  gradual  decay. 
The  streets  are  narrow,  straight  and  regu- 
lar, and  intersect  each  other  at  right  angles. 
The  houses  are  for  the  most  part  low  and 
inelegant." 

During  this  year  Congress  granted  a 
township  of  land  for  the  support  of  a  col- 
lege, and  began  to  offer  inducements  for 
settlers  in  these  wnlds,  and  the  country 
now  comprising  the  State  of  Michigan 
began  to  fill  rapidly  with  settlers  along  its 
soutiiern  borders.  This  same  year,  also,  a 
law  was  passed  organizing  the  Southwest 
Territory,  dividing  it  into  two  portions, 
the  Territory  of  New  Orleans,  which  city 
was  made  the  seat  of  government,  and  the 
District  of  Louisiana,  whiali  was  annexed 
to  the  domain  of  Gen.  Harrison. 

On  the  nth  of  January,  1805,  the  Terri- 
tory of  Michigan  was  formed.  AVm.  Hull 
was  appointed  governor  with  headc|uarters 
at  Detroit,  the  change  to  take  effect  on 
June  30th.  On  the  11th  of  that  month,  a 
fire  occurred  at  Detroit,  which  destroyed 
almost  every  building  in  the  place.  When 
theofticers  of  the  new  Territory  reached  the 
post,  they  found  it  in  ruins,  and  the  inhab- 
itants scattered  throughout  the  country. 
Rebuilding,  however,  soon  commenced,  and 
ere  long  the  town  contained  more  houses 
tlian  before  the  fire,  and  many  of  them 
much  better  built. 

While  this  was  being  done,  Indiana  had 
passed  to  the  second  grade  of  government, 
and  through  her  Gt:neral  Assembly  had 
obtained  large  tracts  of  land  from  the 
Indian  tribes.  To  all  this  the  celebrated 
Indian,  Tecumthe  or  Tecumseli,  vigorously 
protested,  and  it  was  the  main  cause  of  his 
attemiUs  to  unite  the  various  Indian  tribes 


THE  NOKTUWEST  TERRITORY. 


37 


in  a  conflict  with  tlie  settlers.  To  obtain  a 
fnll  account  of  tliese  atcenipts,  the  workini^s 
of  the  British,  and  the  signal  failure,  culmi- 
nating in  the  death  of  Tecnniseh  at  the 
battle  of  the  Thames,  and  the  close  of  tlie 
warof  1S12  in  the  >«\)rth\vest,  we  will  step 
aside  in  our  story,  and  relate  the  principal 
events  of  liislife,  and  his  connection  with 
this  conflict. 

TECUMSicn,  AMI  I  III:  wak  of  1813. 

This  famous  Indian  chief  was  liorn  about 
the  year  ITfiS,  not  far  from  the  site  of  the 
])resent  City  of  Pic^ua,  Ohio.  Ills  father, 
Puckeshinwa,  was  a  member  of  the  Kisopok 
tribe  of  the  Shawanoese  nation,  and  his  moth- 
er, Methontaske,  was  a  member  of  the  Tur- 
tle tribe  of  the  same  people.  They  removed 
from  Florida  about  the  middle  of  the  last 
century  to  the  birthplace  of  Tecnmseh.  In 
ITTJr,  his  father,  who  had  risen  to  be  chief, 
was  slain  at  the  battle  of  Point  Pleasant, 
and  not  long  after,  Tecumseh,  by  his  brav- 
ery, became  the  leader  of  iiis  tribe.  In 
1795  he  was  declared  chief,  and  then  lived 
at  Deer  Creek,  near  the  site  of  the  present 
City  of  Urbana.  lie  remained  here  about 
one  .year,  wlien  he  returned  to  Piqua,  and 
in  1798,  he  went  to  White  River,  Indiana. 
In  1805,  he  and  his  brother,  Lanlcwasikan 
(Open  Door),  who  had  announced  himself 
as  a  prophet,  went  to  a  tract  of  land  on  the 
Wabasii  Iliver,  given  them  by  tlie  Potta- 
watomies  and  Kickapoos.  From  this  date 
the  chief  comes  into  prominence.  He  was 
now  about  thirty-seven  years  of  age,  was 
five  feetand  ten  inches  in  height,  was  stout- 
ly built,  and  possessed  of  enormous  powers 
of  endurance.  His  countenance  was  natu- 
rally pleasing,  and  he  was,  in  general,  de- 
void of  those   savage   attributes  possessed 


by  most  Indians.  It  is  stated  he  could 
read  and  write,  and  had  a  confidential  sec- 
retary and  adviser,  named  Billy  Caldwell, 
a  half-breed,  who  afterward  became  chief 
of  the  Pottawatomies.  He  occupied  the 
first  house  built  on  the  site  of  Chicago.  At 
this  time,  Tecumseh  entered  upon  the  great 
work  of  ins  life.  He  had  long  objected  to 
the  grants  of  land  made  by  tlie  Indians  to 
the  whites,  and  determined  to  unite  all  the 
Indian  tribes  into  a  league,  in  order  that  no 
treaties  or  grants  of  land  could  be  made 
save  by  the  consent   of  this  confederation. 

He  traveled  constantly,  going  from  north 
to  south;  from  the  south  to  the  north, 
everywhere  urging  the  Indians  to  this  step. 
He  was  a  matchless  orator,  and  his  burning 
words  liad  their  eftect. 

Gen.  Harrison,  then  Governor  of  Indiana, 
by  watching  the  movement  of  the  Indians, 
became  convinced  that  a  grand  conspiracy 
was  forming,  and  made  preparations  to  de- 
fend the  settlements.  Tecuraseh's  plan  was 
similar  to  Pontiac's,  elsewhere  described, 
and  to  tiie  cunning  artifice  of  that  chieftain 
was  added  his  own  sagacity. 

During  the  year  1S09,  Tecumseh  and  the 
prophet  were  actively  preparing  for  the 
work.  In  that  year.  Gen.  Harrison  entered 
into  a  treaty  with  the  Delawares,  Kickapoos, 
Pottawatomies,  Miamis,  Eel  River  Indians 
and  Weas,  in  which  these  tribes  ceded  to 
the  whites  certain  lands  upon  the  Wabash, 
to  all  of  whicii  Tecumseh  entered  a  bitter 
protest,  averring  as  one  principal  reason  that 
he  did  not  want  the  Indians  to  give  up  any 
lands  north  and  west  of  the  Ohio  River. 

Tecumseh,  in  August,  1810.  visited  the 
General  at  Vincennes  and  held  a  council 
relating  to  the  grievances  of  the  Indians. 
Becoming  unduly  angry  at  this  conference 


38 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


he  was  dismissed  from  the  village,  and 
soon  after  departed  to  incite  the  Soatliern 
Indian  tribes  to  the  conflict. 

Gen.  Harrison  determined  to  move  upon 
the  chief's  headquarters  at  Tippecanoe,  and 
for  this  purpose  went  about  sixty-five  miles 
up  the  Wabasli,  where  he  built  Fort  Harri- 
son. From  this  place  he  went  to  the 
])rophet's  town,  where  he  informed  the 
Indians  he  had  no  hostile  intentions, 
]>rovided  they  were  true  to  the  existing 
treaties.  He  encamped  near  the  village 
early  in  October,  and  on  the  morning  of 
November  7th,  he  was  attacked  by  a  large 
force  of  the  Indians,  and  the  famous  battle 
of  Tippecanoe  occurred.  The  Indians  were 
routed  and  their  town  broken  up.  Tecum- 
seh  returning  not  long  after,  was  greatly 
exasperated  at  liis  brother,  the  prophet, 
even  threatening  to  kill  him  for  rashly 
precipitating  the  war,  and  foiling  his 
(/fecumseh's)  plans. 

Tecumseh  sent  word  to  General  Harri- 
son that  he  was  now  returned  from  the 
South,  and  was  ready  to  visit  the  President, 
as  had  at  one  time  previously  been  proposed. 
Gen.  Harrison  informed  him  he  could  not 
go  as  a  chief,  which  method  Tecumseh 
desired,  and  the  visit  was  never  made. 

In  June  of  the  following  year,  he  visited 
the  Indian  agent  at  Fort  Wayne.  Here  he 
disavowed  any  intention  to  make  a  war 
against  the  United  States,  and  reproached 
Gen.  Harrison  for  marching  against  his 
people.  The  agent  replied  to  this  ;  Tecum- 
seh listened  with  a  cold  indifference,  and 
after  making  a  few  general  I'emarks,  with 
a  liaughty  air  drew  his  blanket  about  him, 
left  the  council  house,  and  departed  for 
Fort  Maiden,  in  upper  Canada,  where  he 
joined  the  British  standard. 


He  remained  under  this  Government, 
doing  effective  work  for  the  Crown  while 
engaged  in  the  war  of  1812  which  now 
opened.  He  was,  however,  always  humane 
in  his  ti-eatment  of  the  jirisoners,  never 
allowing  his  warriors  to  ruthlessly  mutilate 
the  bodies  of  those  slain,  or  wantonly 
murder  the  captive. 

In  the  summer  of  1S13,  Perry's  victory 
on  Lake  Erie  occurred,  and  shortly  after 
active  preparations  were  made  to  ca]ituro 
Maiden.  On  the  27th  of  September,  the 
American  army,  under  Gen.  Harrison,  set 
sail  for  the  shores  of  ('anada,  and  in  a  few 
hours  stood  around  the  ruins  of  Maiden, 
from  which  the  British  army,  under  Proc- 
tor, had  retreated  to  Sandu'ich,  intending 
to  make  its  way  to  the  heart  of  Canada  by 
the  Valley  of  the  Thames.  On  the  29th 
Gen.  Harrison  was  at  Sandwich,  and  Gen. 
McArthur  took  possession  of  Detroit  and 
the  Territory  of  Michigan. 

On  the  2d  of  October,  the  Americans 
began  their  pursuit  of  Proctor,  whom  they 
overtook  on  the  5th,  and  the  battle  of  the 
Thames  followed.  Early  in  the  engage- 
ment, Tecumseh  who  was  at  the  head  of  the 
column  of  Indians  was  slain,  and  they,  no 
longer  hearing  the  voice  of  their  chieftain, 
fled.  The  victory  was  decisive,  and  prac- 
tically closed  the  war  in  the  Northwest. 

Jnst  who  killed  the  great  chief  has  been 
a  matter  of  much  dispute  ;  but  the  weight 
of  opinion  awards  the  act  to  Col.  Richard 
M.  .Idhnson,  who  fired  at  him  with  a  pistol, 
the  shot  proving  fatal. 

In  ISOo  occurred  Purr's  Insurrection. 
He  took  possession  of  a  beautiful  island  in 
the  Ohio,  after  the  killing  of  Hamilton, 
and  is  charged  by  many  with  attempting 
to  set  lip  an  independent  government.    His 


THE    NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


plans  were  frustrated  by  the  general  gov- 
ernment, Ills  property  confiscated  and  he 
was  compelled  to  flee  the  country  for  safety. 

In  January,  1807,  Governor  Hull,  of 
Michigan  Territory,  made  a  treaty  with 
the  Indians,  whereby  all  that  peninsula 
was  ceded  to  tiio  United  States.  Before 
the  close  of  the  year,  a  stockade  was  built 
about  Detroit.  It  was  also  during  this  year 
that  Indiana  and  Illinois  endeavored  to 
obtain  tlie  repeal  of  that  section  of  the 
compact  of  ITS 7,  wliercby  slavery  was  ex- 
cluded from  the  Northwest  Territory. 
These  attempts,  however,  all  signally  failed. 

In  1809  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  di- 
vide the  Indiana  Territory'.  This  was  done, 
and  the  Territory  of  Illinois  was  formed 
from  the  western  part,  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment being  fixed  at  Kaskasia.  The  next 
year,  the  intentions  of  Tecumseh  mani- 
fested themselves  in  open  hostilities,  and 
then  began  the  events  already  narrated. 

While  this  war  was  in  progress,  emigra- 
tion to  the  West  went  on  with  surprising 
rapidity.  In  ISll,  under  Mr.  Roosevelt  of 
Kew  York,  the  first  steamboat  trip  was 
made  on  tlie  Ohio,  much  to  tlie  astonish- 
ment of  the  natives,  many  of  whom  fled  in 
terror  at  the  appeai'ance  of  the  "  monster." 
It  arrived  at  Louisville  on  the  tentli  day  of 
October.  At  the  close  of  the  first  week  of 
January,  1812,  it  arrived  at  Natchez,  after 
being  nearly  overwhelmed  in  the  great 
earthquake  which  occurred,  while  on  its 
downward  tri]). 

The  battle  of  the  Thames  was  fought  on 
October  Gth,  1813.  It  6flectually  closed  hos- 
tilities in  the  Northwest,  altiiough  peace 
was  not  fully  restored  until  July  22d,  1814, 
when  a  treaty  was  formed  at  Greenville, 
under    the  direction   of  General  Harrison, 


between  the  United  States  and  the  Indian 
tribes,  in  which  it  was  stipulated  that  the 
Indians  should  cease  hostilities  against  the 
Americans  if  the  war  were  continued. 
Such,  happily,  was  not  the  case,  and  on  the 
24th  of  December,  the  treaty  of  Ghent  was 
signed  by  the  representatives  of  England, 
and  the  United  States.  This  treaty  was 
followed  the  next  year  by  treaties  with  va- 
rious Indian  tribes  throughout  the  West 
and  Northwest,  and  quiet  was  again  re- 
stored in  this  part  of  the  new  world. 

On  the  ISth  of  March,  1816,  Pittsburgh 
was  incorporated  as  a  city.  It  then  had  a 
])opulation  of  8,000  people,  and  was  already 
noted  for  its  manufacturing  interests.  On 
April  19th,  Indiana  Territory  was  allowed  to 
form  a  State  government.  At  that  time 
there  were  thirteen  counties  organized,  con- 
taining about  sixty-three  thousand  inhabi- 
tants. The  first  election  of  State  officers 
was  held  in  August,  when  Jonathan  Jenn- 
ings was  chosen  Governor.  The  officers  were 
sworn  in  on  November  7tli,  and  on  Decem- 
ber 11th,  the  State  was  formally  admitted 
into  tlie  Union.  For  some  time  the  scat  of 
government  was  at  Corydon,  but  a  more 
central  location  being  desirable,  the  present 
capital,  Indianapolis  (City  of  Indiana),  was 
laid  out  January  1,  1825. 

On  the  2Sth  of  December,  the  Bank  of 
Illinois,  at  Shawneetown,  was  chartered, 
with  a  capital  of  $300,000.  At  this  period 
all  banks  were  nnder  the  control  of  the 
States,  and  were  allowed  to  establish 
branches  at  different  convenient  points. 

Until  this  time  Chillicotiie  and  Cincin- 
nati had  in  turn  enjoyed  the  privileges  of 
being  the  capital  of  Ohio.  But  the  rapid 
settlement  of  the  northern  and  eastern  por- 
tions of  the  State  demanded,  as  in  Indiana, 


40 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITOKY. 


a  more  central  location,  and  before  tlie  close 
of  the  3'ear,  the  site  of  Columbus  was  se- 
lected and  surveyed  as  the  future  capital  of 
the  State.  Banking  liad  begun  in  Ohio  as 
early  as  ISOS,  when  tlie  first  bank  was 
chartered  at  Marietta,  but  here  as  elsewhere 
it  did  not  bring  to  the  State  the  hoped-for 
assistance.  It  and  other  banks  were  subse- 
(jeiitly  unable  to  redeem  their  currency, 
and  were  obliged  to  suspend. 

In  ISIS,  Illinois  was  made  a  State,  and  all 
the  territory  north  of  her  northern  limits 
was  erected  into  a  separate  territorj'  and 
joined  to  Michigan  for  judicial  purposes. 
By  the  following  year,  navigation  of  the 
lakes  was  increasing  with  great  rapidity 
and  aftbrding  an  immense  source  of  revenue 
to  the  dwellers  in  the  Northwest,  but  it  was 
not  until  1826,  that  the  trade  was  e.xtended 
to  Lake  Michigan,  or  that  steamships  began 
to  navigate  the  bosom  of  that  inland  sea. 

Until  the  year  1S32,  the  commencement 
of  the  Black  Hawk  War,  but  few  hostilities 
were  experienced  with  the  Indians.  Roads 
were  opened,  canals  were  dug,  cities  were 
built,  common  schools  M-ere  established, 
universities  were  founded,  many  of  which, 
especially  the  Michigan  University,  have 
achieved  a  world-wide  reputation.  The 
people  were  becoming  wealthy.  The  do- 
mains of  the  United  States  had  been  e.\'- 
tended,  and  had  the  sons  of  the  forest  been 
treated  with  honesty  and  justice,  the  record 
of  many  years  would  have  been  that  of 
peace  and  continuous  prosperity. 

BLACK    HAWK    AND    THE    BLACK     HAWK    WAK. 

This  conflict,  though  confined  to  Illinois, 
is  an  important  epoch  in  the  Northwestern 
history,  being  the  last  war  with  the 
Indians  in  this  part  of  the    United  States. 


Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiah,  or  Black 
Hawk,  was  born  in  the  principal  Sac  vil- 
lage, about  three  miles  from  the  junction 
of  Rock  River  with  the  Mississippi,  in  the 
year  17(37.  His  father's  name  was  Py-e-sa 
or  Pahaes;  his  gi'andfather's,  Na-na-ma- 
kee,  or  the  Thunderer.  Black  Hawk  early 
distinguished  himself  as  a  warrior,  and  at 
the  age  of  fifteen  was  permitted  to  jiaint, 
and  was  ranked  among  the  braves.  About 
the  year  17S3,  he  went  on  an  expedition 
against  the  enemies  of  his  nation,  the 
(Usages,  one  of  whom  he  killed  and  scalped, 
and  for  this  deed  of  Indian  bravery  he  was 
permitted  to  join  in  the  scalp  dance. 
Three  or  four  years  after,  he,  at  the  head  of 
two  hundred  braves,  went  on  another  expe- 
dition against  the  Osages,  to  avenge  the 
murder  of  some  women  and  children 
belonging  to  his  own  tribe.  Meeting  an 
equal  number  of  Osage  warriors,  a  fierce 
battle  ensued,  in  which  the  latter  tribe  lost 
one-half  tlieir  number.  The  Sacs  lost  only 
about  nineteen  warriors.  He  next  att;ickeil 
the  Cherokees  for  a  similar  cause.  In  a 
severe  battle  with  them,  near  the  present 
City  of  St.  Louis,  his  father  was  slain,  and 
Black  Hawk,  taking  possession  of  the 
"  Medicine  Bag,"  at  once  announced  him- 
self chief  of  the  Sac  nation.  He  had  now 
conquered  the  Cherokees,  and  about  the 
year  1800,  at  the  head  of  five  hundred  Sacs 
and  Foxes,  and  a  hundred  lowas,  he  waged 
war  against  the  Osage  nation  and  subdued 
it.  For  two  years  he  battled  successfully 
with  other  Indian  tribes,  all  of  whom  he 
conquered. 

Black  Hawk  does  not  at  any  time  seem 
to  have  been  friendly  to  the  Americans. 
AVhen  on  a  visit  to  St.  Louis  to  see  his 
"Spanish  Father,"  he  declined    to  see  an v 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


4t 


of  the  Americans,  alleging  as  a  reason,  lie 
did  not  want  txoo  fathers. 

The  treaty  at  St.  Louis  was  consummated 
in  1804.  The  next  year  the  United  States 
Government  erected  a  fort  near  the  head  of 
the  Des  Moines  Rapids,  called  Fort  Ed- 
wards. This  seemed  to  enrage  Black  Hawk, 
who  at  once  determined  to  capture  Fort 
Madison,  standing  on  tiie  west  side  of  the 
Mississippi  above  tlie  mouth  of  the  Des 
Moines  River.  The  fort  was  garrisoned  by 
about  fifty  men.  Here  lie  was  defeated. 
The  difficulties  with  the  Britisli  Goveru- 
inent  arose  about  this  time,  and  the  War 
of  1812  followed.  That  government,  ex- 
tending aid  to  the  Western  Indians,  by 
giving  them  arms  and  ammunition,  in- 
duced them  to  reinain  hostile  to  the  Amer- 
icans. In  August,  1812,  Black  Hawk,  at 
the  head  of  about  five  hundred  braves, 
started  to  join  the  British  forces  at  Detroit, 
passing  on  his  way  the  site  of  Chicago, 
wiiere  the  famous  Fort  Dearborn  Massacre 
had  a  few  days  before  occurred.  Of  his  con- 
nection with  the  British  Government  but 
little  is  known.  In  1813,  he  with  his  little 
band  descended  the  Mississi]ipi,  and  attack- 
ing some  United  States  troops  at  Fort 
lldwai'd,  was  defeated. 

In  the  early  part  of  1815,  the  Indian 
ti-ibes  west  of  the  Mississippi  were  notified 
that  peace  had  been  declared  betweeu  the 
United  States  and  England,  and  nearly  all 
hostilities  had  ceased.  Black  Hawk  did 
not  sign  any  treaty,  however,  until  May  of 
the  following  year.  He  then  recognized 
the  validity  of  the  treaty  at  St.  Louis  in 
ISO-l.  From  the  time  of  signing  this  treaty 
in  1810,  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  war 
in  1S32,  he  and  his  band  passed  their  time 
in  tlie  ciininiiin  pur--\iit<  nf  Indian  lil'o. 


Ten  years  before  the  commencement  of 
this  war,  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians  were 
urged  to  join  the  lowas  on  the  west  bank 
of  the  Father  of  Waters.  All  were  agreed, 
save  the  band  known  as  the  Britisli  Band, 
of  which  Black  Hawk  was  leader.  He 
strenuously  objected  to  the  removal,  and 
was  induced  to  comply  only  after  being 
threatened  with  the  power  of  the  Govern- 
ment. This  and  various  actions  on  the 
part  of  the  white  settlers  provoked  Black 
Hawk  and  his  baud  to  attempt  the  cap- 
ture of  his  native  village  now  occupied  by 
the  whites.  The  war  followed.  He  and 
his  actions  were  undoubtedly  misunder- 
stood, and  had  his  wishes  been  acquiesced 
in  at  the  beginning  of  the  struggle,  much 
bloodshed  would  have  been  prevented. 

Black  Hawk  was  chief  now  of  the  Sac 
and  Fox  nations,  and  a  noted  warrior.  He 
and  his  tribe  inhabited  a  village  on  Rock 
River,  nearly  three  miles  above  its  conflu- 
ence witli  the  Mississippi,  where  the  tribe 
had  lived  man}'  generations.  Wiien  that 
portion  of  Illinois  was  reserved  to  them, 
they  remained  in  peaceable  possession  of 
their  reservation,  spending  their  time  in  the 
enjoyment  of  Indian  life.  The  fine  situa- 
tion of  their  village  and  the  qualitj'  of  their 
lands  incited  the  more  lawless  white  set- 
tlers, who  from  time  to  time  began  to 
encroacli  upon  the  red  men's  domain. 
From  one  pretext  to  another,  and  from  one 
step  to  another,  the  crafty  white  men 
irained  a  foothold,  until  through  whisky 
and  artifice  they  obtained  deeds  from  many 
of  the  Indians  for  their  possessions.  The 
Indians  were  finally  induced  to  cross  over 
the  Father  of  Waters  and  locate  among 
the  lowas.  Black  Hawk  was  strenuously 
opposed  to  all  tliis,  hut   as    the  authorities 


42 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


of  Illinois  and  the  United  States  tlioujjlit 
this  the  best  move,  he  was  forced  to  coni]ilj'. 
Moreover  otlier  tribes  joined  the  whites 
and  urged  tlie  removal.  Black  Hawk 
would  not  agree  to  the  terms  of  the  treaty 
made  with  his  nation  for  their  lands,  and 
as  soon  as  the  military,  called  to  enforce 
his  removal,  had  retired,  he  returned  to 
the  Illinois  side  of  the  river.  A  large  force 
was  at  once  raised  and  marched  against 
him.  On  the  evening  of  May  li,  1833, 
the  lirst  engagement  occurred  between  a 
band  from  this  army  and  Black  Hawk's 
band,  in  which  the  former  were  defeated. 

This  attack  and  its  result  aroused  the 
whites.  A  large  force  of  men  was  raised, 
and  Gen.  Scott  hastened  from  the  seaboard, 
by  way  of  the  lakes,  with  United  States 
troops  and  artillery  to  aid  in  the  subjuga- 
tion of  the  Indians.  On  the  2J:th  of  June, 
Black  Hawk,  with  200  warriors,  was  re- 
pulsed by  Major  Dcniont  between  Eock 
Iliver  and  Galena.  The  American  army 
continued  to  move  up  Rock  River  toward 
the  main  body  of  the  Indians,  and  on  the 
21st  of  .Inly  came  upon  Black  Hawk  and 
Ids  band,  and  defeated  tliem  near  the  Blue 
Mounds. 

Before  this  action,  Gen.  Henry,  in  com- 
mand, sent  word  to  the  main  army  by 
whom  he  was  immediately  rejoined,  and 
the  whole  crossed  the  Wisconsin  in  pursuit 
of  Black  Hawk  and  his  band  who  were 
ileeing  to  the  Mississippi.  They  were 
overtaken  on  tlie  2d  of  August,  and  in  the 
battle  which  followed  the  power  of  the 
Indian  chief  was  completel}'  broken.  He 
fled,  but  was  seized  by  the  Winnebagoes 
and  delivered  to  the  whites. 

On  the  21st  of  September,  1832,  Gen. 
Scott  and  Gov.  Reynolds  concluded  a  treaty 


with  the  Winnebagoes,  Sacs  and  Foxes,  by 
which  they  ceded  to  the  United  States  a 
vast  tract  of  country,  and  agreed  to  remain 
peacealjle  with  the  whites.  For  the  faith- 
ful performance  of  the  provisions  of  this 
treaty  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  it  was 
stipulated  that  Black  Hawk,  his  two  sons, 
the  prophet  Wabokieshiek,  and  six  other 
chiefs  of  the  hostile  bands  should  be  re- 
tained as  hostages  during  the  pleasure  of 
the  President.  They  were  confined  at  Fort 
Barracks  and  put  in  irons. 

The  next  spring,  by  order  of  the  Secre- 
tary of  War,  they  were  taken  to  Washing- 
ton. From  there  they  were  removed  to 
Fortress  Monroe,  "  there  to  remain  until 
tlie  conduct  of  their  nation  was  such  as  to 
justify  their  being  set  at  liberty."  They 
were  retained  here  until  the  4th  of  June, 
when  the  authorities  directed  them  to  be 
taken  to  the  princijial  cities  so  that  tliey 
might  see  the  folly  of  contending  against 
the  white  people.  Everywhere  they  were 
observed  by  thousands,  the  name  of  the 
old  chief  being  extensively  known.  By  the 
middle  of  August  they  reached  Fort  Arm- 
strong on  Rock  Island,  where  Black  Hawk 
was  soon  after  released  to  go  to  his  country- 
men. As  he  passed  the  site  of  his  birth- 
place, now  the  home  of  the  white  man,  he 
was  deeply  injved.  His  village  where  he 
was  born,  where  he  had  so  happily  lived, 
and  where  he  had  hoped  to  die,  was  now 
another's  dwelling  place,  and  he  was  a 
wanderer. 

On  tlie  next  day  after  his  release,  he 
went  at  once  to  his  tribe  and  his  lodge. 
His  wife  was  yet  living,  and  with  her  he 
passed  the  remainder  of  his  days.  To  his 
credit  it  may  be  said  that  Black  Hawk 
ahvavs    remained    true    to    his    wife,    and 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


43 


served  her  with  a  devotion  nncoiiimon 
among  the  Indians,  living  with  her  upward 
of  forty  years. 

BLack  Hawk  now  passed  iiis  titao  hunt- 
ing and  fisliing.  A  deep  melancholy  htnl 
settled  over  him  from  wliich  he  could  not 
be  freed.  At  all  times  when  he  visited  tiie 
whites  he  was  received  with  marked  atten- 
tion. He  was  an  honored  guest  at  the  old 
settlers'  reunion  in  Lee  County,  Illinois,  at 
some  of  their  meetings,  and  received  many 
tokens  of  esteem.  In  September,  1S3S, 
while  on  ins  way  to  Rock  Island  to  receive 
his  annuity  from  the  Government,  he  con- 
tracted a  severe  cold  which  resulted  in  a 
fatal  attack  of  bilious  fev^er  which  termina- 
ted Ills  life  on  October  -Bd.  His  faithful 
wife,  who  was  devotedly  attached  to  him, 
mourned  deeply  during  his  sickness. 
>\fter  his  death  he  was  di-essed  in  the  uni- 
form presented  to  him  by  the  President 
wiule  in  Washington.  He  was  buried  in 
a  grave  six  i'eet  in  depth,  situated  upon  a 
beautiful  eminence.  "  The  body  was  placed 
in  the  middle  of  the  grave,  in  a  sitting 
posture,  upon  a  seat  constructed  for  the 
purpose.  On  his  left  side,  the  cane,  given 
liim  by  Henry  Clay,  was  placed  upright, 
with  his  right  hand  resting  upon  it.  Many 
of  the  old  warrior's  trophies  were  placed  in 
the  grave,  and  some  Indian  garments,  to- 
gether with  his  favorite  weapons. 

No  sooner  was  the  Black  Hawk  war  con- 
cluded than  settlers  began  rapidly  to 
pour  into  the  northern  parts  of  Illinois,  and 
into  Wisconsin,  now  free  from  Indian 
depredations.  Chicago,  from  a  trading 
post,  had  grown  to  a  commercial  center, 
and  was  I'apidly  coming  into  prominence. 
In  1835,  the  formation  of  a  State  Govern- 
ment  in    Michigan  was  discussed,  l)ut   diil 


not  take  active  form  until  two  years  later, 
when  the  State  became  a  part  of  the  Federal 
Union. 

The  main  attraction  to  that  portion  of 
the  Northwest  lying  west  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan, now  included  in  the  State  of  Wiscon- 
sin, was  its  alluvial  wealth.  Copper  ore 
was  found  about  Lake  Superior.  For  some 
time  this  reo-ion  was  attached  to  Michiijan 
for  judiciary  purposes,  but  in  1836  was 
made  a  Territory,  then  including  Minnesota 
and  Iowa.  The  latter  State  was  dctaihed 
two  years  later.  In  1848,  Wisconsin  was 
admitted  as  a  State,  Madison  being  made 
the  capital.  We  have  now  traced  the  vai-i- 
ous  divisions  of  the  Northwest  Territory 
(save  a  little  ia  Minnesota)  from  the  time 
it  was  a  unit  comprising  this  vast  territory, 
until  circumstances  compelled  its  present 
division. 

OTUEE    INDIAN    TROUBLES. 

Before  leaving  this  part  of  the  narrative, 
we  will  narrate  briefly  the  Indian  troubles 
in  Minnesota  and  elsewhere  by  the  Simix 
Indians. 

In  August,  1862,  the  Sioux  Indians  liv- 
ing on  the  western  borders  of  Minnesota 
fell  upon  the  unsuspecting  settlers,  and  in 
a  few  hours  massacred  ten  or  twelve  hun- 
dred persons.  A  distressful  panic  was 
the  immediate  result,  fulh'  thirty  thou- 
sand persons  fleeing  from  their  homes  to 
districts  suppo-sed  to  be  better  protected. 
The  military  authorities  at  once  took  active 
measures  to  punish  the  savages,  and  a  large 
number  were  killed  and  captured.  About 
a  year  after.  Little  Crow,  the  chief,  was 
killed  by  a  Mr.  Lampson  near  Scattered 
Lake.  Of  those  captured  thirty  were  hung 
at  Mankato,  and   the    remainder,  tlirough 


44 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


fears  of  mob  violence,  were  removed  to 
Camp  McClellan,  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
City  of  Davenport.  It  was  here  that  Big 
Eagle  came  into  prominence  and  secured 
Jiis  release  by  tlie  following  order: 

"  Special  Order,  No.  430.      "  W.\r  Department, 
"Adjutant  Generai,'s  Office, 

"  Washington,  Dec.  3,  1864. 
"  Big  Eagle,   an  Indian  now  in   confinement   at 
Davenport,  Iowa,  will,  npon  the  receipt  of  this  order, 
be  immediately  released  from  confinement  and  set  at 
liljerty. 

"  By  order  of  the  President  of  the  United  States. 
"Official:  ._         "  E.  D.  TowxsEND, 

Ass't  Adft  Gen. 
"  Capt.  James  Vandekventer, 

Com'ij  Sub.  Vola. 
"Through  Coui'g  Gen'l,  Washington,  D.  C." 

Another  Indian  v.dio  figures  more  promi- 
nently than  Big  Eagle,  and  wiio  was  more 
cowardly  in  his  nature,  with  his  band  of 
Modoc  Indians,  is  noted  in  the  annals  of 
the  New  Northwest:  we  refer  to  Captain 
Jack.  This  distinguished  Indian,  noted  for 
his  cowardly  murder  of  Gen.  Canby,  was  a 
chief  of  a  Modoc  tribe  of  Indians  inhabitina; 
the  border  lands  between  California  and 
Oregon.  This  region  of  country  comprises 
what  is  known  as  the  "  Lava  Beds,"  a  tract 
of  land  described  as  utterly  impenetrable, 
save  by  those  savages  who  had  made  it 
their  home. 

The  Modocs  are  known  as  an  exceedingly 
fierce  and  treacherous  race.  The^'  had,  ac- 
cording to  their  own  traditions,  resided 
here  for  many  generations,  and  at  one  time 
v.-ere  exceedingly  numerous  and  powerful. 
A  famine  carried  off  nearly  half  their  num- 
bers, and  disease,  indolence  and  the  vices 
of  the  white  man  have  reduced  them  to  a 
poor,  weak  and  insignificant  tribe. 

Soon  after  the  settlement  of  California 
and  Oregon,  complaints  began  to  be  heard 


of  massacres  of  emigrant  trains  passing 
through  the  Modoc  country.  In  1847,  an 
emigrant  train,  comprising  eighteen  souls, 
was  entirel}'  destroyed  at  a  place  since 
known  as  "Bloody  Point."  Tliese  occur- 
rences caused  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment to  a]>point  a  peace  commission,  who, 
after  repeated  attempts,  in  1864,  made  a 
treaty  with  the  Modocs,  Snakes  and  Kla- 
maths,  in  which  it  was  agreed  on  their  part 
to  remove  to  a  reservation  set  apart  for 
them  in  the  southern  part  of  Oregon. 

AYith  the  exception  of  Captain  Jack  and 
a  band  of  his  followers,  who  remained  at 
Clear  Lake,  about  six  miles  from  Klamath, 
all  the  Indians  complied.  The  Modocs 
who  went  to  the  reservation  were  under 
chief  Schonchin.  Captain  Jack  remained 
at  the  lake  without  disturbance  until  1869, 
when  he  was  also  induced  to  remove  to  the 
reservation.  The  Modocs  and  tlie  Klamaths 
soon  became  involved  in  a  quarrel,  and 
Captain  Jack  and  his  baud  returned  to  the 
Lava  Beds. 

Several  attempts  were  made  by  the  In- 
dian Commissioners  to  induce  them  to  re- 
turn to  the  reservation,  and  finally  becom- 
ing involved  in  a  difficulty  with  the  com- 
missioner and  his  military  escort,  a  fight 
ensued,  in  which  the  chief  and  his  band 
were  routed.  They  were  greatly  enraged 
aiul  on  their  retreat,  before  the  day  closed, 
kiiled  eleven  inoffensive  whites. 

The  luition  was  aroused  and  immediate 
action  demanded.  A  commission  was  at 
once  appointed  by  the  Government  to  see 
what  could  be  done.  It  comprised  the  fol- 
lowing persons:  Gen.  E.  H.  S.  Canby, 
Rev.  Dr.  E.  Thomas,  a  leading  Methodist 
divine  of  California;  Mr.  A.  B.  Meacham, 
Judge  Kosborough,  of  California,  and  a  Mv. 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITuUY. 


45 


Dyer,  of  Oregon.  After  several  interviews, 
in  whicli  tlie  savages  were  always  aggres- 
sive, often  appearing  with  scalps  in  tlieir 
belts,  Bogus  Charley  came  to  the  commis- 
sion on  the  evening  of  April  10,  1873,  and 
informed  them  tliat  Capt.  Jack  and  his 
band  would  have  a  "  talk  "  to-morrow  at  a 
place  near  Clear  Lake,  about  three  miles 
distant.  Here  the  Commissioners,  accom- 
panied by  Charley,  Riddle,  the  interpreter, 
and  Boston  Charley,  repaired.  After  the 
usual  greeting  the  council  proceedings  com- 
menced. On  behalf  of  the  Indians  there 
were  present:  Capt.  Jack,  Black  Jim,  Schac 
Nasty  Jiin,  Ellen's  Man,  and  Hooker  Jim. 
Tliej'  had  no  guns,  but  carried  pistols. 
After  short  speeches  by  Mr.  Meacham,  Gen. 
Canby  and  Dr.  Thomas,  (Jiiief  Schonchin 
arose  to  speak.  He  had  scarcely  proceeded 
when,  as  if  by  a  preconcerted  arrangement, 
Capt.  Jack  drew  his  pistol  and  shot  Gen. 
Canby  dead.  In  less  than  a  minute  a  dozen 
shots  were  fired  by  the  savages,  and  the 
massacre  completed.  Mr.  Meacham  was 
shot  by  Schonchin,  and  Dr.  Thomas  by 
Boston  Charley.  Mr.  Dyer  barely  escaped, 
being  fired  at  twice.  Riddle,  tlie  interpre- 
ter, and  his  squaw  escaped.  The  troops 
rushed  to  the  spot  wiiere  tliey  found  Gen. 
Canby  and  Dr.  Tliomas  dead,  and  Mr. 
Meacham  badly  wounded.  The  savages 
had  escaped  to  their  impenetrable  fastnesses 
and  could  not  be  pursued. 

The  whole  country  was  aroused  by  this 
brutal  massacre;  but  it  was  not  until  the 
following  May  that  the  murderers  were 
brought  to  justice.  At  that  time  Boston 
Charley  gave  himself  np,  and  offered  to 
guide  the  troops  to  Capt.  Jack's  stronghold. 
This  led  to  the  capture  of  his  entire  gang, 
a  number  of  whom  were  murdered  bv  Ore- 


gon volunteers  while  on  their  way  to  trial. 
The  remaining  Indians  were  held  as  pris- 
oners until  July,  when  their  tria!  occurred, 
which  led  to  the  conviction  of  Capt.  Jack, 
Schonchin,  Boston  Cliarley,  Hooker  Jim, 
Broncho,  tilias  One- Eyed  Jim,  and  Slotuck, 
who  were  sentenced  to  be  hanged.  These 
sentences  were  approved  by  the  President, 
save  in  the  case  of  Slotuck  and  Broncho 
whose  sentences  were  commuted  to  impris- 
onment for  life.  The  others  were  executed 
at  Fort  Klamath,  October  3,  1873. 

These  closed  the  Indian  troubles  for  a  . 
time  in  the  Xorthwest,  and  for  several  3'ears 
the  borders  of  civilization  remained  in  peace. 
They  were  again  involved  in  a  conflict  with 
the  savages  about  the  country  of  the  Bhick 
Hills,  in  wliicli  war  the  gallant  Gen.  Custer 
lost  his  life.  Just  now  the  borders  of  Ore- 
gon and  C'alifoi'nia  are  again  in  fear  of  hos- 
tilities; but  as  the  Government  has  learned 
how  to  deal  with  the  Indians,  they  will  be 
of  short  duration.  The  red  man  is  fast 
passing  away  before  the  march  of  the  white 
man,  and  a  few  more  generations  will  read 
of  the  Indians  as  one  of  the  nations  of  the 
past. 

The  Northwest  abounds  in  memorable 
places.  We  have  generally  noticed  them 
in  the  narrative,  but  our  space  forbids 
their  description  in  detail,  save  of  the  most 
important  places.  Detroit,  Cincinnati, 
Yincennes,  Kaskaskia  and  their  kindred 
towns  have  all  been  described.  But  ere 
we  leave  the  narrative  we  will  present  our 
readers  with  an  account  of  the  Kinzie 
house,  the  old  landmark  of  Chicago,  and 
the  discovery  of  tlie  st)urce  of  the  Missis- 
sippi River,  each  of  which  mav  well  find  a 
place  in  the   annals    of  the    Northwest. 

Mr.  John  Kiiizie,  of  the    Kinzie   house, 


4f> 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


established  a  trading  house  at  Fort  Dear- 
born in  ISOi.  Tiie  stockade  had  been 
erected  the  year  previous,  and  named  Fort 
Dearborn  in  honor  of  the  Secretar}'  of  War. 
It  had  a  block  house  at,  each  of  tlie  t\TO 
angles,  on  tlie  southern  side  a  sallyport,  a 
covered  way  on  the  north  side,  that  led 
down  to  the  river,  for  the  double  purpose 
of  providing  means  of  escape,  and  of  pro- 
curing water  in  the  event  of  a  siege. 

Fort  Dearborn  stood  on  the  south  bank 
of  the  Ciiicago  Kiver,  about  half  a  mile 
from  its  mouth.  When  Major  Whistler 
built  it,  his  soldiers  hauled  all  the  timber, 
for  he  had  no  oxen,  and  so  economically 
did  he  work  that  the  fort  cost  the  Govern- 
ment only  fifty  dollars.  For  a  while  the 
garrison  could  iret  no  grain,  and  Whistler 
and  his  men  subsisted  on  acorns.  Now 
Chicago  is  the  greatest  grain  center  in  the 
world. 

Mr.  Kinzie  bought  the  hut  of  the  first 
settler,  Jean  Baptiste  Point  au  Sable,  on 
the  site  of  which  he  erected  his  mansion. 
Within  an  inclosure  in  front  he  plante  1 
some  Lombardy  poplars,  and  in  the  rear  he 
soon  had  a  tine  garden  and  growing  orchard. 

In  1812  the  Kinzie  house  and  its  sur- 
roundings became  the  theater  of  stirring 
events.  The  garrison  of  Fort  Deai-born 
consisted  of  fifty-four  men,  under  the 
charge  of  Capt.  Nathan  Ileald,  assisted  by 
Lieutenant  Lenai  T.  Helm  (son-in-law  to 
Mrs.  Kinzie),  and  ensign  Ronan.  Tlie  sur- 
geon was  Dr.  Yoorheea.  The  only  resi- 
dents at  the  post  at  that  time  were  the 
wives  of  Capt.  Heald  and  Lieutenant  Helm 
and  a  few  of  the  soldiers,  Mr.  Kinzie  and 
his  family,  and  a  few  Canadian  voyageurs 
with  their  wives  and  children.  The  sol- 
diers and   Mr.  Kinzie    were   on    the    most 


friendly  terms  with  the  J'ottawatomies  and 
the  Wiunebagpes,  the  principal  tribes 
around  them,  but  they  could  not  win  them 
Irom  their  attachment  to  the  British.    , 

After  the  battje  of  Tippecanoe  it  was 
observed  that  some  of  tlie  leailing  chiefs 
became  sullen,  for  some  of  their  people 
had  perished  in  that  conflict  with  Ameri- 
can troops. 

One  evening  in  April  1812,  Mr.  Kinzie 
sat  playing  his  violin  and  his  children 
were  dancing  to  the  music,  when  Mrs. 
Kinzie  came  rushing  into  the  house  pale 
with  terror,  exclaiming,  "The  Indians!  the 
Indians!  "  "  What  {  Where  ?  "  •  eagerly 
inquired  Mr.  Kinzie.  "  Up  at  Lee's,  kill- 
ing and  scalping,"  answered  the  frightened 
mother,  who,  when  the  alarm  was  given, 
was  attending  Mrs.  Burns,  a  newly-made 
mother,  living  not  far  off.  Mr.  Kinzie 
and  his  family  crossed  the  river  in  boats, 
and  took  refuge  in  the  fort,  to  which  place 
Mrs.  Burns  and  her  infant,  not  a  day  old, 
were  conveyed  in  safet}'  to  the  shelter  of 
the  guns  of  Fort  Dearborn,  and  the  rest  of 
tlie  white  inhabitants  fled.  The  Indians  were 
a  scalping  party  of  Winnebagoes,  who  hov- 
ered around  the  fort  some  days,  when  they 
disappeared,  and  for  several  weeks  the  in- 
habitants were  not  disturbed  by  alarms. 

Chicago  was  then  so  deep  in  the  wilder- 
ness, that  the  news  of  the  declaration  of 
war  against  Great  Britain,  made  on  the 
19th  of  June,  1812,  did  not  reach  the  com- 
mander of  the  garrison  at  Fort  Dearborn 
till  the  7th  of  August.  Now  the  fast  mail 
train  will  carry  a  man  from  New  York  to 
Chicago  in  twenty-seven  hours,  and  such  a 
declaration  might  be  sent,  every  word,  by 
the  telegraph  in  less  than  the  same  number 
of  minutes. 


THE  NUliTinVEST  TERRITUKV. 


47 


PRESENT  CONDITION  OF  THE  NORTHWEST. 

Preceding  chapters  have  brought  us  to 
the  close  of  the  Black  Hawk  war,  and  we 
now  turn  to  the  contemplation  of  tlie  growth 
and  prosperity  of  the  northwest  under  the 
smile  of  pea^'e  and  the  blessings  of  our 
civilization.  The  pioneers  of  this  region 
date  events  back  to  the  deep  snow  of  1S31, 
no  one  arriving  here  since  tliat  date  taking 
first  honors.  The  inciting  cause  of  the 
immigration  which  overflowed  the  prairies 
early  in  tlie  '30s  was  the  reports  of  the 
marvelous  beauty  and  fertility  of  tlie  re- 
gion distributed  through  the  East  by  tliose 
who  had  participated  in  the  Black  Hawk 
campaign  with  Gen.  Scott.  Cliicago  and 
Milwaukee  then  had  a  few  hundred  inliab- 
itants,  and  Gurdou  S.  Hubbard's  trail  from 
the  former  city  to  Kaskaskia  led  ahnost 
tiirough  a  wilderness.  Vegetables  and 
clothing  were  largely  distributed  through 
the  regions  adjoining  the  lakes  by  steam- 
ers from  the  Ohio  towns.  There  are  men 
now  living  in  Illinois  who  came  to  the 
State  when  barely  an  acre  was  in  cultiva- 
tion, and  a  man  now  prominent  in  the  bus- 
iness circles  of  Chicago  looked  over  the 
swampy,  cheerless  site  of  that  metropolis  in 
1818  and  went  southward  into  civilization. 
Emigrants  from  Pennsylvania  in  1830 
left  behind  them  but  one  small  railway  in 
the  coal  regions  thirty  miles  in  length, 
and  made  their  way  to  the  Northwest 
mostly  with  ox  teams,  finding  in  iSTortheru 
Illinois  petty  settlements  scores  of  miles 
apart,  although  the  southern  portion  of 
the  state  was  fairly  dotted  with  farms.  The 
water  courses  of  the  lakes  and  rivers  fur- 
nished transjiortation  to  the  second  great 
army  of  immigrants,  and  about  1850  rail- 
roads  were   pushed  to  that  extent  that  the 


crisis  of  1S37  was  precipitated  upon  us,  from 
the  effects  of  which  the  Western  country 
had  not  fully  I'ecovered  at  the  outbreak  of 
the  war.  Hostilities  found  the  colonists 
of  tiie  prairies  fully  alive  to  the  demands 
of  the  occasion,  and  the  honor  of  recruit- 
ing the  vast  armies  of  the  Union  fell  largely 
to  Gov.  Yates,  of  Illinois,  and  Gov.  Mor- 
ton, of  Indiana.  To  recount  the  share  of 
the  glories  of  the  campaign  won  by  our 
Western  troops  is  a  needless  task,  except 
to  mention  the  fact  that  Illinois  gave  to 
tlie  nation  the  President  who  saved  it,  and 
sent  out  at  the  head  of  one  of  its  regiments 
the  general  who  led  its  armies  to  the  final 
victory  at  Appomattox.  The  struggle,  on 
the  whole,  had  a  marked  effect  for  the  bet- 
ter on  the  new  Northwest,  giving  it  an  im- 
petus which  twenty  years  of  peace  would 
not  have  produced.  In  a  large  degree  this 
prosperity  was  an  inflated  one,  and  with 
the  rest  of  tiie  Union  we  have  since  been 
compelled  to  atone  therefor.  Agriculture, 
still  the  leading  feature  in  our  industries, 
has  been  quite  prosperous  through  all  these 
years,  and  the  farmers  have  cleared  away 
many  incumbrances  resting  over  them  from 
the  period  of  fictitious  values.  The  pop- 
ulation has  steadily  increased,  the  arts  and 
sciences  are  gaining  a  stronger  foothold, 
the  trade  area  of  the  region  is  becoming 
daily  more  extended,  and  wi  have  been 
largely  exempt  from  the  financial  calam- 
ities. 

At  the  present  period  there  are  no  great 
schemes  broached  for  the  Northwest,  no 
propositions  for  government  subsidies  or 
national  works  of  improvement,  but  the 
capital  of  the  world  is  attracted  hither  for 
the  purchase  of  our  products  or  the  expan- 
sion of  our  capacity  for  serving  the  nation 


48 


THE  XORTinVEST  TKHIUTORY. 


at  lartre.  A  new  era  is  dawninsj  as  to 
transportation,  and  we  bid  fair  to  deal  al- 
most exclusively  with  the  increasin,^  and 
expanding  lines  of  steel  rail  running 
through  every  few  miles  of  territory  on  the 
prairies.  The  lake  marine  will  no  doubt 
continue  to  be  useful  in  the  warmer  season, 
and  to  serve  as  a  regulator  of  freight  rates; 
but  experienced  navigators  forecast  tlie 
decay  of  the  system  in  moving  to  the  sea- 
board the  enormous  crops  of  the  West. 
Witliin  the  past  few  years  it  has  become 
quite  common  to  see  direct  shipments  to 
Europe  and  tlie  West  Indies  going  through 
from  the  second-class  towns  along  the 
Mississippi  and  Missouri. 

As  to  popular  education,  the  standard 
lias  of  late  risen  very  greatly,  and  our 
schools  would  be  creditable  to  any  section 
of  the  Union. 

More  and  more  as  the  events  of  the  war 
pass  into  obscurity  will  the  fate  of  the 
Nortiiwest  be  linked  with  that  of  the 
Soutliwest. 

Our  public  men  continue  to  wield  tlie 
full  share  of  influence  pertaining  to  their 
rank  in  the  national  autonomy,  and  seem 
not  to  forget  that  for  the  past  sixteen  years 
the}'  and  their  constituents  have  dictated 
the  principles  which  should  govern  the 
country. 

In  a  work  like  this,  destined  to  lie  on 
the  shelves  of  the  Hbrary  for  generations, 
and  not  doomed  to  daily  destruction  like  a 
newspaper,  one  can  not  indulge  in  the 
same  glowing  predictions,  the  sanguine 
statements  of  actualities  that  till  the  col- 
umns of  ephemeral  publications.  Time 
may  bring  grief  to  the  pet  projects  of  a 
writer,  and  explode  castles  erected  on  a 
pedestal  of  facts.     Yet  thei-e  are  un m istaka- 


ble  indications  before  us  of  the  same  radical 
change  in  our  great  Xorthwest  which  cluir- 
acterizes  its  history  for  the  past  thirty 
years.  Our  domain  has  a  sort  of  natural 
geographical  border,  save  where  it  melts 
away  to  the  southward  in  the  cattle  raising 
districts  of  the  Southwest. 

Our  prime  interest  will  for  some  j-ears 
doubtless  be  the  growth  of  the  food  of  the 
world,  in  which  branch  it  has  already  out- 
stripped all  competitors,  and  our  great  rival 
in  this  duty  will  naturally  be  the  fertile 
plains  of  Kansas,  Nebraska  and  Colorado, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  new  empire  so  rapid- 
ly growing  up  in  Texas.  Over  these  regions 
thei'e  is  a  continued  progress  in  agriculture 
and  in  railway  building,  and  we  must  look 
to  our  laurels.  Intelligent  observers  of 
events  are  fully  aware  of  the  strides 
made  in  the  way  of  shipments  of  fresh 
meats  to  Europe,  many  of  these  ocean  ear- 
o-oes  being  actually  slaughtered  in  the  AVest 
and  transported  on  ice  to  the  wharves  of  the 
seaboard  cities.  That  this  new  enterprise 
will  continue  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt. 
There  are  in  Chicago  several  factories  for 
the  canning  of  prepared  meats  for  European 
consumption,  and  the  orders  for  this  class 
of  goods  are  already  immense.  English 
capital  is  becoming  daily  more  and  more 
and  more  dissatisfied  with  railway  loans 
and  investments,  and  is  gradually  seeking 
mammoth  outlays  in  lands  and  live  stock. 
The  stock  yards  in  Chicago,  Indianapolis 
and  East  St.  Louis  are  yearly  increasing 
their  facilities,  and  their  plant  steadily 
grows  more  valuable.  Importations  of 
blooded  animals  from  the  progressive  coun- 
tries of  Europe  are  destined  to  greatly  im- 
prove the  quality  of  our  beef  and  mutton. 
Nowhere  is  there  to  be  seen  a  more  enticing 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


4f. 


display  in  this  line  than  at  our  state  and 
county  fairs,  and  the  interest  in  the  matter 
is  on  the  increase. 

To  attempt  to  give  statistics  of  our  grain 
production  would  be  useless,  so  far  have  we 
surpassed  ourselves  in  tlie  quantity  and 
quality  of  our  product.  "We  are  too  liable 
to  forget  that  we  are  giving  the  world  its 
first  article  of  necessity — its  food  supply. 
An  opportunit}'  to  learn  this  fact  so  it  nev- 
er can  be  forgotten  was  afforded  at  Chicago 
at  the  outbreak  of  the  great  panic  of  1873, 
when  Canadian  purchasers,  fearing  the  pros- 
tration of  business  might  bring  about  an 
anarchical  condition  of  affairs,  went  to  that 
city  with  coin  in  bulk  and  foreign  drafts  to 
secure  their  supplies  in  their  own  currency 
at  tirst  hands.  It  may  be  justly  claimed  by 
the  agricultural  community  that  their  com- 
bined efforts  gave  the  nation  its  first  impe- 
cus  toward  a  restoration  of  its  crippled 
industries,  and  their  labor  brought  the  gold 
premium  to  a  lower  depth  tliau  the  govern- 
ment was  able  to  reach  by  its  most  intense 
efforts  of  legislation  and  com]Milsiun.  The 
hundreds  of  millions  about  to  be  disbursed 
for  farm  jn-oducts  have  already,  by  the  an- 
ticipation common  to  ail  commercial  nations, 
set  the  wheels  in  motion,  and  will  relieve 
ns  from  the  ]wriis  so  long  siiadowing  our 
efforts  to  return  to  a  healthy  tone. 

Manufacturing  has  attained  in  the  chief 
cities  a  footludd  which  bids  fair  to  render 
the  Northwest  inde])endent  of  the  outside 
world.  Xearly  our  whole  region  has  a  dis- 
tribution of  coal  measures  whicli  will  in 
time  support  the  manufactures  necessary  to 
our  comfort  and  prosperity.  As  to  trans- 
portation, the  chief  fector  in  the  production 
of  all  articles  except  food,  no  section  is  so 
magnificently  endowed,  and   our  facilities 


are  yearly  increasing  beyond  those  of  any 
other  region. 

The  period  from  a  central  point  of  the 
war  to  the  outbreak  of  the  panic  was 
marked  by  a  tremendous  growth  in  oui- 
railway  lines,  but  the  depression  of  tlie 
times  caused  almost  a  total  suspension  of 
operations.  Now  that  jirosperity  is  return- 
ing to  our  stricken  country  we  witness  its 
anticipation  by  tlie  railroad  interest  in  a 
series  of  projects,  extensions,  and  leases 
wiiich  bid  fair  to  largely  inci'ease  our 
transportation  facilities.  Tlie  process  of 
foreclosure  and  sale  of  incumbered  lines  is 
another  matter  to  be  considered.  In  the 
case  of  the  Illinois  Central  road,  which 
formerly  transferred  to  other  lines  at  Cairo 
the  vast  burden  of  freight  destined  for  the 
Gulf  region,  we  now  see  the  incorporation 
of  the  tracts  connecting  through  to  New 
Orleans,  every  mile  co-operating  in  turning 
toward  the  northwestern  metropolis  the 
weight  of  the  interstate  commerce  of  a 
thousand  miles  or  more  of  fertile  planta- 
tions. Three  competing  routes  to  Texas 
have  established  in  Chicago  their  general 
freight  and  passenger  agencies.  Four  or 
five  lines  compete  for  all  Pacific  freights 
to  a  ])oint  as  far  as  the  interior  of  Nebraska. 
Half  a  dozen  or  more  splendid  bridge 
structures  have  been  thrown  across  the 
Missouri  and  Mississippi  Rivers  by  the 
railways.  The  Chicago  and  Northwestern 
line  has  become  an  aggregation  of  over 
two  thousand  miles  of  rail,  and  the  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul  is  its  close  rival  in 
extent  and  importance.  The  three  lines 
running  to  Cairo  via  Vincennes  form  a 
through  route  for  all  traffic  with  the  States 
to  the  southward.  The  trunk  lines  being 
mainly  in  operation,  the  progi-ess  made  in 


50 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


the  way  of  shortening  tracks,  making  air- 
line branches,  and  running  extensions  does 
not  show  to  the  advantage  it  deserves,  as 
this  process  is  constantly  adding  new  facili- 
ties to  the  established  order  of  things.  The 
panic  reduced  the  price  of  steel  to  a  point 
where  the  railways  could  hardly  afford  to 
use  iron  rails,  and  all  our  northwestern 
lines  report  large  relays  of  Bessemer  track. 
Tlie  immense  crops  now  being  moved  have 
given  a  great  rise  to  the  value  of  railway 
stocks,  and  their  transportation  must  result 
in  heavy  pecuniary  advantages. 

Few  are  aware  of  the  importance  of  the 
wholesale  and  jobbing  trade  of  Chicago. 
In  boots  and  shoes  and  in  clothing,  twenty 
or  more  great  firms  from  the  East  have 
placed  here  their  distributing  agents  or 
their  factories  ;  and  in  groceries  Chicago 
supplies    the    entire   Northwest   at    rates 


presenting   advantages    over   i^ew    York. 

Chicago  has  stepped  iu  between  Nevyf 
York  and  the  rural  banks  as  a  financial 
center,  and  scarcely  a  banking  institution 
in  the  grain  or  cattle  regions  but  keeps  its 
reserve  funds  in  the  vaults  of  our  com- 
mercial institutions.  Accumulating  here 
throughout  the  spring  and  summer  months, 
they  are  summoned  home  at  pleasure  to 
move  tlie  products  of  the  prairies.  This 
process  greatly  strengthens  the  northwest 
iu  its  financial  operations,  leaving  home 
capital  to  supplement  local  operations  on 
behalf  of  home  interests. 

It  is  impossible  to  forecast  the  destiny 
of  this  grand  and  growing  section  of  the 
Union.  Figures  and  predictions  made  at 
this  date  might  seeni  ten  years  hence  so 
ludicrously  small  as  to  excite  only  derision. 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


The  name  of  this  l)cantifiil  Prairie  State 
is  derived  from  lUuii,  a  Delaware  word 
signifying  Superior  Men.  It  has  a  French 
termination,  and  is  a  symbol  of  how  the 
two  races — the  French  and  the  Indians — 
were  intermixed  during  the  early  liistory 
of  the  country. 

The  appellation  was  no  doubt  well  ap- 
plied to  the  primitive  inhabitants  of  the 
soil  whose  prowess  in  savage  warfare  long 
withstood  the  combined  attacks  of  the 
fierce  Iroquois  on  the  one  side,  and  the  no 
less  savage  and  relentless  Sacs  and  Foxes 
on  the  other.  The  Illinois  were  once  a 
powerful  confederacy,  occupj'ing  the  most 
beautiful  and  fertile  region  in  the  great 
Valley  of  the  Mississippi,  which  their  en- 
emies coveted,  and  struggled  long  and 
liard  to  wrest  from  them.  By  the  fortunes 
of  war,  they  were  diminished  in  numbers, 
and  linally  destroyed.  "Starved  Hock," 
on  the  Illinois  Iliver,  according  to  tradi- 
tion, conimemorates  their  last  tragedy, 
whei'e,  it  is  said,  the  entire  tribe  starved 
rather  than  surrender. 

EAELY  DISCOVERIES. 

The  first  European  discoveries  in  Illi- 
nois date  back  over  two  hundred  years. 
They  are  a  part  of  that  movement  which, 
irom  the  beginning  to  the  middle  of  the 
seventeenth  century,   brought  the  French 


Canadian  missionaries  and  fur  traders  into 
the  "Valley  of  the  Mississippi,  and  which 
at  a  later  period  established  the  civil  and 
ecclesiastical  authority  of  France,  from  tiie 
Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  to  tlie  Gulf  of  Mexi- 
co, and  from  the  foot-hills  of  the  Alleghe- 
nies  to  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

The  great  river  of  the  West  had  been 
discovered  by  De  Soto,  the  Spanish  con- 
queror of  Florida,  three  quarters  of  a  cent- 
ury before  tlie  French  founded  Quebec  in 
1608,  but  the  Spanisli  left  tlie  country  a 
wilderness,  without  further  exploration  or 
settlement  within  its  borders,  in  which  con- 
dition it  remained  until  the  Mississipjii 
was  discovered  by  the  agents  of  the  F^rench 
Canadian  government,  Joliet  and  Mar- 
quette, in  1673.  These  renowned  explor- 
ers were  not  the  first  white  visitors  to  Illi- 
nois In  1671 — two  years  in  advance  of 
them — came  Nicholas  Perrot  to  Chicago. 
He  Lad  been  sent  by  Talon  as  an  agent  of 
the  Canadian  government  to  call  a  great 
peace  convention  of  "Western  Indians  at 
Green  Bay,  preparatory  to  the  movement 
for  the  discovery  of  the  Mississippi.  It 
was  deemed  a  good  stroke  of  policy  to  se- 
cure, as  far  as  possible,  the  friendship  and 
co-operation  of  the  Indians,  far  and  near, 
before  venturing  upon  an  enterprise  which 
their  hostility  might  render  disastrous,  and 
which  their  friendship  and  assistance  would 


EARLY  IILSTOIIY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


do  so  much  to  make  successful;  and  to  this 
end  Perrot  was  sent  to  call  together  in 
council,  the  tribes  throughout  the  North- 
west, and  to  promise  them  the  commerce 
and  protection  of  the  French  government. 
He  accordingly  arrived  at  Green  Bay  in 
1671,  and  procuring  an  escort  of  Pottawat- 
omies,  proceeded  in  a  bark  canoe  upon  a 
visit  to  the  Miamis,  at  Chicago.  Perrot 
was  therefore  tlie  first  European  to  set  foot 
upon  the  soil  of  Illinois. 

Still  there  were  others  before  Marquette. 
In  1672,  the  Jesuit  missionaries,  Fathers 
Claude  Allouez  and  Claude  Dablon,  bore 
the  standard  of  the  Cross  from  their  mis- 
sion at  Green  Bay  through  western  Wis- 
consin and  northern  Illinois,  visiting  the 
Foxes  on  Fox  River,  and  the  Masquotines 
and  Kickapoos  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mil- 
waukee. These  missionaries  penetrated  on 
the  route  afterwards  followed  by  Marquette 
as  far  as  the  Kickapoo  village  at  the  head 
of  Lake  "Winnebago,  wliere  Marquette,  in 
bis  journey,  secured  guides  aorcss  the 
portage  to  the  Wisconsin. 

The  oft  repeated  story  of  Marquette  and 
Joliet  is  well  known.  They  were  the 
agents  employed  by  the  Canadian  govern- 
ment to  discover  the  Mississippi.  Mar- 
quette was  a  native  of  France,  born  in 
1637,  a  Jesuit  priest  by  education,  and  a 
man  of  simple  faith  and  of  great  zeal  and 
devotion  in  exteTiding  the  Poman  Catholic 
religion  among  the  Indians.  Arriving  in 
Canada  in  1666,  he  was  sent  as  a  mission- 
ary to  the  far  Nortliwest,  and,  in  1668, 
founded  a  mission  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie.  The 
following  year  he  moved  to  La  Pointe,  in 
Lake  Superior,  where  he  instructed  a  branch 
of  the  Ilurons  till  1670,  when  he  removed 
south  and  founded  the  mission  at  St.  Ignace, 


on  the  Straits  of  Mackinaw.  Here  he  re- 
mained, devoting  a  portion  of  his  time  to 
the  study  of  the  Illinois  language  under  a 
native  teacher  who  had  accompanied  him 
to  the  mission  from  La  Pointe,  till  he  was 
joined  by  Joliet  in  the  spring  of  1673. 
By  the  way  of  Green  Hay  and  the  Fox  and 
Wisconsin  Pivers,  they  entered  the  Mis- 
sissippi, which  they  explored  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Arkansas,  and  returned  by  the  way 
of  the  Illinois  and  Chicago  Pi  vers  to  Lake 
Michigan. 

On  his  way  up  the  Illinois,  Marquette 
visited  the  great  village  of  the  Kaskaskias, 
near  what  is  now  Utica,  in  the  county  of 
La  Salle.  The  following  year  he  returned 
and  established  among  them  the  mission 
of  the  Immaculate  Virgin  Mary,  which 
was  the  first  Jesuit  mission  founded  in 
Illinois  and  in  tlie  Mississippi  Valley.  The 
intervening  winter  he  had  spent  in  a  hut 
which  his  companions  erected  on  the  Clii- 
cao-o  River,  a  few  leagues  from  its  mouth. 
The  founding  of  this  mission  was  the  last 
act  of  Marquette's  life.  He  died  in  Mich- 
igan, on  his  way  back  to  Green  Bay,  May 
18,  1675. 

FIRST  FRENCH  OCCUPATIOX. 

The  first  French  occupation  of  the  terri- 
tory now  embraced  in  Illinois  was  effected 
by  La  Salle  in  1680,  seven  years,  after  the 
time  of  Marquette  and  Joliet.  La  Salle, 
having  constructed  a  vessel,  the  "Griffin," 
above  the  falls  of  Niagara,  which  he  sailed 
to  Green  Bay,  and  having  passed  thence  in 
canoes  to  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph 
River,  by  which  and  the  Kankakee  he 
reached  the  Illinois,  in  January,  1680, 
erected  Fort  Crcvecceiir,  at  the  lower  end 
of  Peoria  Lake,  where   the   city  of  Peoria 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


53 


is  now  situated.  The  place  wliere  tliis  an- 
cient fort  stood  may  still  be  seen  just  below 
the  outlet  of  Peoria  Lake.  It  was  destined, 
however,  to  a  teinporar}'  existence.  From 
this  point,  La  Salle  determined  to  descend 
the  Mississippi  to  its  mouth,  but  did  not 
accomplish  this  purpose  till  two  years  later 
— in  1682.  Returnini^  to  Fort  Frontenac 
for  the  purpose  of  getting  materials  with 
which  to  rig  his  vessel,  he  left  the  fort  in 
charge  of  Tonti,  his  lieutenant,  who  during 
his  absence  was  di-iven  off  b}"^  the  Irorpiois 
Indiaus.  Tliese  savages  had  made  a  raid  up- 
on tlie  settlement  of  the  Illinois,  and  had  left 
nothing  in  their  track  but  ruin  and  desola- 
tion. Mr.  Davidson,  in  his  History  of 
Illinois,  gives  the  following  graphic  account 
of  the  picture  that  met  the  eyes  of  La  Salle 
and  his  companions  on  their  return: 

"At  the  great  town  of  the  Illinois  they 
were  appalled  at  the  scene  which  opened  to 
their  view.  No  hunter  appeared  to  break 
its  death-like  silence  with  a  salutatory 
whoop  of  welcome.  The  plain  on  which 
the  town  had  stood  was  now  strewed  with 
charred  fragments  of  lodges,  which  had  so 
recently  swarmed  with  savage  life  and  hi- 
larity. To  render  more  hideous  the  picture 
of  desolation,  large  numbers  of  skulls  had 
been  placed  on  the  upper  extremities  of 
lodge-poles  which  had  escaped  the  devour- 
ing flames.  lu  the  midst  of  these  horrors 
was  the  rude  fort  of  the  spoilers,  rendered 
frightful  by  the  same  ghastly  relics.  A 
near  approach  showed  that  the  graves  had 
been  robbed  of  their  bodies,  and  swarms  of 
buzzards  were  discovered  glutting  their 
loathsome  stomachs  on  the  reeking  corrup- 
tion. To  complete  the  work  of  destruction, 
the  growing  corn  of  the  village  had  been 
3ut  do\vn  and   burned,  while  the   pits  con- 


taining the  products  of  previous  years,  had 
been  rifled  and  their  contents  scattered  with 
wanton  waste.  It  was  evident  the  suspected 
blow  of  the  Iroquois  had  fallen  with  relent- 
less fury." 

Tonti  had  escaped.  La  Salle  knew  not 
whither.  Passing  down  the  lake  in  search 
of  him  and  his  men,  La  Salle  discovered 
that  the  fort  had  been  destroyed,  but  the 
vessel  which  he  had  partly  constructed  was 
still  on  the  stocks,  and  but  slightly  _in- 
jured.  After  furtiier  fruitless  search,  tailing 
to  And  Tonti,  he  fastened  to  a  tree  a  painting 
representing  himself  and  party  sitting  in  a 
canoe  and  bearing  a  pipe  of  peace,  and  to 
the  painting  attaciied  a  letter  addressed  to 
Tonti. 

Tonti  had  escaped,  and  after  untold  pri- 
vations, taken  shelter  among  the  Potta- 
wattomies  near  Green  Bay,  These  were 
friendly  to  the  French.  One  of  their  old 
chiefs  used  to  say,  "There  were  but  three 
great  captains  in  the  world,  himself,  Tonti 
and  La  Salle." 

GENIUS  OF  LA  SALLE. 

We  must  now  return  to  La  Salle,  whose 
exploits  stand  out  in  such  bold  relief.  He 
was  born  in  Rouen,  France,  in  1643.  His 
father  was  wealthy  but  he  renounced  his 
patrimony  on  entering  a  college  of  the 
Jesuits,  from  which  he  separated  and  came 
to  Canada  a  ])oor  man  in  1666.  Tlie  jiriests 
of  St.  Sulpice,  among  whom  he  had  a 
brother,  were  then  the  proprietors  of  Mon- 
treal, the  nucleus  of  which  was  a  seminary 
or  convent  founded  by  that  order.  The 
Superior  granted  to  La  Salle  a  large  tract 
of  land  at  La  Chine,  where  he  established 
himself  in  the  fur  trade.  He  was  a  man 
of  daring  genius,  and  outstripped  all  his 


54 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


competitors  in  exploits  of  travel  and  com- 
merce with  tiie  Imliaus.  In  1(569,  he  vis- 
ited the  head(piarters  of  tlie  great  Iroquois 
confederacy,  at  Onondaga,  in  tlie  heart  of 
New  York,  and  obtaining  guides,  explored 
the  Ohio  River  to  the  falls  at  Louisville. 

In  order  to  understand  the  genius  of 
La  Salle,  it  must  be  remembered  that  for 
many  years  prior  to  his  time  the  mission- 
aries and  traders  were  obliged  to  make 
their  way  to  the  Northwest  by  the  Ottawa 
River  (of  Canada)  on  account  of  the  fierce 
liostility  of  the  Iroquois  along  the  lower 
lakes  and  Niagara  River,  which  entirely 
closed  this  latter  route  to  the  UpperLakes. 
They  carried  on  their  commerce  chiefly  by 
canoes,  paddling  them  through  the  Ottawa 
to  Lake  Nipissing,  carrying  them  across 
the  portage  to  French  River,  and  descend- 
ing that  to  Lake  Huron.  This  being  the 
route  by  which  they  reached  the  Northwest 
accounts  for  the  fact  that  all  the  earliest 
Jesuit  missions  were  established  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Upper  Lakes.  La  Salle 
conceived  tlie  grand  idea  of  opening  the 
route  by  Niagara  River  and  the  Lower 
Lakes  to  Canadian  commerce  by  sail  vessels 
connecting  it  with  the  navigation  of  the 
Mississippi,  and  thus  ojiening  a  magnificent 
water  communication  from  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  This 
truly  grand  and  comprehensive  purpose 
seems  to  have  animated  him  in  all  his 
wonderful  achievements  and  the  matchless 
difficulties  and  hardships  he  surmounted. 
As  the  first  step  in  the  accomplishment  of 
tills  object  he  established  himself  on  Lake 
Ontario,  and  built  and  garrisoned  Fort 
Frontenac,  the  site  of  the  present  city  of 
Kingston,  Canada.  Here  he  obtained  a 
grant  of  land  from  the  French  crown,  and 


a  body  of  troops  by  which  he  beat  back  the 
invading  Iro(^uois  and  cleared  the  passage 
to  Niagara  Fails.  Having  by  this  mnsterly 
stroke  made  it  safe  to  attempt  a  hitherto 
untried  expedition,  his  next  step,  as  we 
have  seen,  was  to  advance  to  the  Falls  with 
all  his  outfit  for  building  a  ship  with  which 
to  sail  the  lakes.  He  was  successful  in 
this  nndertaking,  though  his  nltimate  pur- 
pose was  defeated  by  a  strange  combination 
of  untoward  circumstances.  The  Jesuits 
evidently  hated  La  Salle  and  plotted  against 
him,  because  he  had  abandoned  them  and 
co-operated  with  a  rival  order.  The  fur 
traders  were  also  jealous  of  his  superior 
success  in  opening  new  channels  of  com- 
merce. At  La  Chine  he  had  taken  the  trade 
of  Lake  Ontario,  which  but  for  his  presence 
there  would  have  gone  to  Quebec.  While 
they  were  plodding  with  tlieir  bark  canoes 
through  the  Ottawa  he  was  constructing 
sailine  vessels  to  command  the  trade  of  the 
lakes  and  the  Mississipjii.  These  great 
plans  excited  the  jealousy  and  envy  of  the 
small  traders,  introduced  ti-eason  and  revolt 
into  the  ranks  of  his  own  companions,  and 
finally  led  to  the  foul  assassination  by  which 
his  great  achievements  were  prematurely 
ended. 

In  16S2,  La  Salle,  iiaving  completed  his 
vessel  at  Peoria,  descended  the  Mississippi 
to  its  confluence  with  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
Erecting  a  standard  on  which  he  inscribed 
the  arms  of  France,  he  took  formal  posses- 
sion of  the  whole  valley  of  the  mighty 
river,  in  the  name  of  Louis  XIY,  then 
reigning,  in  honor  of  whom  he  named  the 
country'  Louisiana. 

La  Salle  then  went  to  France,  was  ap-," 
pointed  Governor,  and  returned  witli  a  ' 
fleet  ;ind   immigrants,  for    the   purpose  of 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


55 


plaiitiiiiT  a  colony  in  Illinois.  They  arrived 
in  due  time  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  but 
failing  to  find  the  mouth  of  the  Mississip|>i, 
lip  which  La  Salle  intended  to  sail,  his 
sn]iply  ship,  with  the  immigrants,  was 
driven  ashore  and  wrecked  on  Matagorda 
Bay.  With  the  fragments  of  the  vessel  he 
constructed  a  stockade  and  rude  huts  on 
the  shore  for  the  ]irotection  of  the  immi- 
grants, calling  the  ))()st  Fort  St.  Louis. 
He  then  made  a  trip  into  New  Mexico,  in 
search  of  silver  mines,  but,  meeting  with 
disappointment,  returned  to  find  his  little 
colony  reduced  to  forty  souls.  He  then 
resolved  to  travel  on  foot  to  Illinois,  and, 
starting  with  his  companions,  had  reached 
the  valley  of  the  Colorado,  near  the  moutli 
of  Trinity  river,  when  he  was  shot  by  one 
of  his  men.  This  occurred  on  the  19th  of 
March,  16S7. 

Dr.  J.  W.  Foster  remarks  of  him  : 
"  Thus  fell,  not  fiir  from  the  lianks  of  the 
Trinity,  Tlobert  Cavalier  de  la  Salle,  one 
of  the  grandest  characters  that  ever  figured 
in  Anierican  history — a  man  capable  of 
originatiug  the  vastest  schemes,  and  en- 
dowed with  a  will  and  a  judgment  capable 
of  carrying  them  to  sncccssful  results.  Had 
am]ile  facilities  been  placed  by  the  King 
of  Franco  at  his  disposal,  tiie  result  of  the 
colonizatioti  of  this  continent  might  have 
been  far  diti'ereiit  frt)m  what  we  now 
behold." 

j:AELY    SETTLEitliNTS. 

A  temporary  settlement  was  made  at 
Fort  St.  Louis,  or  the  old  Kaskaskia  village, 
on  the  Illinois  Uiver,  in  what  is  now  La 
Salle  County,  in  1682.  In  1C90,  this  was 
removed,  with  the  mission  connected  with 
it,  to  Kaskaskia,  on  the  river  of  that  name. 


emptying  into  the  lower  Mississipjii  in  St. 
Clair  County.  Caliokia  was  settled  about 
the  same  time,  or  at  least,  both  of  these 
settlements  began  in  the  year  1690,  though 
it  is  now  pretty  well  settled  that  Cahokia 
is  the  older  ]>lace,  and  ranks  as  the  oldest 
permanent  settlement  in  Illinois,  as  well  as 
in  tiie  Mississippi  Valley.  The  reason  for 
the  removal  of  the  old  Kaskaskia  settle- 
ment and  mission,  was  probably  because 
the  dangerous  and  difficult  route  by  Lake 
Michigan  and  the  Chicago  portage  had  been 
almost  abandoned,  and  travelers  and  traders 
passed  down  and  up  the  Mississippi  by  the 
Fox  and  AVisconsin  River  route.  They  re- 
moved to  the  vicinity  of  the  Mississippi  in 
order  to  be  in  the  line  of  travel  from  Can- 
ada to  Louisiana,  that  is,  the  lower  part  of 
it,  for  it  was  all  Louisiana  then  south  of 
the  lakes. 

During  the  period  of  French  rule  in 
Louisiana,  the  population  probably  never 
exceeded  ten  thousand,  including  whites 
and  blacks.  Within  that  portion  of  it  now 
included  in  Indiana,  trading  posts  were  es- 
tablished at  the  j)rincipal  Miami  villages 
which  stood  on  the  head  waters  of  the 
Maumee,  the  Wea  villages  situated  at 
Ouiatenon,  on  the  Wabash,  and  the  Pian- 
keshaw  villages  at  Post  Vincennes;  all  of 
which  were  probably  visited  by  French 
traders  and  missionaries  before  the  close  of 
the  seventeenth  century. 

In  the  vast  territory  claimed  by  the 
French,  many  settlements  of  considerable 
importance  liad  sprung  up.  Biloxi,  on 
Mobile  Bay,  had  been  founded  by  D'lber- 
ville,  in  1699;  Antoine  de  Lamotte  Cadillac 
had  founded  Detroit  in  1701;  and  New 
Orleans  had  been  founded  by  Bienville, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Mississippi  Com- 


66 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


paiiy,  in  1718.  In  Illinois  also,  considera- 
ble settlements  had  been  made,  so  that  in 
1730  they  embraced  one  hundred  and  forty- 
French  families,  about  six  hundred  "con- 
verted Indians,"  and  many  traders  and 
voyageurs.  In  that  portion  of  tlie  country, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Mississippi,  there 
were  five  distinct  settlements,  with  their 
respective  villages,  viz.:  Cahokia,  near  the 
mouth  of  Cahokia  Creek  and  about  five 
miles  below  the  present  city  of  St.  Louis; 
St.  Philip,  about  forty-five  miles  below  Ca- 
hokia, and  four  miles  above  Fort  Chartres; 
Fort  Chartres,  twelve  miles  above  Kaskas- 
kia;  Kaskaskia,  situated  on  the  Kaskaskia 
Kiver,  five  miles  above  its  confluence  with 
the  Mississippi;  and  Prairie  du  Kocher, 
near  Fort  Chartres.  To  these  must  be  add- 
ed St.  Genevieve  and  St.  Louis,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Mississippi.  These  with  the 
exception  of  St.  Louis,  are  among  the  oldest 
French  towns  in  the  Mississippi  Yalley. 
Kaskaskia,  in  its  best  days,  was  a  town  of 
some  two  or  three  thousand  inhabitants. 
After  it  passed  from  the  crown  of  France 
its  population  for  many  years  did  not  ex- 
ceed fifteen  hundred.  Under  British  rule, 
in  1773,  the  population  had  decreased  to 
four  hundred  and  fifty.  As  early  as  1721 
the  Jesuits  had  established  a  college  and  a 
monastery  in  Kaskaskia. 

Fort  Chartres  was  first  built  under  the 
direction  of  the  Mississippi  Company,  in 
1718,  by  M.  deBoisbraint,  a  military  officer, 
under  command  of  Bienville.  It  stood  on 
the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  about 
eighteen  miles  below  Kaskaskia,  and  was 
for  some  time  the  headquarters  of  the  mil- 
itary commandants  of  the  district  of  Illinois. 

In  the  Centennial  Oration  of  Dr.  Fowler, 
delivered  at  Philadelphia,  by  appoiutinout 


of  Gov.  Beveridge,  we  find  some  interesting 
facts  with  regard  to  the  State  of  Illinois, 
which  we  appropriate  in  this  history: 

In  1682  Illinois  became  a  possession  of 
the  French  crown,  a  dependency  of  Canada, 
and  a  part  of  Louisiana.  In  1765  the  Eng- 
lish flag  was  run  up  on  old  Fort  Chartres, 
and  Illinois  was  counted  among  the  treas- 
ures of  Great  Britain. 

In  1779  it  was  taken  from  the  English 
by  Col.  George  Kogers  Clark.  This  man 
was  resolute  in  nature,  wise  in  council, 
prudent  in  policy,  bold  in  action,  and  heroic 
in  danger.  Few  men  who  have  figured  in 
the  history  of  America  are  more  deserving 
than  this  colonel.  Nothing  short  of  first- 
class  ability  could  have  rescued  Yinccnnes 
and  all  Illinois  from  the  English.  And  it 
is  not  possible  to  over-estimate  the  influence 
of  this  achievement  upon  the  republic.  In 
1779  Illinois  became  a  part  of  Virginia.  It 
was  soon  known  as  Illinois  County.  In 
1781  Virginia  ceded  all  this  territory  to  the 
general  government,  to  be  cut  into  States, 
to  be  republican  in  form,  with  "  the  same 
right  of  sovereignty,  freedom,  and  inde- 
pendence as  the  other  States." 

In  1787  it  was  the  object  of  the  wisest 
and  ablest  legislation  found  in  any  merely 
human  records.  No  man  can  study  the 
secret  history  of  ,__ 

'        THE  "compact  of  1787," 

and  not  feel  that  Providence  was  guiding 
with  sleepless  eye  these  unborn  States.  The 
ordinance  that  on  July  13,  17S7,  finally  be- 
came the  incorporating  act,  has  a  most 
marvelous  history.  Jefterson  had  vainly 
tried  to  secure  a  system  of  government  for 
the  northwestern  territory.  lie  was  an 
omiincipationist  of  that  day,  and  favored  the 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


exclusion  of  slavery  from  the  territory  A'ir- 
sinia  had  ceded  to  the  general  government; 
hut  the  South  voted  him  down  as  often  as 
it  came  np.  In  1787,  as  late  as  July  10th, 
an  organizing  act  without  the  anti-slavery 
clause  was  pending.  This  concession  to  the 
South  was  expected  to  carry  it.  Congress 
was  in  session  in  New  York  City.  On  July 
5th,  Rev.  Dr.  Mannasseh  Cutler,  oi  Massa- 
chusetts, came  into  Xew  York  to  lobby  on 
the  northwestern  territory.  Everytliiiig 
seemed  to  fiill  into  his  hands.  Events  were 
ripe. 

The  state  of  the  public  credit,  the  growing 
of  Southern  prejudice,  the  basis  of  his  mis- 
sion, his  personal  character,  all  combined  to 
complete  one  of  those  sudden  and  marvelous 
revolutions  of  public  sentiment  that  once  in 
five  or  ten  centuries  are  seen  to  sweep  over 
a  country  like  the  breath  of  the  Almighty. 
Cutler  was  a  graduate  of  Yale — received  his 
A.  M.  from  Harvard,  and  his  D.  D.  from 
Yale.  lie  had  studied  and  taken  degrees 
in  the  three  learned  professions,  medicine, 
law,  and  divinity.  He  had  thus  America's 
best  indorsement.  lie  had  published  a 
scientific  examination  of  the  plants  of  New 
England.  His  name  stood  second  only  to 
that  of  Franklin  as  a  scientist  in  America. 
He  was  a  courtly  gentleman  of  the  old  style, 
a  man  of  commanding  presence,  and  of 
inviting  face.  The  Southern  members  said 
the3-  had  never  seen  such  a  gentleman  in  the 
North.  He  came  representing  a  company 
that  desired  to  purchase  a  tract  of  land  now 
included  in  Ohio,  for  the  inirpose  of  plant- 
ing a  colon3'.  It  was  a  speculation.  Gov- 
ernment money  was  wortli  eighteen  cents 
on  the  dollar.  This  Massachusetts  company 
had  collected  enough  to  purchase  1,. 500, 000 
acres  of  lanti.     Other  siiecnlators  in    New 


York  made  Dr.  Cutler  their  agent  (lobbyist). 
On  the  12th  he  represented  a  demand  for 
5,500,000  acres.  This  would  reduce  the 
national  debt.  Jefferson  and  Virginia  were 
regarded  as  authority  concerning  the  land 
Virginia  had  just  ceded.  Jefferson's  policy 
wanted  to  provide  for  the  public  credit,  and 
this  was  a  good  opportunity  to  do  some- 
thing. 

]\Iassachusetts  then  owned  the  Territory 
of  Maine,  which  she  was  crowding  on  the 
market.  She  was  opposed  to  opening  the 
northwestern  region.  This  fired  the  zeal  of 
Virginia.  The  South  caught  the  inspiration, 
and  all  exalted  Dr.  Cutler.  The  English 
minister  invited  him  to  dine  witii  some  of 
the  Southern  gentlemen.  He  was  the  cen- 
ter of  interest. 

The  entire  South  rallied  round  him, 
Massachusetts  could  not  vote  against  him, 
because  many  of  the  constituents  of  her 
members  were  interested  personally  in  the 
western  speculation.  Thus  Cutler,  making 
friends  with  tiie  South,  and,  doubtless,  usina- 

'  '  ^  CD 

all  the  arts  of  the  lobby,  was  enabled  to 
command  the  situation.  True  to  deeper 
convictions,  he  dictated  one  of  the  most 
compact  and  finislied  documents  of  wise 
statesmanship  that  has  ever  adorned  any 
human  law  book.  He  borrowed  from  Jef- 
ferson the  term  "Articles  of  Com])act," 
which,  preceding  the  Federal  constitution, 
rose  into  the  most  sacred  chai-acter.  F[e 
then  followed  very  closely  the  constitution 
of  Massachusetts,  adopted  three  years  be- 
fore.    Its  most  marked  points  wei'e: 

1.  The  exclusion  of  slavery  from  the  ter- 
ritory forever. 

2.  Provision  for  public  schools,  giving 
one  township  for  a  seminary,  and  every  sec- 
tion numbered   IC  in  each    township;  that 


58 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


is,  one  thirtj-sixtli  of  all  the  land,  for  public 
schools. 

3.  A  provision  prohibiting  the  adop- 
tion of  auy  constitution  or  the  enactment 
of  any  law  that  should  nullify  pre-existing 
contracts. 

Be  it  forever  remembered  that  tliis  com- 
pact declared  that  "  Religion,  murality  and 
knowledge  being  necessary  to  good  govern- 
ment and  the  happiness  of  mankind, 
schools  and  the  means  of  education  shall 
always  be  encouraged." 

Di'.  Cutler  planted  himself  on  this  plat- 
form and  would  not  yield.  Giving  his 
imqualitied  declaration  that  it  was  that  or 
nothing — that  unless  they  could  make  the 
land  desirable  they  did  not  want  it — he 
took  his  horse  and  buggy,  and  started  for 
the  constitutional  convention  in  Phila- 
delphia. On  July  13,  1787,  the  bill  was 
put  upon  its  passage,  and  was  unanimously 
adopted,  every  Southern  member  voting 
for  it,  and  only  one  man,  Mr.  Yates,  of 
New  York,  voting  against  it.  But  as  the 
States  voted  as  States,  Yates  lost  his  vote, 
and  the  com])act  was  put  beyond  repeal. 

Thus  the  great  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Michigan  and  AVisconsin — a  vast 
empire,  the  heart  of  the  great  valley — were 
consecrated  to  freedom,  intelligence  and 
honesty.  Thus  the  great  heart  of  the  na- 
tion was  prepared  for  a  year  and  a  day  and 
an  hour.  In  the  light  of  these  eightj'-nine 
years  I  affirm  that  this  act  was  the  salva- 
tion of  the  republic  and  the  destruction  of 
slavery.  Soon  the  South  saw  their  great 
blunder,  and  tried  to  repeal  the  compact. 
In  1803,  Congress  referred  it  to  a  commit- 
tee of  which  John  Bandolph  was  chairman, 
lie  reported  that  this  ordinance  was  a  com- 
pact, and  opposed  repeal.     Thus  it  stood  a 


rock,  in  the  way  of  the  on-rushing  sea  of 
slavery. 

Witli  all  this  timely  aid,  it  was,  after 
all,  a  most  desperate  and  protracted  strug- 
gle to  keep  the  soil  of  Illinois  sacred  to 
freedom.  It  was  the  natural  battle-field 
for  the  irrepressible  conflict.  In  the 
southern  end  of  the  State,  slavery  preceded 
the  compact.  It  existed  among  the  old 
French  settlers,  and  was  hard  to  eradicate. 
The  southern  part  of  the  State  was  settled 
from  the  slave  States,  and  this  population 
brought  their  laws,  customs  and  institu- 
tions with  them.  A  stream  of  population 
from  the  North  poured  into  the  northern 
part  of  the  State.  These  sections  misun- 
derstood and  hated  each  other  perfectly. 
The  Southerners  regarded  the  Yankees  as 
a  skinning,  tricky,  penurious  race  of  ped- 
dlers, filling  the  country  with  tinware, 
brass  clocks  and  wooden  nutmegs.  The 
Northerner  thought  of  the  Southerner  as  a 
lean,  lank,  lazy  creature,  burrowing  in  a 
hut,  and  rioting  in  whisky,  dirt  and  igno- 
rance. These  causes  aided  in  making  the 
struggle  long  and  bitter.  So  strong  was 
the  sympathy  with  slaver}',  that  in  spite 
of  the  ordinance  of  1787,  and  in  spite  of 
the  deed  of  cession,  it  was  determined  to 
allow  the  old  French  settlers  to  retain  their 
slaves.  Planters  from  the  slave  States 
might  bring  their  slaves,  if  they  would 
nfive  them  a  chance  to  choose  freedom  or 
years  of  service  and  bondage  for  their  chil- 
dren till  they  should  become  thirty  years 
of  age.  If  they  chose  freedom  they  must 
leave  the  State  in  sixty  days  or  be  sold  as 
fugitives.  Servants  were  whipped  for  of- 
fenses for  which  white  men  are  fined. 
Each  lash  paid  forty  cents  of  the  fine.  A 
negro  ten   miles  from  home  without  a  pass 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


5!) 


was  whipped.  Those  famous  laws  were 
imported  from  the  slave  States  just  as  they 
imported  laws  for  the  inspection  of  flax 
and  wool  when  there  was  neither  in  the 
State. 

These  Black  Laws  are  now  wi])ed  out. 
A  vigorous  eflbrt  was  made  to  protect 
slavery  in  the  State  Constitution  of  1817. 
It  barely  failed.  It  was  renewed  in  1825, 
when  a  convention  was  asked  to  make  a 
new  constitution.  After  a  hard  flght  the 
convention  was  defeated.  But  slaves  did 
not  disappear  fi'om  the  census  of  the  State 
until  1S50.  There  were  mobs  and  mur- 
ders in  the  interest  of  slavery.  Lovejoy 
was  added  to  the  list  of  martyrs — a  sort  of 
flrst  fruits  of  that  long  life  of  immortal 
heroes  who  saw  freedom  as  the  one  supreme 
desire  of  their  souls,  and  were  so  enam- 
ored of  her,  that  they  ])referred  to  die 
i-athor  than  survive  her. 

The  population  of  12,282  that  occupied 
t!ie  Territory  in  A.  D.  ISOO,  increased  to 
45.000  in  A.  D.  1818,  when  the  State  Con- 
stitution was  adopted,  and  Illinois  took 
her  place  in  tlie  Union,  with  a  star  on  the 
flag  and  two  votes  in  the  Senate. 

Sliadrach  Bond  was  the  flrst  Governor, 
and  in  his  flrst  message  he  recommended 
the  construction  of  the  Illinois  and  Michi- 
gan Canal. 

The  simple  economy  in  those  days  is 
seen  in  the  fact  the  entire  bill  for  station- 
ery for  the  first  Legislature  was  only 
$13.50.  Yet  this  simple  body  actually 
enacted  a  very  superior  code. 

There  was  no  money  in  the  Territory 
before  the  war  of  1812.  Deer  skins  and 
coon  skins  were  the  circulating  medium. 
In  1821,  the  Legislature  ordained  a  State 
Bank  on  the  credit  of  the  State.     It  issued 


notes  in  the  likeness  of  bank  bills.  These 
notes  were  made  a  legal  tender  for  every 
thing,  and  the  bank  was  ordered  to  loan  to 
the  people  $100  on  personal  security,  and 
more  on  mortgages.  They  actually  passed 
a  resolution  requesting  the  Secretar}'  of 
the  Treasury  of  the  United  States  to  re- 
ceive these  notes  for  land.  The  old  French 
Lieutenant  Governor,  Col.  Menard,  put  the 
resolution  as  follows:  "Gentlemen  of  the 
Senate:  It  is  moved  and  seconded  dai  da 
notes  of  dis  hank  be  made  land  oflice 
money.  AH  in  favor  of  dat  motion  say  aye; 
all  against  it  say  no.  It  is  decided  in  de  af- 
flrmative.  Now,  gentlemen,  I  bet  you  one 
hundred  dollar  he  never  be  land-oflice 
money!"  Hard  sense,  like  hard  money, 
is  always  above  par. 

This  old  Frenchman  presents  a  flne  fig- 
ure up  against  the  dark  background  of 
most  of  his  nation.  They  made  no  prog- 
ress. They  clung  to  their  earliest  and 
simplest  implements.  They  never  wore 
hats  or  caps.  They  pulled  their  blankets 
over  their  heads  in  the  winter  like  the  In- 
dians, with  whom  they  freely  intermin- 
gled. 

Dcmagogism  had  an  early  development. 
One  John  Grammar  (only  in  name),  elected 
to  the  Territorial  and  State  Legislatures  of 
1816  and  18o6,  invented  the  policy  of  op- 
posing every  new  thing,  saying,  "If  it 
succeeds,  no  one  will  ask  who  voted  against 
it.  If  it  proves  a  failure,  he  could  quote 
its  record."  In  sliarp  contrast  witli  Gram- 
mar was  the  character  of  D.  P.  Cook,  after 
whom  the  county  containing  Chicago  was 
named.  Such  was  his  transparent  integri- 
ty and  remarkable  ability  that  his  will  was 
almost  the  law  of  the  State.  In  Congi-ess, 
a  voung  man,  and  from  a  poor  State,  he  was 


()0| 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


made  Chairman  of  the  AVaj'S  and  Means 
Committee.  He  was  pre-eminent  for 
standing  by  his  committee,  regardless  of 
consequences.  It  was  his  integrity  that 
elected  John  Quincy  Adams  to  the  Presi- 
dency. There  were  fonr  candidates  in 
1821,  Jackson,  Clay,  Crawford,  and  John 
Quincy  Adams.  There  being  no  choice  by 
the  people,  the  election  was  thrown  into  the 
House.  It  was  so  balanced  that  it  turned 
on  his  vote,  and  that  he  cast  for  Adams, 
electing  him  ;  then  went  home  to  face  the 
wrath  of  the  Jackson  party  in  Illinois.  It 
cost  htm  all  but  character  and  greatness. 
It  is  a  suggestive  comment  on  the  times, 
that  there  was  no  legal  interest  till  1830. 
It  often  reached  150  per  cent.,  usually  50 
percent.  Then  it  was  reduced  to  12,  and 
now  to  10  per  cent. 

PHYSICAL    FEATURES    OF    THE    PBAIBIE    STATE. 

In  area  the  State  has  55,410  square  miles 
of  territory.  It  is  about  150  miles  wide 
and  400  miles  long,  stretching  in  latitude 
from  Maine  to  North  Carolina.  It  embraces 
wide  variety  of  climate.  It  is  tempered  on 
tlie  north  by  the  great  inland,  saltless,  tide- 
less  sea,  which  keeps  the  tliermometer  from 
either  extreme.  Being  a  table  land,  from 
COO  to  1,200  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
one  is  prepared  to  find  on  the  health  maps, 
prepared  by  the  general  government,  an  al- 
most clean  and  perfect  record.  In  freedom 
from  fever  and  malarial  diseases  and  con- 
sumptions, the  three  deadly  enemies  of  the 
American  Saxon,  Illinois,  as  a  State,  stands 
without  a  superior.  She  furnishes  one  of 
the  essential  conditions  of  a  great  people — 
sound  bodies.  I  suspect  that  this  fact  lies 
back  of  that  old  Delaware  word,  Illini,  su- 
perior men. 


The  great  battles  of  history  that  have 
been  determinative  of  dynasties  and  desti- 
nies have  been  strategical  battles,  chiefly 
the  question  of  position.  Thermopylfe  has 
been  the  war-cry  of  freemen  for  twenty-four 
centuries.  It  only  tells  how  much  there 
may  be  in  position.  All  this  advantage 
belongs  to  Illinois.  It  is  in  the  heart  of 
the  greatest  valley  in  the  world,  the  vast 
region  between  the  mountains — a  valley 
that  could  feed  mankind  for  one  thousand 
years.  It  is  well  on  toward  the  center  of 
the  continent.  It  is  in  the  great  temperate 
belt,  in  which  have  been  found  nearly  all 
the  aggressive  civilizations  of  history.  It 
has  sixty-five  miles  of  frontage  on  the  head 
of  the  lake.  With  the  Mississippi  forming 
the  western  and  southern  boundary,  with 
the  Ohio  running  along  the  southeastern 
line,  with  the  Illinois  river  and  canal  divid- 
ing the  State  diagonally  from  the  lake  to 
the  lower  INIississippi,  and  with  the  Rock 
and  Wabash  rivers,  furnishing  altogether 
2,000  miles  of  water  front,  connecting  with, 
and  running  through,  in  all  about  12,000 
miles  of  navigable  water. 

But  this  is  not  all.  These  waters  are 
made  most  available  hj  the  fact  that  the 
lake  and  the  State  lie  on  the  ridije  runnino: 
into  the  great  valley  from  the  east.  Within 
cannon-shot  of  the  lake,  the  water  runs 
awa}'  from  the  lake  to  the  gulf.  The  lake 
now  empties  at  both  ends,  one  into  the  At- 
lantic and  one  into  the  gulf  of  Mexico. 
The  lake  thus  seems  to  hang  over  the  land. 
This  makes  the  dockage  most  serviceable; 
there  are  no  steep  banks  to  damage  it. 
Both  lake  and  river  are  made  for  use. 

The  climate  varies  from  Portland  to 
Richmond;  it  favors  every  product  of  the 
continent,   including  the  tropics,  with  less 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


01 


tlian  lialfadozen  exceptions.  It  produces 
everj  great  nutriment  of  the  world  except 
bananas  and  rice.  It  is  hardly  too  much 
to  say  that  it  is  the  most  productive  spot 
known  to  civilization.  With  tiie  soil  full 
of  bread  and  the  earth  full  of  minerals; 
with  an  upper  surface  of  food  and  an  un- 
der layer  of  fuel;  with  ])erfect  natural  drain- 
age, and  abundant  springs  and  streams  and 
navigable  rivers;  halfway  between  the  for- 
ests of  the  north  and  the  fruits  of  the  south ; 
within  a  da^^'s  ride  of  the  great  deposits  of 
iron,  coal,  copper,  lead  and  zinc;  contain- 
ing and  controlling  the  great  grain,  cattle, 
pork  and  lumber  markets  of  the  world,  it 
is  not  strange  that  Illinois  has  the  advan- 
tage of  position. 

This  advantage  has  been  supplemented 
by  the  character  of  the  jiopulation.  In  the 
early  days  when  Illinois  was  first  admitted 
to  the  union,  her  jiopulation  were  chiefly 
from  Kentucky  and  Virginia.  But,  in  the 
conflict  of  ideas  concerning  slavery,  a 
strong  tide  of  emigration  came  in  from  the 
East,  and  soon  changed  this  composition. 
In  1870  her  non-native  population  were 
from  colder  soils.  New  York  furnished 
133,290;  Ohio  gave  162,G23;  Pennsylvania 
sent  on  98,."«.72;  the  entire  South  gave  us 
only  206,73-t.  In  all  her  cities,  and  in  all 
her  German  and  Scandinavian  and  other 
foreign  colonies,  Illinois  has  only  about 
one-fifth  of  her  people  of  foreign  birth. 

PEOGEESS  OF   DEVEL0PME^fT. 

One  of  the  greatest  elements  in  the 
earlj'  development  of  Illinois  is  the  Illi- 
nois and  Michigan  Canal,  connecting  the 
Illinois  and  Mississippi  Rivers  with  the 
lakes.  It  was  of  the  utmost  importance  to 
the  State.     It  was  rfco  amended  by  Gov. 


Bond,  the  first  governor,  in  his  first  mes- 
sage. In  1821,  the  Legislature  appro])ri- 
ated  $10,000  for  surveying  the  route.  Two 
bright  young  engineers  surveyed  it,  and 
estimated  the  cost  at  $600,000  or  $700,000. 
It  finally  cost  $8,000,000.  In  1825,  a  law 
was  passed  to  incorporate  the  Canal  Com- 
jiany,  but  no  stock  was  sold.  In  1826, 
upon  the  solicitation  of  Cook,  Congress 
gave  800,000  acres  of  land  on  the  line  of 
the  work.  In  1828,  another  law — commis- 
sioners appointed,  and  work  commenced 
with  new  survey  and  new  estimates.  In 
1834-35,  George  Farquhar  made  an  able 
report  on  the  whole  matter.  This  was, 
doubtless,  the  ablest  report  ever  made  to  a 
western  legislature,  and  it  became  the 
model  for  subsequent  reports  and  action. 
From  this,  the  work  went  on  till  it  was 
finished  in  18-1:8.  It  cost  the  State  a  large 
amount  of  money;  but  it  gave  to  the  in- 
dustries of  the  State  an  impetus  tliat 
pushed  it  up  into  the  first  rank  of  great- 
ness. It  was  not  built  as  a  speculation  any 
more  than  a  doctor  is  employed  on  a  specu- 
lation. But  it  has  paid  into  the  treasury 
of  the  State  an  average  annual  net  sum  of 
over  $111,000. 

Pending  the  construction  of  the  canal, 
the  land  and  town-lot  fever  broke  out  in 
the  State,  in  1834-35.  It  took  on  the 
malignant  type  in  Chicago,  lifting  the 
town  up  into  a  cit\^  The  disease  spread 
over  the  entire  State  and  adjoining  States. 
It  was  epidemic.  It  cut  up  men's  farms 
without  regard  to  locality,  and  cut  up  the 
purses  of  the  purchasers  without  regard  to 
consequences.  It  is  estimated  that  build- 
ing lots  enough  were  sold  in  Indiana  alone 
to  accommodate  every  citizen  then  in  the 
TTnited  States. 


62 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Towns  and  cities  were  exported  to  the 
Eastern  market  by  the  ship-load.  There 
was  no  lack  of  buyers.  Every  up-sliip 
came  freighted  with  speculators  and  their 
money. 

This  distempter  seized  upon  the  Legis- 
lature in  1836-37,  and  left  not  one  to  tell 
the  tale.  They  enacted  a  system  of  inter- 
nal improvement  without  a  parallel  in  the 
grandeur  of  its  conception.  They  ordered 
the  construction  of  1,300  miles  of  railroad, 
crossing  the  State  in  all  directions.  This 
was  surpassed  by  the  river  and  canal  im- 
provements. There  were  a  few  counties 
not  touched  by  either  railroad  or  river  or 
canal,  and  those  were  to  be  comforted  and 
compensated  by  the  free  distribution  of 
$200,000  among  them.  To  inflate  this 
balloon  beyond  credence,  it  was  ordered 
that  work  should  be  commenced  on  both 
ends  of  each  of  these  railroads  and  rivers, 
and  at  each  river  crossing,  all  at  the  same 
time.  The  appropriations  for  these  vast 
improvements  were  over  $12,000,000,  and 
commissioners  were  appointed  to  borrow 
the  money  on  the  credit  of  the  State.  Ee- 
member  that  all  this  was  in  the  early  days 
of  railroading,  when  railroads  were  luxu- 
ries; that  the  State  had  whole  counties 
with  scarcely  a  cabin;  and  that  the  popu- 
lation of  the  State  was  less  than  400,000, 
and  you  can  form  some  idea  of  the  vigor 
with  which  these  brave  men  undertook  tho 
work  of  making  a  great  State.  In  the 
light  of  history  I  am  compelled  to  say  that 
this  was  only  a  premature  throb  of  the 
power  that  actually  slumbered  in  the  soil 
of  the  State.  It  was  Hercules  in  the  cra- 
dle. 

At  this  juncture  the  State  Bank  loaned 
its  funds  largely  to  Godfrey  Gilman  &  Co. 


and  to  other  leading  houses,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  di'awing  trade  from  St.  Louis  to 
Alton.  Soon  they  failed  and  took  down 
the  bank  with  them. 

In  1840,  all  hope  seemed  gone.  A  pop- 
ulation of  480,000  were  loaded  with  a  debt 
of  $14,000,000.  It  had  only  six  small 
cities,  really  only  towns,  namely:  Chicago, 
Alton,  Springfield,  Quincy,  Galena,  Nau- 
voo.  This  debt  was  to  be  cared  for  when 
there  was  not  a  dollar  in  the  treasury,  and 
when  the  State  had  borrowed  itself  out  of 
all  credit,  and  when  there  was  not  good 
money  enough  in  the  hands  of  all  the  peo- 
])le  to  pay  the  interest  of  the  debt  for  a 
single  year.  Yet,  in  the  presence  of  all 
these  difliculties,  the  young  State  steadily 
refused  to  repudiate.  Gov.  Ford  took  hold 
of  the  problem  and  solved  it,  bringing  the 
State  through  in  triumph. 

Having  touched  lightly  upon  some  of  the 
more  distinctive  points  in  the  history  of 
the  development  of  Illinois,  let  us  next 
briefly  consider  the 

MATERIAL  EESOTJRCES  OF  THE  STATE. 

It  is  a  garden  four  hundred  miles  long 
and  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  wide.  Its 
soil  is  chiefly  a  black  sandy  loam,  from  six 
inches  to  sixty  feet  thick.  On  the  Ameri- 
can bottoms  it  has  been  cultivated  for  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years  without  renewal. 

About  the  old  French  towns  it  has  yield- 
ed corn  for  a  century  and  a  half  without 
rest  or  help.  It  produces  nearly  every- 
thing green  in  the  temperate  and  tropical 
zones.  Slie  leads  all  other  States  in  the 
number  of  acres  actually  under  plow.  Her 
products  from  25,000,000  of  acres  are  in- 
calculable. Her  mineral  wealth  is  scarce- 
ly second  to  her  agricultural  power.     She 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


C3 


has  coal,  iron,  lead,  copper,  zinc,  many  va- 
rieties of  buildiuor  stone,  fire  clay,  cuma 
clay,  common  brick  clay,  sand  of  all  kinds, 
gravel,  mineral  paint — everything  needed 
for  a  liigli  civilization.  Left  to  herself, 
she  has  the  elements  of  all  greatness.  The 
single  item  of  coal  is  too  vast  for  an  appre- 
ciative handling  in  figures.  We  can  han- 
dle it  in  general  terms  like  algebraical 
signs,  but  long  before  we  get  up  into  the 
millions  and  billions  the  human  mind 
drops  down  from  comi)reliensioa  to  mere 
symbolic  apprehension. 

When  I  tell  you  that  nearly  four-fifths 
of  the  entire  State  is  underlaid  with  a  de- 
posit of  coal  more  than  forty  feet  thick  on 
the  average  (now  estimated  by  recent  sur- 
veys, at  seventy  feet  thick),  you  can  get 
some  idea  of  its  amount,  as  you  do  of  the 
amount  of  the  national  debt.  There  it  is! 
41,000  square  miles — one  vast  mine  into 
which  you  could  put  any  of  the  States;  in 
which  you  could  bury  scores  of  European 
and  ancient  empires,  and  have  room  all 
round  to  work  without  knowing  that  they 
had  been  sepulchered  there. 

Put  this  vast  coal-bed  down  by  the  other 
great  coal  deposits  of  the  world,  and  its 
importance  becomes  manifest.  Great  Brit- 
ain has  12,000  square  miles  of  coal;  Spain, 
3,000;  France,  1719;  Belgium,  578;  Illinois 
about  twice  as  many  square  miles  as  all 
combined.  Virginia  has  20,000  square 
miles;  Pennsylvania,  10,000;  Oliio,  12,000. 
Illinois  has  41,000  square  miles.  One- 
seventh  of  all  the  known  coal  on  this  con- 
tinent is  in  Illinois. 

Could  we  sell  the  coal  in  this  single  State 
for  one-seventh  of  one  cent  a  ton,  it  would 
pay  the  national  debt.  Converted  into 
power,  even  with  the  wastage  in  our  com- 


mon engines,  it  would  do  more  work  than 
could  be  done  by  the  entire  race,  beginning 
at  Adam's  wedding  and  working  ten  hours 
a  day  through  all  the  centuries  till  the  pres- 
ent time,  and  right  on  into  the  future  at 
the  same  rate  for  the  next  600,000  years. 

Great  Britain  uses  enough  mechanical 
power  to-day  to  give  to  each  man,  woman, 
and  child  in  the  kingdom,  the  help  and  ser- 
vice of  nineteen  untiring  servants.  No 
wonder  she  has  leisure  and  luxuries.  No 
wonder  the  home  of  the  common  artisan 
has  in  it  more  luxuries  than  could  be  found 
in  the  palace  of  good  old  King  Arthur. 
Think  if  you  can  conceive  of  it,  of  the  vast 
army  of  servants  that  slumber  in  the  soil  of 
Illinois,  impatient!}'  awaiting  the  call  of 
Genius  to  come  forth  to  minister  to  our 
comfort. 

At  the  present  rate  of  consumption  Eng- 
land's coal  supply  will  be  exhausted  in 
250  years.  When  this  is  gone  she  must 
transfer  her  dominion  either  to  the  Indies, 
or  to  British  America,  which  I  would  not 
resist;  or  to  some  other  people,  which  I 
would  regret  as  a  loss  to  civilization. 

COAL  IS  KING. 

At  the  same  rate  of  consumption  (which 
far  exceeds  our  own),  the  deposit  of  coal  in 
Illinois  will  last  120,000  years.  And  her 
kingdom  shall  be  an  everlasting  kingdom. 

Let  us  turn  now  from  this  reserve  power 
to  the  annual  prodvcts  of  the  State.  AVe 
shall  not  be  humiliated  in  this  field.  Here 
we  strike  the  secret  of  our  national  credit. 
Nature  provides  a  market  in  the  constant 
appetite  of  the  race.  Men  must  eat,  and  if 
we  can  furnish  the  provisions  we  can  com- 
mand the  treasure.  All  tliat  a  man  hath 
will  he  jrive  for  his  life. 


04 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


According  to  tlie  last  census  Illinois  pro- 
duced 3U,000,000  of  bushels  of  wheat.  That 
is  more  wheat  than  was  raised  by  any 
other  State  in  the  union.  She  raised  in 
1875,  130,000,000  of  bushels  of  corn— twice 
as  much  as  any  otlier  State,  and  one-sixth 
of  all  the  corn  raised  in  the  United  States. 
She  harvested  2,7J-7,000  tons  of  hay,  nearly 
one-tenth  of  all  the  hay  in  the  republic. 
It  is  not  generally  appreciated,  but  it  is 
true  that  the  hay  crop  of  the  country  is 
worth  more  than  the  cotton  crop.  The  hay 
of  Illinois  equals  tiie  cotton  of  Louisiana. 
Go  to  Charleston,  S.  C,  and  see  them  ped- 
dling handfuls  of  hay  or  grass,  almost  as  a 
curiosity,  as  we  regard  Chinese  gods  or  the 
cryolite  of  Greenland;  drink  your  coftee  and 
condensed  milk;  and  walk  back  from  the 
coast  for  many  a  league  through  the  sand 
and  burs  till  you  get  up  into  the  better  at- 
mosphere of  the  mountains,  without  seeing 
a  waving  meadow  or  a  grazing  iierd;  then 
you  will  begin  to  appreciate  the  meadows 
of  the  Prairie  State,  where  the  grass  often 
grows  sixteen  feet  high. 

The  value  of  her  farm  implements  is 
$311,000,000,  and  the  value  of  her  live 
stock  is  only  second  to  the  great  State  of 
New  York.  In  1875  she  had  25,000,000 
hogs,  and  packed  2,113,8i5,  about  one-half 
of  all  that  were  packed  in  the  United  States. 
This  is  no  insignificant  item.  Pork  is  a 
growing  demand  of  the  old  world.  .Since 
the  laborers  of  Europe  have  gotten  a  taste 
of  our  bacon,  and  we  have  learned  how  to 
pack  it  drj'  in  boxes,  like  dry  goods,  the 
world  has  become  the  market. 

The  hog  is  on  the  march  into  the  future. 
His  nose  is  ordained  to  uncover  the  secrets 
of  dominion,  and  his  feet  shall  be  guided 
by  the  star  of  empire. 


Illinois  marketed  $57,000,000  worth  of 
slaughtered  animals — more  than  any  otlier 
State,  and  a  seventh  of  all  the  States. 

Be  patient  with  me,  and  pardon  my 
pride,  and  I  will  give  you  a  list  of  some  of 
the  things  in  which  Illinois  excels  all  other 
States. 

Depth  and  richness  of  soil;  per  cent,  of 
good  ground;  acres  of  improved  land;  large 
farms — some  farms  contain  from  40,000  to 
60,000  acres  of  cultivated  land,  40,000  acres 
of  corn  on  a  single  farm;  number  of  farm- 
ers; amount  of  wheat,  corn,  oats  and  honey 
produced;  value  of  animals  for  slaughter; 
number  of  hogs;  amount  of  pork;  number 
of  horses — three  times  as  many  as  Ken- 
tucky, the  horse  State. 

Illinois  excels  all  other  States  in  miles 
of  railroads  and  in  miles  of  postal  service, 
and  in  money  orders  sold  per  annum,  and 
in  tlie  amount  of  lumber  sold  in  her  mar- 
kets. 

Illinois  is  only  second  in  many  important 
matters.  This  sample  list  comprises  a  few 
of  the  more  important:  Permanent  school 
fund  (good  for  a  young  State);  total  in- 
come for  educational  purposes;  number  of 
publishers  of  books,  maps,  papers,  etc.; 
value  of  farm  products  and  implements, 
and  of  live  stock;  in  tons  of  coal  mined. 

Tiie  shipping  of  Illinois  is  only  second 
to  New  York.  Out  of  one  port  during  the 
business  hours  of  the  season  of  navigation 
she  sends  forth  a  vessel  every  ten  minutes. 
This  does  not  include  canal  boats,  which 
go  one  ewery  five  minutes.  No  wonder  she 
is  only  second  in  number  of  bankers  and 
brokers  or  in  physicians  and  surgeons. 

She  is  third  in  colleges,  teachers  and 
schools;  cattle,  lead,  hay,  flax,  sorghum  and 
beeswax. 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


C5 


She  is  fourth  iu  population,  in  children 
enrolled  in  public  schools,  in  law  schools, 
in  butter,  potatoes  and  carriages. 

She  is  fifth  in  value  of  real  and  personal 
property,  in  theological  seminaries  and 
colleges  exclusively  for  women,  in  milk 
sold,  and  in  boots  and  shoes  manufactured, 
and  in  book-binding. 

She  is  only  seventh  in  the  production 
of  wood,  while  she  is  the  twelfth  in  area. 
Surely  that  is  well  done  for  the  Prairie 
State.  She  now  has  much  more  wood  and 
o-rowinff  timber  than  she  had  tliirtv  years 
ago. 

A  few  leading  industries  will  justify 
emphasis.  Slie  manufactures  $205,000,000 
worth  of  goods,  which  places  her  well  np 
toward  New  York  and  Pennsylvania.  The 
number  of  her  manufacturing  establish- 
ments increased  from  1860  to  1870,  300 
percent.;  capital  employed  increased  350 
per  cent.,  and  tlie  amount  of  product  in- 
creased 400  per  cent.  She  issued  5,500,000 
copies  of  commercial  and  financial  news- 
papers— only  second  to  New  York.  She 
has  6,759  miles  of  railroad,  thus  leading  all 
other  States,  worth  $636,458,000,  using 
3.245  engines,  and  67,712  cars,  making  a 
train  long  enough  to  cover  one- tenth  of  the 
entire  roads  of  the  State.  Her  stations  are 
only  five  miles  apart.  More  than  two- 
tliirds  of  lier  land  is  within  five  miles  of  a 
I'ailroad,  and  less  than  two  per  cent  is 
more  than  fifteen  miles  away. 

The  State  lias  a  large  financial  interest 
in  the  Illinois  Central  railroad.  The  road 
was  incorporated  in  1850,  and  the  State 
gave  each  alternate  section  for  six  miles  on 
each  side,  and  doubled  the  price  of  tlie  re- 
maining land,  so  keeping  herself  good. 
The  road  received  2,595,000  acres  of  land, 


and  pays  to  the  State  one-seventh  of  the 
gross  receipts.  Add  to  this  the  annual 
receipts  from  the  canal,  $111,000,  and  a 
large  per  cent,  of  the  State  tax  is  provided 
for. 

THE    RELIGION   AND    MORALS 

of  the  State  keep  step  with  her  productions 
and  growth.  She  was  born  of  the  mission- 
ary spirit.  It  was  a  minister  who  secured 
for  her  the  ordinance  of  1787,  by  whicii  she 
has  been  saved  from  slavery,  ignorance, 
and  dishonesty.  liev.  Mr.  AViley,  pastor 
of  a  Scotcli  congregation  in  Randolph 
County,  petitioned  tlio  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1818  to  recognize  Jesus 
Christ  as  king,  and  tlie  scriptures  as  the 
only  necessary  guide  and  book  of  law.  The 
convention  did  not  act  in  the  case,  and  the 
old  covenanters  refused  to  accept  citizen- 
ship. They  never  voted  until  1824,  when 
the  slavery  question  was  submitted  to  the 
people;  then  they  all  voted  against  it  and 
cast  the  determining  votes.  Conscience 
has  predominated  whenever  a  great  moral 
question  has  been  ^submitted  to  the  people. 

But  little  mob  violence  has  ever  been  felt 
in  the  State.  In  1817  regulators  disposed 
of  a  band  of  horse-thieves  that  infested  the 
Territory.  The  Mormon  indignities  finally 
awoke  the  same  spirit.  Alton  was  also  the 
scene  of  a  pro-slavery  mob,  in  wliich  Love- 
joy  was  added  to  the  list  of  martyrs.  The 
moral  sense  of  the  people  makes  the  law 
supreme,  and  gives  to  the  State  unruffled 
peace. 

With  $22,300,000  in  church  property, 
and  4,298  church  organizations,  the  State 
has  that  divine  police,  the  sleepless  patrol 
of  moral  ideas,  that  alone  is  able  to  secui-e 
perfect  safety.     Conscience  takes  the  knife 


66 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


from  tlie  assassin's  hand  and  tlie  bludgeon 
from  the  grasp  of  the  highwayman.  We 
sleep  in  safety,  not  because  we  are  behind 
bolts  and  bars — these  only  fence  against 
the  innocent;  not  because  a  lone  officer 
drowses  on  a  distant  corner  of  a  street; 
not  because  a  sheriff  may  call  his  posse 
from  a  remote  part  of  the  county;  but 
because  conscience  guards  the  very  portals 
of  the  air  and  stirs  in  tlie  deepest  re- 
cesses of  the  public  mind.  This  spirit 
issues  within  tlie  State  9,500,000  copies 
of  religious  papers  annually,  and  receives 
still  more  from  without.  Thus  the  crime 
of  the  State  is  only  one  fourth  that  of  New 
York  and    one  half  that  of  Pennsylvania. 

Illinois  never  had  but  one  duel  between 
lier  own  citizens.  In  Belleville,  in  1820, 
Alphonso  Stewart  and  AVilliam  Bennett 
arranged  to  vindicate  injured  honor.  The 
seconds  agreed  to  make  it  a  sham,  and 
make  them  shoot  blanks.  Stewart  was  in 
the  secret.  Bennett  mistrusted  something, 
and  nnobserved,  slipped  a  bullet  into  liis 
gun  and  killed  Stewart.  He  then  fled  the 
State.  After  two  years  he  was  caught, 
tried,  convicted,  and,  in  spite  of  friends 
and  political  aid,  was  hung.  This  fixed 
the  code  of  honor  on  a  Christian  basis,  and 
terminated  its  use  in  Illinois. 

The  early  preachers  were  ignorant  men, 
who  were  accounted  eloquent  according  to 
the  strength  of  their  voices.  But  they  set 
the  style  for  all  public  speakers.  Lawyers 
and  political  speakers  followed  this  rule. 
Gov.  Ford  says:  "Nevertheless,  these  first 
preachers  were  of  incalculable  benefit  to 
the  country.  They  inculcated  justice  and 
morality.  To  them  are  we  indebted  for 
the  first  Christian  character  of  the  Protest- 
ant portion  of  the  people." 


In  education  Illinois  surpasses  her  ma- 
terial resources.  The  oi'dinance  of  1787 
consecrated  one  thirtj'-sixth  of  her  soil  to 
common  schools,  and  the  law  of  1818,  the 
first  law  that  went  upon  her  statutes,  gave 
three  per  cent   of  all  the  rest  to 

EDUCATION. 

The  old  compact  secures  this  interest 
forever,  and  by  its  yoking  morality  and 
intelligence  it  precludes  the  legal  interfer- 
ence with  the  Bible  in  the  pultlic  schools. 
With  such  a  start  it  is  natural  that  we 
should  have  11,050  schools,  and  that  our 
illiteracy  should  be  less  than  New  York  or 
Pennsylvania,  and  only  about  one  half  of 
Massachusetts.  We  are  not  to  blame  for 
not  having  more  than  one  half  as  many 
idiots  as  the  great  States.  These  public 
schools  soon  made  colleges  inevitable. 
The  first  college,  still  flourishing,  was 
started  in  Lebanon  in  1828,  by  the  M.  E. 
church,  and  named  after  Bishop  McKen- 
dree.  Illinois  College,  at  Jacksonville, 
supported  by  the  Presbyterians,  followed 
in  1830.  In  1832  the  Baptists  built  Shurt- 
leff  College,  at  Alton.  Then  the  Presby- 
terians built  Knox  College,  at  Galesburg, 
in  1838,  and  the  Episcopalians  built  Jubilee 
College,  at  Peoria,  in  1847.  After  these 
early  years,  colleges  have  rained  down.  A 
settler  could  hardly  encamp  on  the  prairie 
but  a  college  would  spring  up  by  his  wagon. 
The  State  now  has  one  very  well  endowed 
and  equipped  university,  namely,  the 
Northwestern  University,  at  Evanston, 
with  six  colleges,  ninety  instructors,  over 
1,000  students, and  §1,500,000  endowment. 

Kev.  J.  M.  Peck  was  the  first  educated 
Protestant  minister  in  the  State.  He 
settled  at  Kock  Spring,  in  St.  Clair  County, 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


(j7 


1820.  and  left  his  impress  on  the  State. 
Before  18)3"  only  part3-  papers  were  pub- 
lished, but  Mr.  Peck  published  a  Gazetteer 
of  Illinois.  Soon  after  John  Russell,  of 
Bluft'dal?,  published  essays  and  tales  show- 
inw  genius.  Judge  James  Hall  published 
The  Illinois  Monthly  Magazin&  with  great 
ability,  a^id  an  annual  called  The  Western 
8onvenh\  which  gave  him  an  enviable 
fame  all  over  the  United  States.  From 
these  beginnings,  Illinois  has  gone  on  till 
she  has  more  volumes  in  pulil'c  libraries 
even  than  Massachusetts,  and  of  the  44-,- 
500,000  volumes  in  all  the  public  libraries 
of  the  United  States,  she  has  one  thirteenth. 
In  newspapers  she  stands  fourth.  Iler 
increase  is  marvelous. 

This  brings  us  to  a  record  unsurpassed 
in  the  history  of  any  age. 

THE    WAR    KECORD    OF    ILLINOIS. 

I  hardly  know  where  to  begin,  or  how  to 
advance,  or  what  to  say.  I  can  at  best  give 
you  only  a  broken  synojisis  of  her  deeds, 
and  you  must  put  them  in  the  order  ot 
glory  for  yourself.  Her  sons  have  always 
been  foremost  on  fields  of  danger.  In 
1832-33,  at  the  call  of  Gov.  Reynolds,  her 
sons  drove  Blackhawk  over  tlic  Mississipjii. 

When  the  Mexican  war  came,  in  May, 
184G,  8,370  men  offered  themselves  when 
only  3,720  could  be  accepted.  The  fields 
of  Buena  Vista  and  Vera  Cruz,  and  the 
storming  of  Cerro  Gordo,  will  carry  the 
glory  of  Illinois  soldiers  long  after  the 
causes  that  led  to  that  war  have  been 
forgotten.  But  it  was  reserved  till  our  day 
for  iier  sons  to  find  a  field  and  cause  and 
foemen  that  could  fitly  illustrate  their  spirit 
and  lieroism.  Illinois  put  into  her  own 
regiments  for  the  United  States  government 


256,000  men,  and  into  the  army  tlimugh 
other  States  enough  to  swell  the  nuuiber  to 
290,000.  This  far  exceeds  all  the  soldiers 
of  the  Federal  government  in  all  the  war 
of  the  Revolution.  Her  total  years  of 
service  were  over  600,000.  She  enrolled 
men  from  eigliteen  to  forty-five  years  of 
age  when  the  law  of  Congress  in  18(11 — 
the  test  time — only  asked  for  those  from 
twenty  to  forty-five.  Her  enrollment  was 
otherwise  excessive.  Her  people  wanted  to 
go,  and  did  not  take  the  pains  to  correct 
the  enrollment.  Thus  the  basis  of  fixing 
the  quota  was  too  great,  and  tlien  the  quota 
itself,  at  least  in  the  trying  time,  was  tar 
above  an}'  other  State. 

Thus  the  demand  on  some  counties,  as 
Monroe,  for  example,  took  every  able-bod- 
ied man  in  the  county,  and  then  did  not 
have  enough  to  fill  the  quota.  Moreover, 
Illinois  sent  20,811  men  for  ninety  or  one 
hundred  days,  for  whom  no  credit  was 
asked.  When  Mr.  Lincoln's  attention  was 
called  to  the  inequality  of  the  cpiota  com- 
pared with  other  States,  he  re]ilied  :  "The 
country  needs  the  sacrifice.  We  must  put 
the  whip  on  the  free  horse."  In  spite  of 
all  these  disadvantages  Illinois  gave  to  the 
country  73,000  years  of  service  above  all 
calls.  With  one  thirteenth  of  the  popula- 
tion of  the  loyal  States,  she  sent  regularly 
one  tenth  of  all  the  soldiers,  and  in  the 
peril  of  the  closing  calls,  when  patriots 
were  few  and  weary,  she  then  sent  one 
eighth  of  all  that  were  called  for  by  her 
loved  and  honored  son  in  the  White  House. 
Her  mothers  and  daughters  went  into  the 
fields  to  raise  the  grain  and  kecq)  the 
children  together,  while  the  fathers  and 
older  sons  went  to  the  harvest  fields  of  the 
world.     I  knew  a  father  and  four  S(>ns  who 


cs 


EARLY  IIISTOUY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


agreed  that  one  of  them  must  stay  at  home  ; 
and  they  pnlled  straws  from  a  stack  to  see 
wlio  miffht  so.  The  father  was  left.  The 
next  day  he  came  into  the  cainp,  saying : 
"  Mother  says  she  can  get  tlie  crops  iu,  and 
I  am  going,  too."  1  know  large  Methodist 
churches  from  which  every  male  member 
went  to  the  army.  Do  you  want  to  know 
what  these  heroes  from  Illinois  did  in  the 
field  ?  Ask  any  soldier  with  a  good  record 
of  his  own,  who  is  able  to  judge,  and 
he  will  tell  you  that  the  Illinois  men  went 
in  to  win.  It  is  common  history  that  the 
greater  victories  were  won  in  the  AVest. 
"When  everything  else  looked  dark  Illinois 
was  gaining  victories  all  down  the  river, 
and  dividing  the  Confederacy.  Sherman 
took  with  him  on  his  great  march  forty- 
five  regiments  of  Illinois  infantry,  three 
companies  of  artillery,  and  one  company  of 
cavalry.     He  could  not  avoid 

GOING   TO    THE    SEA. 

If  he  had  been  killed,  I  doubt  not  the 
men  would  have  gone  right  on.  Lincoln 
answered  all  rumors  of  Sherman's  defeat 
with,  "It  is  impossible;  there  is  a  mighty 
sight  of  fight  in  100,000  Western  men." 
Illinois  soldiers  brought  home  300  battle- 
flags.  The  first  United  States  flag  that 
floated  over  Richmond,  was  an  Illinois  flag. 
She  sent  messengers  and  nurses  to  every 
field  and  hospital,  to  care  for  her  sick  and 
wounded  sons.  She  said,  "  these  suffering 
ones  are  my  sons,  and  I  will  care  for  them." 

AVhen  individuals  had  given  all,  then 
cities  and  towns  came  forward  with  their 
credit  to  the  extent  of  many  millions,  to 
aid  these  men  and  their  families. 

Illinois  gave  tlie  country  the  great 
general  of  the  war — Ulysses   S.    Grant — 


since  honored  with  two  terms  of  the  Presi- 
dency of  the  United  States.   ■ 

One  other  name  from  Illinois  comes  up 
in  all  minds,  embalmed  in  all  hearts,  that 
must  have  the  supreme  place  in  this  story 
of  our  glory  and  of  our  nation's  honor; 
that  name  is  Abraham  Lincoln,  of  Illinois. 

The  analysis  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  character 
is  diflicult  on  account  of  its  symmetry. 

In  this  age  we  look  with  admiration  at 
his  uncompromising  honesty.  And  well 
we  may,  for  this  saved  us.  Thousands 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  our 
country,  who  knew  him  only  as  "Honest 
Old  Abe,"  voted  for  him  on  that  account; 
and  wisely  did  they  choose,  for  no  other 
man  could  have  carried  us  through  the 
fearful  night  of  the  war.  When  his  plans 
were  too  vast  for  our  comprehension,  and 
his  faith  in  the  cause  too  sublime  for  our 
participation;  when  it  was  all  night  about 
us,  and  all  dread  before  us,  and  all  sad  and 
desolate  behind  us;  when  not  one  ray 
shone  upon  our  cause;  when  traitors  wei-e 
haughty  and  e.xultant  at  the  South,  and 
tierce  and  blasphemous  at  the  JS'orth;  when 
the  loyal  men  here  seemed  almost  in  the 
minority';  when  the  stoutest  heart  quailed, 
the  bravest  cheek  paled,  when  generals 
were  defeating  each  other  for  place,  and 
contractors  were  leeching  out  the  very 
heart's  blood  of  the  prostrate  republic; 
when  every  thing  else  had  failed  us,  we 
looked  at  this  calm,  patient  man,  standing 
like  a  rock  in  the  storm,  and  said:  "Mr. 
Lincoln  is  honest,  and  we  can  trust  him 
still."  Holding  to  this  single  point  with 
the  energy  of  faith  and  despair  we  held 
together,  and,  under  God,  he  brought  us 
through  to  victory. 

His   practical    wisdom    made   him    the 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


69 


wonder  of  all  lands.  ^Yitll  such  certainty 
did  M\:  Lincoln  follow  causes  to  their 
ultimate  eflects,  that  his  foresight  of  con- 
tingencies seemed  almost  prophetic. 

He  is  radiant  with  all  the  great  virtues, 
and  his  memory  shall  shed  a  glory  upon 
this  age,  that  shall  till  the  eyes  of  men  as 
tiiey  look  into  history.  Other  men  have 
excelled  him  in  some  point,  but,  taken  at 
all  points,  all  in  all,  he  stands  head  and 
shoulders  above  every  other  man  of  6,000 
years.  An  administrator,  lie  saved  the  na- 
tion in  the  perils  of  unparalleled  civil  war. 
A  statesman,  lie  justified  his  measures  by 
their  success.  A  philanthropist,  he  gave 
liberty  to  one  race  and  salvation  toanotiier. 
A  moralist,  he  bowed  from  the  summit  of 
liuman  power  to  the  foot  of  the  Cross,  and 
became  a  Christian.  A  mediator,  he  exer- 
cised mercy  under  the  most  absolute  abey- 
ance to  law.  A  leader,  he  was  no  partisan. 
A  commander,  he  was  untainted  with 
blood.  A  ruler  in  desperate  times,  he  M-as 
unsullied  with  crime.  A  man,  he  has  left 
no  word  of  passion,  no  tiiought  of  malice, 
no  trick  of  craft,  no  act  of  jealousy,  no  pui"- 
pose  of  selfish  ambition.  Thus  perfected, 
without  a  model  and  without  a  peer,  he 
was  dropped  into  these  troubled  years  to 
adorn  and  embellish  all  that  is  good  and 
all  that  is  great  in  our  humanity,  and  to 
present  to  all  coming  time  the  representa- 
tive of  the  divine  idea  of  free  government. 

It  is  iwt  too  much  to  say  that  away 
down  in  the  future,  when  the  republic  has 
fallen  from  its  niche  in  the  wall  of  time; 
when  the  great  war  itself  shall  have  faded 
out  in  the  distance  like  a  mist  on  the  hori- 
zon; when  the  Anglo  Saxon  language  shall 
be  spoken  only  by  the  tongue  of  the  stran- 
ger; then  the  generations  looking  this  way 


shall  see  the  great  president  as  the  supreme 
figure  in  this  vortex  of  history. 

CHICAGO. 

It  is  impossible  in  our  brief  space  to  give 
more  than  a  meager  sketch  of  such  a  city 
as  Chicago,  which  is  in  itself  the  greatest 
marvel  of  the  Prairie  State.  This  mj'steri- 
ous,  majestic,  migiity  city,  born  first  of 
water,  and  next  of  fire;  sown  in  weakness, 
and  raised  in  power;  planted  among  the 
willows  of  the  marsh,  and  crowned  with' 
the  glory  of  the  mountains,  sleeping  on  the 
bosom  of  the  prairie,  and  rocked  on  the 
bosom  of  the  sea;  the  youngest  city  of  the 
world,  and  still  the  eye  of  the  prairie,  as 
Damascus,  the  oldest  city  of  the  world,  is 
the  eye  of  the  de'sert.  With  a  commerce 
far  exceeding  that  of  Corinth  on  her 
isthmus,  in  the  highway  to  the  East;  with 
the  defenses  of  a  continent  piled  around  her 
by  the  thousand  miles,  making  her  far  safer 
than  Home  on  the  banks  of  the  Tiber;  with 
schools  eclipsing  Alexandria  and  Athens; 
with  liberties  more  conspicuous  than  those 
of  the  old  republics;  with  a  heroism  equal 
to  the  first  Carthage,  and  with  a  sanctity 
scarcely  second  to  that  of  Jerusalem — set 
your  thoughts  on  all  this,  lifted  into  the 
eyes  of  all  men  by  the  miracle  of  its  gi-owth, 
illuminated  by  the  flame  of  its  fall,  and 
transfii'ured  by  tiie  divinity  of  its  resurrec- 
tion, and  you  will  feel,  as  I  do,  the  utter 
impossibility  of  compassing  this  subject  as 
it  deserves.  Some  impression  of  her  im- 
portance is  received  from  the  shock  her 
burning  gave  to  the  civilized  world. 

"When  the  doubt  of  her  calamity  was 
removed,  and  the  horrid  fact  was  accepted, 
there  went  a  shudder  over  all  cities,  and  a 
quiver  over  all  lands.     There  was  scarcely 


70 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


a  town  in  the  civilized  world  that  did  not 
shake  on  the  brink  of  this  opening  chasm. 
The  flames  of  onr  homes  reddened  all  skies. 
The  city  was  set  upon  a  hill,  and  coiiid  not 
be  hid.  All  eyes  were  turned  upon  it.  To 
have  strugorled  and  suffered  amid  the  scenes 
of  its  fall  is  as  distinguishing  as  to  have 
fought  at  Thermopylae,  or  Salamis,  or 
Hastings,  or  Waterloo,  or  Bunker  Hill. 

Its  calamit}'  amazed  the  world,  because 
it  was  felt  to  be  the  common  property  of 
mankind. 

The  early  history  of  the  city  is  full  of 
interest,  just  as  the  early  history  of  such  a 
man  as  Washington  or  Lincoln  becomes 
public  property,  and  is  cherished  by  every 
patriot. 

Starting  with  560  acres  in  1S33,  it  em- 
braced and  occupied  23,000  acres  in  1869, 
and  having  now  a  population  of  more  than 
600,000,  it  commands  general  attention. 

The  first  settler — Jean  Baptiste  Pointe 
au  Sable,  a  mulatto  from  the  AVest  Indies 
• — came  and  began  trade  with  the  Indians 
in  1796.  John  Kinzie  became  his  success- 
or in  1804,  m  which  year  Fort  Dearborn 
was  erected. 

A  mere  trading-post  was  kept  here  from 
that  time  till  about  the  time  of  the  Black- 
hawk  war,  in  1832.  It  was  not  the  city. 
It  was  merely  a  cock  crowing  at  midnight. 
The  morning  was  not  yet.  In  1833  the 
settlement  about  the  fort  was  incorporated 
as  a  town.  The  voters  were  divided  on  the 
propriety  of  such  corporation,  twelve  voting 
for  it  and  one  against  it.  Four  years  later 
it  was  incorporated  as  a  city,  and  embraced 
560  acres. 

The  produce  handled  in  this  city  is  an 
indication  of  its  power.  Grain  and  flour 
were  imported  from  the  East  till  as  late  as 


1837.  The  first  exportation  by  way  of 
experiment  was  in  1839.  Exports  exceeded 
imports  first  in  1842.  The  Board  of  Trade 
was  organized  in  18-18,  but  it  was  so  weak 
that  it  needed  nursing  till  1855.  Grain 
was  purchased  l>y  the  wagon-load  in  the 
street. 

I  remember  sitting  with  my  father  on  a 
load  of  wheat,  in  the  long  line  of  wagons 
along  Lake  street,  while  the  buyers  came 
and  untied  the  bags,  and  exaniinnd  the 
grain,  and  made  their  bids.  That  manner 
of  business  had  to  cease  with  the  day  of 
small  things.  One  tenth  of  all  the  wheat 
ill  the  United  States  is  handled  in  Chicago. 
Even  as  long  ago  as  1853  the  receipts  of 
grain  in  Chicago  exceeded  those  of  the 
goodly  city  of  St.  Louis,  and  in  1851  the 
exports  of  grain  from  Chicago  exceeded 
those  of  New  York  and  doubled  those  of 
St.  Petersburg,  Archangel,  or  Odessa,  the 
largest  grain  markets  in  Euroj^e. 

The  manufacturing  interests  of  the  city 
are  not  contemptible.  In  1873  manufac- 
tories employed  45,000  operatives;  in  1876, 
60,000.  The  manufactured  product  in 
1875  was  worth  §177,000,000. 

No  estimate  of  the  size  and  power  of 
Chicago  would  be  adequate  that  did  not 
put  large  emphasis  on  the  railroads.  Be- 
fore they  came  thundering  along  our 
streets,  canals  were  the  hope  of  our  coun- 
try. But  who  ever  thinks  now  of  traveling 
by  canal  packets?  In  June,  1852,  there 
were  only  forty  miles  of  railroad  connected 
with  the  city.  The  old  Galena  division  of 
the  Northwestern  ran  out  to  Elgin.  But 
now,  who  can  count  the  trains  and  measure 
the  roads  that  seek  a  terminus  or  connection 
in  this  city?  The  lake  stretches  away  to 
the   north,  gathering   into    this  center  all 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


71 


the  harvests  that  might  otherwise  pass  to 
the  north  of  us.  If  you  will  take  a  map 
and  look  at  the  adjustment  of  railroads, 
yon  will  see,  first,  that  Chicago  is  the  great 
railroad  center  of  the  world,  as  New  York 
is  the  commercial  city  of  this  continent; 
and,  second,  that  the  railroad  lines  form 
the  iron  spokes  of  a  great  wheel  whose  hub 
is  this  city.  The  lake  furnishes  the  only 
break  in  the  spokes,  and  this  seems  simply 
to  have  pushed  a  few  spokes  together  on 
each  shore.  See  the  eighteen  trunk  lines, 
exclusive  of  eastern  connections. 

Pass  round  the  circle,  and  view  their 
numbers  and  extent.  There  is  tlie  g-reat 
Nortliwestern,  with  all  its  branches,  one 
branch  creeping  along  the  lake  shore,  and 
so  reaching  to  the  north,  into  the  Lake 
Superior  regions,  away  to  the  right,  and  on 
to  the  Northern  Pacific  on  the  left,  swing- 
ing around  Green  Bay  for  iron  and  copper 
and  silver,  twelve  months  in  the  year,  and 
reaching  out  for  the  wealth  of  the  great 
agricultural  belt  and  isothermal  line  trav- 
ersed by  the  Northern  Pacific.  Another 
branch,  not  so  far  north,  feeling  for  the 
lieart  of  the  Badger  State.  Another  push- 
ing lower  down  the  Mississippi — all  these 
make  many  connections,  and  tapping  all 
the  vast  wheat  regions  of  Minnesota,  Wis- 
consin, Iowa,  and  all  the  regions  this  side 
of  sunset.  There  is  that  elegant  road,  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy,  running 
out  a  goodly  number  of  branches,  and 
reaping  the  great  fields  this  side  of  the 
Missouri  River.  I  can  only  mention  the 
Chicngo,  Alton  &  St.  Louis,  our  Illinois 
Central,  described  elsewhere,  and  the  Chi- 
cago &  Pock  Island.  Further  around  we 
come  to  the  lines  connecting  us  with  all 
the  Eastern  cities.     The  Chicago,  Indian- 


apolis &  St.  Louis,  the  Pittsburg,  Fort 
"Wayne  &  Chicago,  the  Lake  Shore  & 
Michigan  Southern,  and  the  Michigan 
Central  and  Great  Western,  give  us  many 
liiirhwavs  to  the  seaboard.  Thus  we  reach 
the  Mississippi  at  five  points,  from  St.  Paul 
to  Cairo  and  the  Gulf  itself  by  two  routes. 
AVe  also  reach  Cincinnati  and  Baltimore, 
and  Pittsburg  and  Philadelphia,  and  New 
York.  North  and  south  run  the  water 
courses  of  the  lakes  and  the  rivers,  broken 
just  enough  at  this  point  to  make  a  pass. 
Through  this,  from  east  to  west,  run  the 
long  lines  that  stretch  from  ocean  to  ocean. 

This  is  the  neck  of  the  glass,  and  the 
golden  sands  of  commerce  must  pass  into 
our  hands.  Altogether  we  have  more  than 
10,000  miles  of  railroad,  directly  tributary 
to  this  city,  seeking  to  unload  their  wealth 
in  our  coffers.  All  these  roads  have  come 
themselves  by  the  infallible  instinct  of 
capital.  Not  a  dollar  was  ever  given  by 
the  city  to  secui'e  one  of  them,  and  only  a 
small  per  cent,  of  stock  taken  originally  by 
her  citizens,  and  that  taken  simply  as  an 
investment.  Coming  in  the  natural  order 
of  e%'ents,  they  will  not  be  easily  diverted. 

There  is  still  another  showing  to  all  this. 
The  connection  between  New  York  and 
San  Francisco  is  by  the  middle  route.  This 
passes  inevitably  through  Chicago.  St. 
Louis  wants  the  Southern  Pacific  or  Kansas 
Pacific,  and  pushes  it  out  through  Denver, 
and  so  on  up  to  Cheyenne.  But  before  the 
road  is  fairly  under  way,  the  Chicago  roads 
shove  out  to  Kansas  City,  making  even  the 
Kansas  Pacific  a  feeder,  and  actually  leav- 
ing St.  Louis  out  in  the  cold.  It  is  not  too 
mucli  to  expect  that  Dakota,  Montana,  and 
Washington  Territorv  will  find  their  irronf-. 
market  in  Chicago. 


72 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


But  these  are  not  all.  Perhaps  I  had 
better  notice  here  the  ten  or  filteen  new 
roads  tliat  have  just  entered,  or  are  just 
entering,  our  city.  Their  names  are  all 
that  is  necessary  to  give.  Chicago  &  St. 
Paul,  looking  up  the  Red  Eiver  country  to 
the  British  possessions  ;  the  Chicago,  At- 
lantic &  Pacific  ;  the  Chicago,  Decatur  & 
State  line  ;  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  ;  the 
Chicago,  Danville  &  Yincennes  ;  the  Chi- 
cago &  La  Salle  Railroad  ;  the  Chicago, 
Pittsburgh  &  Cincinnati  ;  the  Chicago  and 
Canada  Southern  ;  the  Chicago  and  Illi- 
nois River  Railroad.  These,  with  their  con- 
nections, and  with  the  new  connections  of 
the  old  roads,  already  in  process  of  erection, 
give  to  Chicago  not  less  than  10,000  miles 
of  new  tributaries  from  the  richest  land  on 
tlie  continent.  Thus  there  will  be  added 
to  the  reserve  power,  to  the  capital  within 
reach  of  this  city,  not  less  than  $1,000,000,- 
000. 

Add  to  all  this  transporting  power  the 
ships  that  sail  one  every  nine  minutes  of 
the  business  hours  of  the  season  of  naviga- 
tion; add,  also,  the  canal  boats  that  leave 
one  every  five  minutes  during  the  same 
time — and  you  will  see  something  of  the 
business  of  the  city. 

THE  COMMERCE  OF  THIS  CITT 

has  been  leaping  along  to  keep  pace  with 
the  growth  of  the  country  around  us.  In 
1852,  our  commerce  readied  the  hopeful 
sum  of  $20,000,000.  In  1S70  it  reached 
$•100,000,000.  In  1871  it  was  pushed  up 
above  $150,000,000,  and  in  1875  it  touched 
nearly  double  that. 

One  half  of  our  imported  goods  come  di- 
rectly to  Chicago.  Grain  enough  is  export- 
ed direct!  V  from  our  docks  to  the  old  world 


to  employ  a  semi-weekly  line  of  steamers  of 
3,000  tons  capacity.  This  branch  is  not 
likely  to  be  greatly'  developed.  Even  after 
the  great  Welland  Canal  is  completed  we 
shall  have  only  fourteen  feet  of  water.  The 
great  ocean  vessels  will  continue  to  control 
the  trade. 

The  schools  of  Chicago  are  unsurpassed 
in  America.  Out  of  a  population  of  300,- 
000,  there  were  only  186  persons  between 
the  ages  of  six  and  twenty-one  unable  to 
read.     This  is  the  best  known  record. 

In  1831  tlie  mail  system  was  condensed 
into  a  half-breed,  who  went  on  foot  to 
Niles,  Mich.,  once  in  two  weeks,  and 
brought  back  what  papers  and  news  he 
could  find.  As  late  as  1816  there  was 
often  only  one  mail  a  week.  A  post-ofiice 
was  established  in  Cliicago  in  1833,  and 
the  post-master  nailed  up  old  boot-legs  on 
one  side  of  his  shop  to  serve  as  boxes  for 
the  nabobs  and  literary  men. 

The  improvements  that  have  character- 
ized the  city  are  as  startling  as  the  city 
itself.  In  1831,  Mark  Beanbien  established 
a  ferry  over  the  river,  and  jiut  himself  un- 
der bonds  to  carry  all  tlie  citizens  free  for 
the  privilege  of  charging  strangers.  ]Xow 
there  are  twenty-four  large  bridges  and  two 
tunnels. 

In  1833  the  government  expended  $30,. 
000  on  the  harboi*.  Tlien  commenced  that 
series  of  maneuvers  with  the  river  that  has 
made  it  one  of  the  world's  curiosities.  It 
used  to  wind  around  in  the  lower  end  of 
the  town,  and  make  its  wa}'  rippling  over 
the  sand  into  the  lake  at  the  foot  of  Madi- 
son street.  They  took  it  up  and  put  it 
down  where  it  now  is.  It  was  a  narrow 
stream,  so  narrow  that  even  moderately 
small  crafts  had  to  go  up  through  the   wil- 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


73 


lows  and  cat's  tails  to  the  point  near  Lake 
street  bridge,  and  back  up  one  of  the 
branches  to  get  room  enough  in  which  to 
turn  around. 

In  lS4i  the  quagmires  in  the  streets 
were  first  pontooned  b}*  plank  roads,  which 
acted  in  wet  weather  as  public  squirt-guns. 
Keeping  you  out  of  the  mud,  they  com- 
])romised  by  squirting  the  mad  over  you. 
The  wooden-block  pavements  came  to  Chi- 
ca<ro  in  1857.  In  18-10  water  was  delivered 
by  peddlers  in  carts  or  by  hand.  Then  a 
twentj-'five  horse-power  enijine  pushed  it 
through  hollow  or  bored  logs  along  the 
streets  till  1854,  when  it  was  introduced 
into  the  houses  by  new  works.  The  first 
fire-engine  was  used  in  1835,  and  the  first 
steam  tire-engine  in  1859.  Gas  was  util- 
ized for  lighting  the  city  in  1850.  The 
■  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  was 
organized  in  1858,  and  horse  railroads 
carried  them  to  their  work  in  1859.  The 
alarm  telegraph  adopted  in  ISGi.  The 
opera-house  built  in  18G5.  The  city  grew 
from  560  acres  in  1833  to  23,000  in  1869. 
In  1834.  the  taxes  amounted  to  $48.90,  and 
the  trustees  of  the  town  borrowed  $60  more 
for  o]iening  and  improving  streets.  In 
1835,  the  Legislature  authorized  a  loan  of 
$2,000,  and  the  treasurer  and  street  com- 
missioners resigned  rather  than  jilnnge  the 
town  into  such  a  gulf. 

One  third  of  the  city  has  been  raised  up 
an  average  of  eight  feet,  giving  good  pitch 
to  the  263  miles  of  sewerage.  The  water 
of  the  city  is  above  all  competition.  It  is 
received  through  two  tunnels  extending  to 
a  crib  in  the  lake  two  miles  from  shore. 
The  first  tunnel  is  five  feet  two  inches  in 
diameter  and  two  miles  long,  and  can 
deliver  50,000,000  of  n^alluiis  iicr  dav.    The 


second  tunnel  is  seven  feet  in  diameter  and 
six  miles  long,  running  four  miles  under 
the  city,  and  can  deliver  100,000,000  of 
gallons  per  da}'.  This  water  is  distributed 
through  410  miles  of  watermains. 

The  three  grand  engineering  exploits  of 
the  city  are  :  First,  lifting  the  city  up  on 
jack-screws,  whole  squares  at  a  time,  with- 
out interrupting  the  business,  thus  giving 
us  good  drainage  ;  second,  running  the 
tunnels  under  the  lake,  giving  us  the  best 
water  in  the  world  ;  and  third,  the  turning 
the  current  of  the  river  in  its  own  channel, 
delivering  us  from  the  old  abominations, 
and  making  decency  possible.  They  re- 
dound about  equally  to  the  credit  of  the 
engineering,  to  the  energy  of  the  people, 
and  to  the  health  of  the  city. 

That  which  really  constitutes  the  city,  its 
indescribable  spirit,  its  soul,  the  way  it 
lights  up  in  every  feature  in  the  hour  of 
action,  has  not  been  touched.  In  meeting 
strangers,  one  is  often  surprised  how  some 
homeh'  women  marry  so  well.  Their  forms 
are  bad,  their  gait  uneven  and  awkward, 
their  complexion  is  dull,  their  features 
are  misshapen  and  mismatched,  and  when 
we  see  them  there  is  no  beauty  that  we 
should  desire  them.  But  when  once  they 
are  aroused  on  some  subject,  they  put  on 
new  proportions.  They  light  up  into  great 
power.  The  real  person  comes  out  from 
its  unseemly  amijush,  and  captures  us  at 
will.  They  have  power.  They  have  abil- 
ity to  cause  things  to  come  to  pass.  We 
no  longer  wonder  why  they  are  in  such 
high  demand.     So  it  is  with  our  city. 

There  is  no  grand  scenery  except  the 
two  seas,  one  of  water,  the  other  of  pi-airie. 
Nevertheless,  there  is  a  sjiirit  about  it,  a 
pu^ii,  a  brer.dth,  a  power,  that    fonn  nuikes 


74 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLIN'OIS. 


it  a  place  never  to  be  forsaken.  One  soon 
ceases  to  believe  in  impossibilities.  Ba- 
laams are  the  only  prophets  that  are  disap- 
pointed. The  bottom  that  has  been  on  the 
point  of  falling  out  has  been  there  so  long 
that  it  has  grown  fast.  It  can  not  fall  out. 
It  has  all  the  capital  of  the  world  itching 
to  get  inside  the  corporation. 

The  two  great  laws  that  govern  the 
growth  and  size  of  cities  are,  first,  the 
amount  of  territoi-y  for  which  they  are  the 
distributing  and  receiving  points  ;  second, 
the  number  of  medium  or  moderate  dealers 
that  do  tills  distributing.  Monopolists 
build  up  themselves,  not  the  cities.  They 
neither  eat,  wear,  nor  live  in  proportion  to 
their  business.  Eotli  tliese  laws  help  Chi- 
cago. 

The  tide  of  trade  is  eastward — not  up  or 
down  the  maj),  but  across  the  map.  The 
lake  runs  up  a  wingdam  for  500  miles  to 
"■ather  in  the  business.  Commerce  can 
not  ferry  up  there  for  seven  months  in  the 
year  and  the  facilities  for  seven  months  can 
do  the  work  for  twelve.  Then  tiie  great  re- 
gion west  of  us  is  nearly  all  good, productive 
land.  Dropping  south  into  the  trail  of 
St.  Louis,  you  fall  into  vast  deserts  and 
rocky  districts,  useful  in  holding  the  world 
together.  St.  Louis  and  Cincinnati,  instead 
of  -rivaling  and  hurting  Chicago,  are  her 
greatest  sureties  of  dominion.  They  are 
far  enough  away  to  give  sea-room — farther 
ofl'  than  Paris  is  from  London — and  yet 
they  are  near  enough  to  prevent  the  spring- 
ing np  of  any  other  great  city  between 
them. 

St.  Louis  will  be  helped  by  the  opening 
of  the  Mississippi,  but  also  hurt.  Tiiat 
will  put  JSTew  Orleans  on  lier  ieet,  and  with 
a  railroad  running-  over  into  Tc.\as  and  so 


AVest,  she  will  tap  the  streams  that  now 
crawl  up  the  Texas  and  Missouri  road.  Tlio 
current  is  East,  not  N"orth,aud  a  seaport  at 
New  Orleans  can  not  permanently  help  St. 
Louis. 

Chicago  is  in  the  field  almost  alone,  to 
handle  the  wealth  of  one  fourth  of  the  ter- 
ritory of  this  great  repul)lic.  This  strip  of 
seacoast  divides  its  margins  between  Port- 
land, Boston,  New  York,  Philadelpliia, 
Baltimoi-e  and  Savannah  or  some  other 
great  ])ort  to  be  created  for  the  South  in  the 
next  decade.  But  Chicago  has  a  dozen  em- 
pires casting  their  treasures  into  her  lap. 
On  a  bed  of  coal  that  can  run  all  the  ma- 
chinery of  the  world  for  500  centuries;  in 
a  garden  feed  the  race  by  the  thousand 
years;  at  the  head  of  the  lakes  that  give 
her  a  temperature  as  a  summer  resort 
equaled  by  no  great  city  in  the  land;  with 
a  climate  that  insures  the  liealth  of  her 
citizens;  surrounded  bj'  all  tiie  great  de- 
posits of  natural  wealth  in  uiines  and  forests 
and  herds,  Chicago  is  the  wonder  of  to-day, 
and  will  be  the  city  of  the  future. 

MASSACRE  AT  FORT  DEARBORN. 

During  the  war  of  1S13,  Fort  Dearborn 
became  the  theater  of  stirrinor  events.  The 
garrison  consisted  of  fifty-four  men  under 
command  of  Captain  Nathan  Ileald, 
assisted  by  Lieutenant  Helm  (son-in-law  of 
Mrs.  Kinzie)  and  Ensign  Eonan.  Dr. 
Yoorhees  was  surgeon.  The  only  residents 
at  the  post  at  that  time  were  the  wives  of 
Captain  Ileald  and  Lieutenant  Helm,  and 
a  few  of  the  soldiers,  Mr.  Kinzie  and  his 
family,  and  a  few  Canadian  voyageui's, 
with  their  wives  and  children.  The  sol- 
diers and  ]\Ir.  Kinzie  wereon  most  friendl}' 
terms  with   the   Pottawatomics   and   Win- 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


ncbagoes,  the  principal  tribes  arouiul  tliein, 
but  they  could  not  win  thoin  I'roin  their 
attaclinient  to  the  British. 

One  evening  in  April,  1S12,  ilr.  Ivinzie 
sat  playing  on  his  violin  and  his  ciiiklren 
were  dancing  to  the  music,  when  Mrs.  Kin- 
zie  came  rushing  into  the  house  pale  with 
terror,  and  exclaiming:  "The  Indians!  tlie 
Indians!"  "What?  wliere?"  eagerly  in- 
(^uired  ilr.  Kinzie.  "  Up  at  Lee's,  killing 
and  scalping,"  answered  the  frightened 
mother,  who,  when  the  alarm  was  given, 
was  attending  Mrs.  Barnes  (just  conhned) 
living  not  far  oft".  Mr.  Kinzie  and  his 
family  crossed  the  river  and  took  refuge  in 
the  fort,  to  which  place  Mrs.  Barnes  and 
lier  infant  not  a  day  oW,  were  safely  con- 
veved.  The  rest  of  the  inhabitants  took 
shelter  in  the  fort.  This  alarm  was  caused 
by  a  scalping  party  of  Winnebagoes,  who 
hovered  about  the  fort  several  daj^s,  when 
they  disappeared,  and  for  several  weeks 
the  inhabitants  were  undisturbed. 

On  the  7th  of  August,  1812,  General 
Hull,  at  Detroit,  sent  orders  to  Captain 
Ileald  to  evacuate  Fort  Dearborn,  and  to 
distribute  all  the  United  States  property  to 
the  Indians  in  the  neighborhood — a  most 
insane  order.  The  Pottawatomie  chief 
wliii  brought  the  dispatch  had  more  wisdom 
than  the  commanding  general.  He  ad- 
vised Captain  Ileald  not  to  make  the 
distribution.  Said  he:  ''Leave  the  fort 
and  stores  as  they  are,  and  let  tJie  Indians 
make  distribution  for  themselves;  and 
while  they  are  engaged  in  the  business, 
the  white  people  may  escajic  to  Fort 
Wayne." 

Captain  Ileald  held  a  council  with  the  In- 
dians on  the  afternoon  of  the  12th,  in  which 
his  officers  refused  to  join,  for  they  had  been 


informed  that  treachery  was  designed— 
that  the  Indians  intended  to  murder  the 
white  people  in  the  council,  and  tlieu 
destroy  those  in  the  fort.  Captain  Ileald, 
however,  took  the  precaution  to  open  a 
port-hole  displaying  a  cannon  pointing  di- 
rectly upon  the  council,  and  hy  that  means 
saved  his  life. 

Mr.  Kinzie,  who  knew  the  Indians  well, 
begged  Captain  Ileald  not  to  confide  in 
their  promises,  nor  distribute  the  arms  and 
munitions  among  them,  for  it  would  only 
put  power  into  their  hands  to  destroy  the 
whites.  Acting  upon  this  advice,  Ileald 
resolved  to  withhold  the  munitions  of  war; 
and  on  the  night  of  the  13th  after  the  dis- 
tribution of  the  other  ]iruperty  had  been 
made,  the  powder,  ball  and  liquors  were 
thrown  into  the  river,  the  muskets  broken 
u])  and  destroyed. 

Black  Partridge,  a  friendly  chief,  came 
to  Captain  Ileald  and  said:  "Linden  birds 
have  been  singing  in  my  ears  to-day;  be 
careful  on  the  march  you  are  going  to 
take."  On  that  night  vigilant  Indians  had 
crept  near  the  fort  and  discovered  the 
destruction  of  their  promised  bootj'  going 
on  within.  The  next  morning  the  powder 
was  seen  floating  on  the  surface  of  the  river. 
The  savages  were  exasperated  and  made 
loud  complaints  and  threats. 

On  the  following  day  when  prcjiarations 
were  making  to  leave  the  fort,  and  all  the 
inmates  were  deeply  impressed  with  a  sense 
of  imjiending  danger,  Capt.  Wells,  an 
uncle  of  Mrs.  Ileald,  was  discovered  ujion 
the  Indian  trail  among  the  sand  Iiills  on 
the  borders  of  the  lake,  not  far  distant, 
with  a  band  of  mounted  Miainis,  of  whose 
tribe  he  was  chief,  having  been  ado])ted  by 
the  famous  Miami   warrior,    IJttle  Turtle. 


76 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


"When  news  of  Hull's  surrender  reached 
Fort  Wayne,  he  had  started  with  this  force 
to  assist  Heald  in  defendinsr  Fort  Dearborn. 
He  was  too  late.  Every  means  for  its 
defense  had  been  destroyed  the  night  be- 
fore, and  arrangements  were  made  for  leav- 
ing the  fort  on   the    morning  of  the   15th. 

It  was  a  warm,  bright  morning  in  the 
middle  of  August.  Indications  were  posi- 
tive that  the  savages  intended  to  murder 
the  white  people;  and  when  they  moved 
out  of  the  southern  gate  of  the  fort,  the 
march  was  like  a  funeral  procession.  The 
hand,  feeling  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion, 
struck  up  the  Dead  March  in  Saul. 

Capt.  Wells,  who  had  blackened  his  face 
with  gun-powder  in  token  of  his  fate,  took 
the  lead  with  his  band  of  Miamis,  followed 
Vjy  Captain  Heald  with  his  wife  by  his  side 
on  horseback.  Mr.  Kinzie  hoped  by  his 
personal  influence  to  avert  the  impending 
blow,  and  therefore  accompanied  them, 
leaving  his  family  in  a  boat  in  charge  of  a 
friendly  Indian,  to  be  taken  to  his  trading 
station  at  the  site  of  Niles,  Michigan,  in 
the  event  of  his  death. 

The  procession  moved  slowly  along  the 
lake  shore  till  they  reached  the  sand  hills 
between  the  prairie  and  the  beach,  when 
the  Pottawatomie  escort,  under  the  lead- 
ership of  Blackbird,  flled  to  the  right, 
placing  those  hills  between  them  and  the 
wdiite  people.  AVells,  with  his  Miamis,  had 
kept  in  the  advance.  They  suddenly  came 
rushing  back,  Wells  exclaiming,  "They 
are  about  to  attack  us;  form  instantly." 
These  words  were  quickly  followed  by  a 
storm  of  bullets  which  came  whistling 
over  the  little  hills  which  the  treacherous 
savages  had  made  the  covert  for  their  mur- 
derous attack.     The  white  troops  charged 


upon  the  Indians,  drove  them  back  to  the 
prairie,  and  then  the  battle  was  waged  be- 
tween fifty-four  soldiers,  twelve  civilians 
and  three  or  four  women  (the  cowardly 
Miamis  having  fled  at  the  outset)  against 
■  five  hundred  Indian  warriors.  The  white 
people,  hopeless,  resolved  to  sell  their  lives 
as  dearly  as  possible.  Ensign  Ronan 
wielded  his  weapon  vigorously,  even  after 
falling  upon  his  knees  weak  from  the  loss 
of  blood.  Capt.  Wells,  who  was  by  the 
side  of  his  niece,  Mrs.  Heald,  when  the 
conflict  began,  behaved  with  the  greatest 
coolness  and  courage.  He  said  to  her, 
"We  have  not  the  slightest  chance  for  life. 
We  must  part  to  meet  no  more  in-  this 
woi'ld.  God  bless  you."  And  then  he 
dashed  forward.  Seeing  a  young  wari'ior, 
painted  like  a  demon,  climb  into  a  wagon 
in  w'hich  were  twelve  children,  and  toma- 
hawk them  all,  he  ci'ied  out,  uiiuiindful  of 
his  personal  danger,  "  If  that  is  3'our  game, 
butchering  women  and  children,  I  will  kill 
too."  He  spurred  his  horse  towards  the 
Indian  camp,  where  they  had  left  their 
squaws  and  papooses,  hotly  pursued  by 
swift-footed  young  warriors,  who  sent  bul- 
lets whistling  after  him.  One  of  tiiese 
killed  his  horse  and  wounded  him  severely 
in  the  leg.  With  a  yell  the  young  braves 
rnshed  to  niake  him  their  prisoner  and  re- 
serve him  for  torture.  He  resolved  not  to 
be  made  a  captive,  and  by  tlie  use  of  the 
most  provoking  epithets  tried  to  induce 
them  to  kill  him  instantly.  He  called  a 
fiery  young  chief  a  squaw,  when  the  en- 
raged warrior  killed  Wells  instantly  with 
his  tomahawk,  jumped  upon  his  body,  cut 
out  his  heart,  and  ate  a  portion  of  the  warm 
morsel  with  savage  delight  ! 

In    thi?    fcarfnl    combat   women    boi"c  a 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


conspicuous  part.  Mrs.  lleald  was  an  ex- 
cellent equestrian  and  an  expert  in  the  use 
of  the  rifle.  She  fought  the  savages  bravely, 
receiving  several  severe  wounds.  Though 
faint  from  the  loss  of  blood,  she  managed  to 
keep  her  saddle.  A  savage  raised  his  toma- 
hawk to  kill  her,  when  she  looked  him  full 
in  the  face,  and  with  a  sweet  smile  and  in  a 
gentle  voice  said,  in  Lis  own  language, 
"Surely  you  will  not  kill  a  squaw  !"  The 
arm  of  the  savage  fell,  and  the  life  of  the 
heroic  woman  was  saved. 

Mrs.  Helm,  the  step-daughter  of  Mr. 
Kinzie,  had  an  encounter  with  a  stout  In- 
dian, who  attempted  to  tomahawk  her. 
Springing  to  one  side,  she  received  the 
glancing  blow  on  her  shoulder,  and  at  the 
same  instant  seized  the  savage  round  the 
neck  with  her  arras  and  endeavored  to  get 
hold  of  his  scalping  knife,  which  hung  in  a 
sheath  at  his  breast.  Wiiile  she  was  thus 
strucf2'lino'  she  was  drao-eed  from  her  antacj- 
onist  by  another  powerful  Indian,  who  bore 
her,  in  spite  of  lier  struggles,  to  the  mai-gin 
of  the  lake  and  plunged  her  in.  To  her 
astonishment  she  was  held  by  him  so  that 
she  would  (not  drown,  and  she  soon  per- 
ceived that  she  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
friendly  Black  Partridge,  who  had  saved 
her  life. 

The  wife  of  Sergeant  Holt,  a  large  and 
powerful  woman,  behaved  as  bravely  as  an 
Amazon.  She  rode  a  fine,  high-spirited 
horse,  which  the  Indians  coveted,  and 
several  of  them  attacked  her  with  the  butts 
of  their  guns,  for  the  purpose  of  dismount- 
ing her;  but  she  used  the  sword  which  she 
had  snatched  from  her  disabled  husband  so 
skillfully  that  she  foiled  them;  and,  sud- 
denly wheeling  her  horse,  she  dashed  over 
the  prairie,  followed  by  the  savages  shout- 


ing, "  The  brave  woman !  the  brave  woman ! 
Don't  hurt  her!"  They  finally  overtook 
her,  and  while  she  was  fighting  them  in 
front,  a  jjowerful  savage  came  up  behind 
hei",  seized  her  by  the  neck  and  dragged 
her  to  the  ground.  Horse  and  woman 
were  made  captive.  Mrs.  Holt  was  a  long 
time  a  captive  among  the  Indians,  but  was 
afterward  ransomed. 

In  this  sharp  conflict  two  thirds  of  the 
white  people  were  slain  and  wounded,  and 
all  their  horses,  baggage  and  provision 
wei'e  lost.  Only  twenty-eight  straggling 
men  now  remained  to  light  five  hundred 
Indians  rendered  furious  by  the  siglit  of 
blood.  They  succeeded  in  breaking  through 
the  ranks  of  the  murderers  and  gaining  a 
slight  eminence  on  the  prairie  near  the 
Oak  Woods.  The  Indians  did  not  pursue, 
but  gathered  on  their  flanks,  while  the 
chiefs  held  a  consultation  on  the  sand-hills, 
and  showed  signs  of  willingness  to  parley. 
It  would  have  been  madness  on  the  part  of 
the  whites  to>enew  the  fight;  and  so  Capt. 
Heald  went  forward  and  met  Blackbird  on 
the  open  prairie,  where  terms  of  sur- 
render were  agreed  upon.  It  was  arra^iged 
that  the  white  people  should  give  up  their 
arms  to  Blackbird,  and  that  the  survivors 
should  become  prisoners  of  war,  to  be  ex- 
changed for  ransoms  as  soon  as  practicable. 
With  this  understanding  captives  and  cap- 
tors started  for  the  Indian  camp  near  the 
foi't,  to  which  Mrs.  Helm  had  been  taken 
bleeding  and  suflering  by  Black  Partridge, 
and  had  met  her  step-father  and  learned 
that  her  husband  was  safe. 

A  new  scene  of  horror  was  now  opened 
at  the  Indian  camp.  The  wounded,  not 
being  included  in  tlie  surrender,  as  it  was 
interpreted  by  the  Indians,  and  tiie  British 


78 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


general,  Proctor,  having  offered  a  liberal 
bounty  for  American  scalps,  delivered  at 
Maiden,  nearly  all  the  wounded  men  were 
killed  and  scalped,  and  price  of  the  trophies 
was  afterward  paid  by  the  British  govern- 
ment. 

Tliis  celebrated  Indian  chief,  Shabbona, 
deserves  more  than  a  passing  notice.  Al- 
though he  was  not  so  conspicuous  as 
Tecumseh  or  Black  Hawk,  yet  in  point  of 
merit  he  was  superior  to  either  of  them. 

Shabbona  was  born  at  an  Indiau  village 
on  the  Kankakee  River,  now  in  Will  County 
about  the  year  1775.  While  youug  he  was 
made  chief  of  the  band,  and  went  to  Shab- 
bona Grove,  now  De  Kalb  County,  where 
they  were  found  in  the  early  settlement  of 
the  county. 

In  the  war  of  1812,  Sliabbona,  with  his 
warriors,  joined  Tecumseh,  was  aid  to  that 
great  chief,  and  stood  by  his  side  when  he 
fell  at  the  battle  of  the  Tiiames.  At  the 
time  of  the  Winnebago  war,  in  1827,  he 
visited  almost  every  village  among  the  Pot- 
tawatomies,  and  by  his  persuasive  argu- 
ments prevented  them  from  taking  part  in 
tlie  war.  By  request  of  the  citizens  of 
Chicago,  Shabbona,  accompanied  by  Billy 
Caldwell  (Sauganash),  visited  Big  Foot's 
village  at  Geneva  Lake,  in  order  to  pacify 
the  warriors,  as  fears  were  entertained  that 
they  were  about  to  raise  the  tomahawk 
against  the  whites.  Here  Shabbona  was 
taken  prisoner  by  Big  Foot,  and  his  life 
threatened,  but  on  the  following  day  was 
set  at  liberty.  From  that  time  the  Indians 
(through  reproach)  styled  him  "  the  white 
man's  friend,"  and  many  times  his  life  was 
endangered. 

Before  the  Black  Hawk  war,  Shabbona 
met  in  council  at  two  different  times,  and 


by  his  influence  prevented  his  people  from 
taking  part  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes. 
After  the  deatli  of  Black  Partridge  and 
Senachwine,  no  chief  among  tlie  Pottawat- 
omies  exerted  so  much  influence  as  Shab- 
bona. Black  Hawk,  aware  of  this  influ- 
ence, visited  him  at  two  different  times,  in 
order  to  enlist  him  in  his  cause,  but  was 
unsuccessful.  While  Black  Hawk  was  a 
prisoner  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  he  said,  had 
It  not  been  for  Shabbona  the  whole  Potta- 
watomie nation  would  have  joined  his 
standard,  and  he  could  have  continued  the 
war  for  j'ears. 

To  Shabbona  many  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Illinois  owe  the  preservation  of  their 
lives,  for  it  is  a  well-known  fact,  had  he  not 
notified  the  people  of  their  danger,  a  large 
portion  of  them  would  have  fallen  victims 
to  the  tomahawk  of  savages.  By  savin'' 
the  lives  of  whites  he  endangered  his  own, 
for  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  threatened  to  kill 
him,  and  made  two  attempts  to  execute 
their  threats.  They  killed  Pypeogee,  his 
son,  and  Pyps,  his  nephew,  and  hunted  him 
down  as  though  he  was  a  wild  beast. 

Shabbona  had  a  reservation  of  two  sec- 
tions of  land  at  his  Grove,  but  by  leaving 
it  and  going  West  for  a  short  time,  the 
Government  declared  tlie  reservation  for- 
feited, and  sold  it  the  same  as  other  vacant 
land.  On  Shabbona's  return,  and  finding 
his  possessions  gone,  he  was  very  sad  and 
broken  down  in  spirit,  and  left  the  Grove 
forever.  The  citizens  of  Ottawa  raised 
money  and  bought  him  a  tract  of  land  on 
the  Illinois  Eiver,  above  Seneca,  in  Grundy 
County,  on  which  tliey  built  a  house,  and 
sup]ilied  him  with  means  to  live  on.  He 
lived  here  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
on  tlie  17th   of  July,  185!>,  in   the  eighty- 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


79 


fourth  year  of  his  age,  and  was  buried  with 
great  pomp  in  the  cemetery  at  Morris. 
His  squaw,  Pokanoka,  was  drowned  in 
Mazon  Creek,  Grundy  Count}',  on  tlie 
30th  of  November,  1804,  and  was  buried 
by  his  side. 

In  1S61  subscriptions  were  taken  up  in 


many  of  the  river  towns,  to  erect  a  monu- 
ment over  tlie  remains  of  Shabbona,  but 
the  war  breaking  out,  the  enterprise  was 
abandoned.  Only  a  plain  marble  slab 
marks  the  resting-place  of  this  friend  of  the 
white  man. 


''ii 


